Gardens Illustrated Magazine

Staff writer Alys Hurn chats to garden designer Tom Stuart-Smith to find out why he agreed to create a Chelsea garden for the Garfield Weston Foundation and how he’s feeling about designing a garden inside the Great Pavilion.

Staff writer Alys Hurn chats with garden designer Paul Hervey-Brookes to find out more about his Nordic-style, artisan garden for Viking Cruises and Paul explains why RHS Chelsea Flower Show is unlike any other garden show in the world.

Staff writer Alys Hurn chats with garden designer Chris Beardshaw to find out more about the story behind his NSPCC garden for Morgan Stanley and what excites him most about Chelsea this year.

Staff writer Alys Hurn chats with garden designer Matt Keightley who is stepping away from the show gardens on Main Avenue to create this year’s RHS Feel Good Garden.

Staff writer Alys Hurn chats with garden designer Kate Gould to find out more about her New West End Garden in the new Space to Grow category at RHS Chelsea and how she intends to create a pocket of calm in the heart of London.

Staff writer Alys Hurn chats with garden designer Sarah Price to find out a little bit more about her Mediterranean-inspired garden for show sponsors M&G and why this particular design is her ultimate garden fantasy.

The Gardens Illustrated Talk 2016, held during Chelsea Flower Show week, brought together garden designer Luciano Giubbilei and fashion designer Sir Paul Smith They explore what for them are key relationships between fashion, plants, flowers and design

Editor Juliet Roberts and deputy Sorrel Everton chat with garden experts Annie Gatti, Arne Maynard, Tim Richardson, Annie Guilfoyle, Jason Ingram, Rosemary Alexander to get their thoughts on what turned out to be a very splendid RHS Chelsea Flower Show

Sarah Raven is a writer, gardener, cook and florist, whose garden at Perch Hill in East Sussex offers inspirational plantings of both vegetables and flowers. In her talk she explains how she left medicine to set up her cutting garden business.

Great Dixter was the home of the late, great gardener Christopher Lloyd. Today under the guidance of head gardener Fergus Garrett it remains one of our finest gardens, renowned for its exciting and exemplary planting.

Anna Pavord takes us to Florence and the hillsides of Tuscany in the early 20th century in the footsteps of the free-spirited expat community to discover the stories behind the creation of some of the region’s most thrilling gardens.

As the legacy of Vita Sackville-West and Harold Nicolson, Sissinghurst Castle is one of Britain's best-loved gardens. Head gardener Troy Scott-Smith and designer Dan Pearson discuss the new vision to re-establish the garden's original spirit.

Editor Juliet Roberts and deputy Sorrel Everton chat with garden experts Tim Richardson, Annie Gatti, Arne Maynard, Rosemary Alexander and Annie Guilfoyle to find out what caught their eye at RHS Chelsea Flower Show back in May.

We talk to Dutch plantsman Piet Oudolf and garden writer Noël Kingsbury about their recent book, Hummelo, in which Noël tracks Piet’s approach to planting design through the development of his own garden.

In this podcast hear Noël Kingsbury in conversation with John Carter of Rowden Gardens in which he talks about what brought him all the way from the deserts of Arabia to selling aquatics in rural Devon.

Catch up on some of the highlights of this year’s show as editor Juliet Roberts and deputy Sorrel Everton chat to leading garden experts to find out their thoughts. We hear from Andrew Duff, Tim Richardson, Rosemary Alexander, Annie Gatti, Annie Guilfoyle and garden photographer Jason Ingram.

The Gardens Illustrated Talk 2014, held on the Tuesday of Chelsea Flower Show week, brought together Great Dixter’s head gardener Fergus Garrett and garden and landscape designer Dan Pearson – both internationally admired gardening greats. They were led by Anna Pavord in a conversion that revealed their gardening passions and inspirations.

This autumn Gardens Illustrated is running a reader holiday to Paris (13–17 October 2014). We spoke to horticulturist and tour host John Hoyland to find out more about the trip and why the capital's gardens both historic and contemporary are such an inspiration, plus find out about the unique access to private gardens and garden owners that makes this trip unmissable. To book on to the tour please contact [email protected] or go to www.boxwoodtours.co.uk for full details.

In 2014 garden designer John Brookes MBE celebrated his 80th birthday. Editor Juliet Roberts visited him at home to chat about his gardening life and his thoughts on the world of garden design past and present.

We talk to film director Markus Imhoof about his recent film More Than Honey and what it reveals about our complex relationship with the honeybee – and what we as gardeners can do to help their beleaguered numbers. The film is now available on DVD.

This summer editor Juliet Roberts travelled to Hokkaido in northern Japan to visit the Tokachi Millennium Forest. Here she chats to garden and landscape designer Dan Pearson about his involvement in this inspirational project.

The Gardens Illustrated Talk 2013, held during Chelsea Flower Show week, saw renowned Dutch plantsman Piet Oudolf and award-winning garden designer Jinny Blom chat about their work and give insights into how they approach planting and design.

