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… • BALCONY PLANTERS
August plants • As temperatures rise at Lowther Castle, head gardener Andrea Brunsendorf chooses a delicate climbing hydrangea, an easy-to-grow umbel and an airy, fragrant rose
KITTED OUT • Stylish ideas to make the most of any small garden or petite growing space
SMALL PLEASURES • While Nigel Slater might occasionally dream of a larger garden, the joy he feels cocooned in his tiny basement courtyard has convinced him size isn't everything
14 top design tips for small gardens • Three of this issue's designers share expert advice on creating small spaces that really work, with insightful dos and don'ts to apply to your own garden
Cool and collected • For this small London garden, designer Harry Holding has taken inspiration from the lush textures of tropical forests to create an urban woodland oasis
SOPHIA GRAY • Social worker Sophia is part of the Flowers from the Farm collective, supplying cut flowers from her Swindon allotment
ROSCOEA • With their orchid-like blooms, these exotic-looking hardy perennials bring welcome colour to shady areas from late spring to autumn
How to grow Roscoea
Moving on up • Design duo Farlam & Chandler has transformed a heavily shaded plot into a beautiful, flower-filled family garden
TERESA MOLLER • The Chilean landscape architect on taking inspiration from the natural world, the pleasures of working around the globe and the importance of planting more trees
STREET LIFE • In the middle of suburbia, Super Bloom's founder Jac Semmler has created a floral wonderland that spills out on to the street
Starting over • The National Dahlia Collection has had several homes since its inception in the 1980s, and now, under the care of a dedicated dahlia aficionado, it has been rescued and relocated once more to a new site in Cornwall
Off the grid • Design studio Viriditas has created a seemingly simple but elegantly layered, lush and immersive garden, which offers great views from the house and space for entertaining
Last taste of summer • As the seasons begin to change, Beth Al Rikabi suggests four easy recipes for preserving foraged fruits and overlooked vegetables
Treasure trail • Landscape architect Matt Evans has turned his typically long, narrow, town garden in Bath into a plantsman's paradise
Rise of the trub • Want to create height and interest in a small garden? You might think you want a tree, but you really need a tree-like shrub – a ‘trub’
Design • News, garden design insight and sourcebook
SOFT TOUCH • Tony Woods of design studio Garden Club London has brought order to this previously unloved, small urban garden with a new, linear layout, and a limited palette of materials that is softened by loose and lovely planting
Small sheds and tool stores • Find the perfect solution for your space with these mini shed and storage ideas
DOWNTOOLS • Book reviews, the crossword and the big idea
IN PRAISE OF POTTERING • Part memoir, part rumination on the relationship between humans and the natural world, this new book from Richard Mabey is a delight, says Alys Fowler
Recommended reads this month
‘When I'm...