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

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

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…

August plants • In the heat of August, designer and plantsman Dan Pearson welcomes the refreshing colours of a perennial dahlia, a delicate Chinese meadow rue and a late-flowering elder

KITTED OUT • Indulgent ideas for a well-earned tea break in the garden

Dinky delight • Libby Webb took out the lawn in her Edinburgh garden to create an immersive, plant-packed space that is an inspiration to home gardeners everywhere

GARDENS OF NOTE • Nigel Slater is a man who loves a good list and finds keeping a garden diary the perfect way to keep on top of his garden tasks

HYDRANGEA PANICULATA • Add a sense of grandeur to your garden with these deciduous shrubs that flower in late summer and early autumn

IN GREAT SHAPE • Exotic evergreen texture and form bring multiple perspectives to a shady, low-level urban garden designed by Declan Buckley

ASHLEIGH AYLETT • Last year’s RHS Young Designer of the Year, Ashleigh also won Gold for her balcony garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show

HEIGHT OF ELEGANCE • Haruko Seki’s ingenious design makes use of raised containers and subtle planting to create a sense of stillness, balance and light in a tiny city courtyard

BOYD DOUGLAS-DAVIES • The titan of the horticulture industry, and chair of Greenfingers Charity, on the importance of marking the start of the gardening year and finding it hard to sit still for long

CHANGE OF SCENERY • Tabitha Rigden’s multifunctional design for this suburban family garden offers privacy and versatility as well as planting for biodiversity

BIG IDEAS FOR SMALL SPACES • Top recommendations and expert planting advice to make small gardens look bigger, plus more wildlife-rich and filled with year-round interest

Top plants for small gardens

ON THE RISE • When faced with the challenge of this small, steeply sloping garden, Miria Harris took an unconventional approach to elevate it into a calm and nurturing sanctuary

THE NEW BEAUTIFUL • As our first book is released next month, Piet Oudolf and editor Stephanie Mahon look at how gardens have evolved in recent decades and what makes a Gardens Illustrated-worthy garden today

Design • News, garden design solutions and sourcebook

DIFFICULT SMALL SPACES • Designer Charlotte Harris has faced many awkwardly shaped, compact gardens, and offers her advice on making them work

Outdoor kitchens • Enjoy preparing food alfresco with a smart garden prep station

DOWNTOOLS • Book reviews, Q&A, the crossword and the big idea

MASTERS OF OPPORTUNITY • Alys Fowler is beguiled by an illuminating account of the ecology of plants that thrive against the odds in the walls, pavements and wastelands of our urban environments

Recommended reads this month

‘I’m convinced of the power of plants to help us heal’ • Sarah Gerrard-Jones, aka The Plant Rescuer, on her latest book, her houseplant obsession and why she doesn’t always try to save a houseplant

Crossword

CAN YOU SAY NO TO NATURE? • It’s good to listen to what your garden wants to grow, but that doesn’t mean you always have to agree, says Andrew Timothy O’Brien