Editor Juliet Roberts and deputy Sorrel Everton chat with garden experts Annie Guifoyle, Rosemary Alexander, Tim Richardson, Andrew Duff, Dan Pearson and Annie Gatti to find out what caught their eye at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2013.

Editor Juliet Roberts talks to award-winning Swedish designer Ulf Nordfjell about his design for the Laurent-Perrier garden at the 2013 Chelsea Flower Show. For more podcast and video coverage from Chelsea download the iPad version of the June 2013 issue.

Editor Juliet Roberts and deputy Sorrel Everton chat with garden experts Annie Guifoyle, Rosemary Alexander, Jinny Blom, Andrew Wilson, Dan Pearson and Annie Gatti to find out what caught their eye at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2012.

Gardens Illustrated’s annual lecture takes place during Chelsea Flower Show week. This year, Vista hosts Noël Kingsbury and Tim Richardson were joined by designers Andy Sturgeon, Dan Pearson and Cleve West (hot from his ‘Best in Show’ win at Chelsea) to discuss the current trends in planting and design.

Celebrating the life of the late Christopher Lloyd and the garden at Great Dixter. Fergus gardened alongside Christo for 20 years as his head gardener, while Anna was one of his many friends and a regular visitor to Great Dixter. The two recall an entertaining selection of anecdotes about the great man.

Gardens Illustrated editor Juliet Roberts chats with designers Dan Pearson, Jinny Blom and Andrew Wilson to find out what caught their eye at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2010.

Iconic gardener Beth Chatto chats with Alan about her approach to gardening through the years.

Iconic gardener Beth Chatto chats with Alan about her approach to gardening through the years.

Recorded in autumn 2009, garden journalist and broadcaster Peter Seabrook talks to Tim Richardson and Noel Kingsbury about his enduring passion for horticulture and plants in particular.

Recorded in autumn 2009, garden journalist and broadcaster Peter Seabrook talks to Tim Richardson and Noel Kingsbury about his enduring passion for horticulture and plants in particular.

Recorded in summer 2009, husband and wife design team Isabel and Julian Bannerman talk about their work at gardens including Waddesdon Manor, Arundel Castle and Highgrove.

Gardens Illustrated editor Juliet Roberts talks to garden design experts about their reaction to the 2009 show.

Gardens Illustrated Presents Kate Raggett.

Giddy with spring, Frank Ronan sets out on a spending spree and fills his car with exciting new plants.

Our normal monthly podcasts are currently postponed, but we still have columnist Frank Ronan reading his Writer's Plot. In March he is driven to distraction by the winds that sweep across his hilltop garden.

James is professor at the Department of Landscape at Sheffield University where he is researching the use of naturalistic herbaceous plantings within urban settings. His approach may be scientific but the reactions from those who see the swathes of colourful prairie and meadow-like planting are heartfelt. James, Noel and Tim discuss the implications of sustainability in this work and its cultural and aesthetic impact.

Gardens Illustrated Presents Joy Larkcom - Garden Heroines Series.

Gardens Illustrated Presents Penelope Hobhouse - Garden Heroines Series.

Gardens Illustrated Presents Beth Chatto - Garden Heroines Series.

Acclaimed garden designer, garden historian and writer Penelope Hobhouse talks to VISTA hosts Tim Richardson and Noel Kingsbury about her life as one of our most respected gardening figures. She discusses her travels in Italy and Iran and their effect on her approach to garden design, a sense of spirituality and whether one feels a sense of virtue when creating a garden.

With spring in the air we indulge in the scent of flowers as writer Caroline Beck travels to the rose fields of Iran to give us a wonderfully evocative report that perfectly complements her feature in the magazine.

We have an interview with the curator of the current British Museum’s Babylon: Myth and Reality exhibition. Also, columnist Frank Ronan brings some garden fugitives in from the cold to cheer him up.

Back in summer 2008, the founder of the UK's Guerrilla Gardening movement Richard Reynolds was joined by designer Brita von Schoenaich and urban geographer Dr Felicity Callard to talk about their experiences and opinions on this growing phenomena and public planting in general.

The internationally renowned garden and landscape designer talk about some of the projects undertaken by his studio, including one of his early designs at Home Farm in Northamptonshire and the ongoing Millennium Forest project in Japan.

The Gardens Illustrated team gather round to discuss their favourite features from 2008 and chat about their Christmas gift ideas. Columnist Frank Ronan continues the theme with his own thoughts on the most suitable presents for gardeners.

Senior lecturer in the Dept of Landscape at the University of Sheffield, Nigel Dunnett talks about rain gardens, using design and planting to capture and utilise rain water - avoiding storm run off and floods. Disconnect your drainpipes!

Mark is a landscape designer and founder of green walling company Biotechture Ltd. His view of sustainability is that with the implications of peak oil, gardens must sustain our society with cyclicle production.

This month we remind garden designers of the 12 January deadline for entries to the RHS Hampton Court Flower Show Conceptual Gardens section and editor Juliet Roberts talks to Tim Richardson to find out more about what the judges might be looking for.