Gardens Illustrated Magazine

Widely regarded as the Vogue of the gardening press, Gardens Illustrated aims to inspire you with an eclectic and international editorial mix of remarkable places, plants and people. With superb photography, authoritative journalism and exceptional design, this award-winning magazine is a style bible for garden designers, garden lovers and enthusiasts alike.

Welcome

Contributors

Gardens Illustrated Magazine

DIG IN • What’s new, what’s growing and what’s going on this month

What to do this month

3 FOR THE GARDEN… • COMPOST BINS

December plants • In the last of her monthly series, Lowther Castle’s head gardener Andrea Brunsendorf chooses ten plants that add lasting interest to see out the gardening year

Gifts for gardeners • Put the excitement back into your Christmas shopping with our ideas for garden lovers

BEAUTY SLEEP • As his garden slumbers, Nigel Slater finds both joy and a sense of purpose in tidying his plot and protecting plants from inclement weather

Winter at Sissinghurst • In our final visit of the working year to the gardens of Sissinghurst, head gardener Troy Scott Smith explains how he and his team prepare for the year ahead

WINTER TASKS AT SISSINGHURST

The wider estate

EMILY ADCOCK • Having completed work on the Oudolf Landscape at RHS Garden Wisley, horticulturist Emily is now working on a Piet Oudolf design for a private estate in Berkshire

SIMPLE JOYS • Bex Partridge offers three elegant but easy ways to decorate your home with flowers and seedheads

Generation game • Once home to garden designer Xa Tollemache, Helmingham Hall is now under the care of a new generation of Tollemaches and is as glorious as ever, especially in winter when its bones are laid bare

MOTH ORCHIDS • Add colour to the winter months with these delicate houseplants that offer exotic, long-lasting flowers, and are easier to look after than you may think

How to grow Phalaenopsis

JANE SCOTTER • The biodynamic grower on the pains and pleasures of hard work, the joys of producing culinary ‘fairy dust’ and on being part of the bigger picture

PERFECT FORM • Around their Georgian farmhouse, David and Victoria Thomas have created a formal garden where structure comes to the fore in winter

Let’s get physical • Hate the gym? Then Dr Richard Claxton has good news: studies show that being active in your garden offers a host of health benefits

Change of pace • By replacing grass lawns with a relaxed mix of resilient planting, Tom Stuart-Smith has ensured this Mediterranean garden is firmly grounded in its landscape

Design • News, garden design solutions and sourcebook

DESIGN NOTES • This project in Scotland features diverse methods of managing and celebrating slopes

SLOPES AND LEVELS • Creating a garden on a sloping site brings a host of challenges, but, says designer Charlotte Harris, with careful planning it is also an opportunity to make a really interesting space

DESIGN IDEAS

CASE STUDY • How Californian design studio Terremoto uses simple, natural design materials to tackle slopes

House names and numbers • Add real kerb appeal to your home with our choice of the best house signs

GARDENS ILLUSTRATED’S Gardening books of the year 2024 • Whether you’re looking for a last-minute Christmas gift, or a great read in which to lose yourself in the dark winter months, find the perfect book among our top picks

Christmas crossword • Test your horticultural word skill in our bumper Christmas crossword

THE VALUE OF A GARDENER? • Good gardens are constantly evolving, so why, asks gardener Colin Stewart, do people place more value on their initial design than on their ongoing care?