Pottering around the garden is a great way to relax. Spending a couple of hours doing some deep weeding or relocating plants that are struggling can be both therapeutic and make a valuable contribution to your patch. Even if you’re a gardening amateur, why not try to achieve some sense of colour palette and plant strategy? Some seasons it will work, others not, but that’s part of the fun and excitement – not knowing if the tulips will resurface or the wisteria will blossom as well as last year. The Big Book of English Gardens showcases the very best traditional gardens, all beautifully photographed, as chosen by the Period Living team. Discover inspiring design ideas, interesting plant combinations and useful garden tips, plus horticulturist Mike Lavelle provides practical advice to ensure maximum enjoyment of your garden all year round.
WELCOME
Garden ideas & projects • Before spring gets into full swing each year, start planning your outdoor space for the warmer seasons ahead. Gardening expert Mick Lavelle advises on how to approach the larger decisions
A touch of whimsy • Created from recycled materials and cuttings, Charlotte Molesworth’s magical garden has evolved under her unique artistic skills into a topiary fantasy
A step up • Corinne and John Layton transformed a flat, uninteresting Essex plot, where little would grow, into a terraced garden brimming with features
SPRING abundance • The once neglected gardens of the Jacobean King John’s Lodge have been carefully restored and now combine a timeless atmosphere with charming planting
ARTIST’S muse • Illustrator Judith Glover’s work is often inspired by flowers and nature, which, in turn, have influenced the layout of the garden at her home in London
A creative TOUCH • With many focal points that draw the eye, this country garden can be enjoyed year round from quiet seating areas
Flowering form • Heather Scott has added a contemporary edge to her traditional, and immaculately kept, cottage garden in Kent
Garden ANTIQUES • Author Bill Laws takes an anecdotal look at our affection for old gardening gear, and finds out why all things horticultural have become so collectable
All coming up ROSES • Linda Kilburn transformed the bottom of her garden and created a relaxed new living space when she built a charming summerhouse on the waterside – complete with rowing boat
Family affair • Joanne Winn demonstrates how it is possible to design a beautiful, tender and productive garden that is still fit for childhood play
Under its spell • Rebecca and Lars Lemonius followed their hearts in taking on the custodianship of a historic property, with gardens created by the writer Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson
An artistic bounty • Mel and Lizzi Smith’s creative ingenuity has guided the development of the unique edible and floral landscape around their home and studio
Journey of discovery • With help and guidance, Marie du Boulay took on her garden as a complete beginner and has gradually created a beautiful, flowing space that subtly blends the formal and informal
FULL TO BRIMMING • With borders carefully planned around varied colour schemes, Bob and Shirley Stoneley’s Surrey garden continues to put on a cheerful and vibrant show well into autumn
Embracing the elements • Their garden’s challenging position on a windy hill in Shropshire has not prevented Fiona and George Chancellor from whipping it into shape
Horticultural MASTERCLASS • World-renowned gardening doyenne Rosemary Alexander showcases her knowledge and techniques in her rural home garden of Sandhill Farm House, a mecca for garden lovers while still very much a personal haven
Textural tapestry • A complete change of direction saw...