Why outdoor bathrooms are the new must-have
Embrace the trend for open-air baths and showers, as seen at the Chelsea Flower Show
How the pros plan the perfect garden party
Ideas for stylish, al-fresco fun, from kombucha cocktails to ditsy print linen and blooming centrepieces.
How fairy lights got cool, and why we need them all year round
A guide to fairy-lit sparkle and joy in all seasons
Your ultimate guide to picture-perfect tablescaping
Expert inspiration for festive styling
How to grow and arrange the most dazzling dahlia displays
It’s a tuberous rooted perennial native to Mexico and known for its showy flower heads, providing late-summer colour through to the end of October and the first frosts. It could only be a dahlia, the fashionable bloom currently at its dramatic best. “Dahlias used to be seen as old-fashioned, but in the last 10 years they’ve had a renaissance, in part thanks to their social-media appeal,” says Thomas Broom-Hughes, director of horticulture at Petersham Nurseries in Richmond. Broom-Hughes holds the
How to give your garden a burst of colour all year round
‘Have colour in your garden. Enjoy it. I want people to be braver with colour,” urges the multi-award-winning garden designer Jo Thompson. In her new book The Gardener’s Palette: Creating Colour Harmony in the Garden, written in association with the Royal Horticultural Society, Thompson presents bold and creative ways to incorporate colour into planting schemes. The book features 100 schemes in total – each comprising three to eight colours – accompanied by stunning photographs and suggested pla
The best online homeware and interiors shops to refresh your home for summer
Where is the best place to buy furniture, kitchenware, textiles and home accessories? Many of us will be considering refreshing our homes to enjoy the summer ahead and often the best items to unleash your inner interior designer can be found online. Whether you’re looking for a new sofa, a bedding set or simply a scented candle, you’ll be able to find it at our curated selection of the best interiors and homeware shops below. The best online homeware and interiors shops in 2022 They may have dit
The Chelsea Flower Show’s winning gardens – in pictures
After a year of separation from family and friends, the delayed outpouring of horticultural creativity that is the Chelsea Flower Show 2021 (currently in full swing) is a joyous cause for celebration. Although a virtual Chelsea Flower Show took place in May 2021 and May 2020, the last time it took place live and in-person was in May 2019.
This year’s unique show, taking place in September instead of in spring for the first time in the show’s 108-year history, presented a challenge to designers
This year’s unique show, taking place in September instead of in spring for the first time in the show’s 108-year history, presented a challenge to designers
Forget cottagecore, we've all gone mad for 'cabincore' now
First, there was cottagecore. Celebrating a nostalgic way of life which many young adults in the UK and the US yearn for and post about online via Tumblr, Pinterest and Instagram, cottagecore is a ditsy-print, whimsical vision of country life (think rose-adorned farmhouses and frolic-worthy, flowery frocks). It’s little wonder that lockdown led to increasing numbers of urbanites fantasising about little houses on prairies and traditional English country garden-style spaces. Cabincore – its rusti
11 of the most luxurious garden accessories to buy right now
Hanging egg chairs, hot tubs, floating teepee beds, parasols and fire pits… whether you prefer a modern look or a bohemian vibe, this year’s “outdoor lounge” trend peaks in August – our traditional holiday month.
If you’re not able to get away, or prefer not to risk foreign travel, your garden is likely to become more about home comforts than horticulture, at least for a few weeks.
Sun or rain, nature has to take a back seat when the back garden becomes an outdoor living room. Silly season is
If you’re not able to get away, or prefer not to risk foreign travel, your garden is likely to become more about home comforts than horticulture, at least for a few weeks.
Sun or rain, nature has to take a back seat when the back garden becomes an outdoor living room. Silly season is
Lifestyle writer, journalist and editor