Exteriors
Sylvan Smiths
From taming woodland and deterring greedy deer to picking pesky purple crocuses out of the white spring beds, the Caroes have their work cut out in the Gertrude Jekyll garden at Vann, their Arts and Crafts home in Surrey
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Created by canny self-taught gardeners, Le Jardin Plume is a stunner in any season
Le Jardin Plume, a feathery garden in France created by self-taught gardeners Patrick and Sylvie Quibel, is best seen in winter, when cobwebs and dew draw a golden filigree between the tops of grasses, bare trees and the stripped structure of rose bushes
A horticultural habit flourishes within the walls of this convent
At a long-neglected monastery at the tip of Italy’s heel, in Puglia, Alistair McAlpine spent 15 years or so fighting and defying the harsh climate to create a flourishing garden
Lotte Glob’s norm-defying sculptures cling to the northern Scottish landscape
The Danish artist and sculptor’s practice draws its power from nature – and the maker’s aversion to following rules
Lindsey Taylor’s floral interpretations of historic paintings
If having a ‘distinctive flower personality’ is possible, Lindsey Taylor has one in abundance. A new book reveals the artful inspirations behind her bouquets. Flip back and forth between a classic painting and Taylor’s floral interpretation of it
Candied portraits of Natasja Sadi’s floral confections
To think of cake-top flowers is to picture perfectly piped symmetry: nature neatened. This was not Natasja Sadi’s project, however, when she set about sculpting her own. Instead, the Dutch bridal-wear designer sought to capture her countless cultivars as truthfully as possible
Where to find London’s best-dressed Christmas trees
Pining after a shot of good old-fashioned festive spirit? Simply follow our guide to some of the capital’s sprucest decorations
Weird Walk is a guide for wanderers who want to be enchanted
‘A journey backwards through time is best taken on foot,’ say the anonymous Weird Walkers, whose latest guide to stone circles, trilithons, chalk figures, cromlechs and altars aims to re-enchant ramblers with Britain’s ancient landscape and the folklore it’s conjured
An art history of snowdrops
Emerging in the depths of winter, the mournful snowdrop has long been banded with death, yet galanthophiles, lovers of the species, embrace its emergence as the first glimpse of lighter times ahead
The quirky geological museum created by a passionate collector is today one of east Iceland’s least-known gems
In an out-of-the-way fishing village on a fjord, the collector Ljósbjörg Petra María Sveinsdóttir put her rock and mineral collection on display and rejoiced in sharing it with others. Fifty years on, her home museum and garden still cast a spell
The rich literary history of Brookwood garden in Cooperstown
Established on the southern end of Lake Otsego in 1786 by the father of novelist James Fenimore Cooper, Cooperstown has a little-known history as the cradle of admired private gardens
The favourite flowers of famous faces
Stars across industries – from Simone Rocha to Anjelica Huston – pick plants from their gardens and vessels from their cabinets in a new series
Egyptian iconography in London’s cemeteries
Spooky season dictates we take a closer look at the Egyptian iconography in London’s most famous cemeteries, such as Highgate and Brompton
Anna Atkins’ book captures the delicacy of algae and ferns
Drawing on five extant copies in museums around the world, Anna Atkins' book captures the delicacy of algae and ferns. For the first time, a new book reprints her works British Algae and Cyanotypes of British and Foreign Ferns in their entirety
Playing house in Dominique Lafourcade’s Lilliputian garden follies
Dominique Lafourcade’s extravagant summer play houses for children hold timeless (and ageless) delight
