I am a long-lapsed Christian, but the rituals of Easter still draw me in
The cravings to fill the house with tulips and white narcissus are irresistible.
ByGardening
We should admire the complexity of garden design
There’s much more to it than wafting around in a kaftan.
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The playful trend of “chaos gardening”
It’s time to tear up the horticultural rulebook and indulge in curiosity.
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Finding gifts for gardeners should be easy
But most of what we want can’t be bought.
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The gardener’s bittersweet acceptance
We may not be able to stick around long enough to enjoy the fruit of our labours.
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Even the most dedicated gardeners go through times of growing apathy
It’s taboo to say, but I’ve felt a disconnect from the thing I pour hours of labour into.
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Even garage-bought flowers can provide delight
The joy of the simple pelargonium.
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Gardening laziness is the best way to encourage pollinators
Doing nothing is the antidote to declining insect populations.
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I couldn’t beat our local fly-tippers. Instead, I found myself joining them
Often I find myself picking among jettisoned debris, looking for incriminating documents, but rarely with any luck.
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Bridgerton’s flowers are pure fantasy
Many raised their eyebrows at the sex scenes; I was outraged that anybody thought wisteria, apple trees and roses bloom…
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The Chelsea Flower Show goes green
A focus on rewilding and sustainability has not diminished what the world-famous garden show does best.
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The lure of the English garden
Olivia Laing and Richard Mabey reveal the joys, crises and politics of making a garden of one’s own.
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The Clarksonification of the countryside
Also this week: AI enters the classroom, and the British obsession with gardening vs Brexit red tape.
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The drama and delight of chicks leaving the nest
I’m no birdwatcher, but I was glued to the garden, willing on the fledgling great tits like my own offspring.
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The joys of a low-maintenance garden
One of the beautiful things about gardens is that they are continuously being made anew.
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The warm winter’s underwhelming crop
The marvellous front gardens near Kew leave me in awe of those who managed to grow tulips this spring.
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Amsterdam’s city gardens are a potted paradise
The city’s attitude to urban greening – with its window boxes, community gardening and allotment culture – keeps me coming…
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After disregarding the simple snowdrop, I now see its beauty
The passion for these modest winter flowers has taken off in the past 20 years. And I have become a…
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Forget secateurs. A vivid imagination is a gardener’s most important tool
To garden is to live in anticipation of the seasons yet to come, to build endless versions of the first…
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Herbs and flowers flourish in my hilltop garden, except where I want them
My lack of success growing mint and thyme is embarrassing, but I take solace in the plant world’s mysteries and…
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