Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2025 i Gardens Illustrated Magazine

We gardeners know that just because it is cold and still outside, it does not diminish the beauty of our gardens – in fact it can enhance them. This issue, we dive deeper into a collection of winter wonderlands, revealing the importance of underlying structure and revelling in pared-back simplicity. Piet Oudolf has transformed a former poultry farm in Berkshire into a stunning new garden, which at this time of year relies on the frosted silhouettes of seedheads and elegant silvery grasses (page 30). Having visited the garden of John Little in Essex earlier this year to see its summer glory, we return to his experimental plot in winter (page 66). In Norfolk, Adrian Bloom enjoys the magic of a morning walk in his gardens at Bressingham (page 84). And…

OUT & ABOUT EYES ON THE PRIZE Giant leeks and pumpkins the size of a small car can give impression that there is something slightly comical about competitive fruit and vegetable growing. But those who take part in this cherished British pastime are often deadly serious in their pursuit of perfection, as a new exhibition at RHS Garden Wisley reveals. Pumpkins and Prizes looks at this tradition, which began in the 18th century with industrial workers comparing home-grown gooseberries in the pub, and unearths tales of triumph, sabotage and scandal. Alongside historical photographs, posters and other artworks, including illustrations by the 19th-century nurseryman Ernst Benary (shown above), are examples of some of the more unusual prizes awarded over the years, from a chemical sprayer to an elaborate ashtray. There is…

SCAN HERE Scan the QR code to find lots more gift ideas or head to gardensillustrated.com/gardening-gifts…

Designing in the depths of winter captivates me. I almost prefer the sparsity and lack of choice to the huge overwhelm of summer. For this striking yet surprisingly simple natural staircase design, you can light the candles to welcome guests as they arrive, then for safety extinguish them and allow the honesty to illuminate the design naturally. You will need 3-5 bunches of dried Alchemilla mollis (lady's mantle) flowers 10-20 stems of dried Lunaria annua (honesty) stems with outer casing removed Fallen branches covered in lichen  Small sections of chicken wire Strong wire Nails (or self adhesive hooks) Hammer Candles (optional) How to achieve the look 1 Lay a couple of interestingly shaped branches at intervals down the stairs to give the initial bones of the design – the space…

BARBECUE BACKDROP Savannah BBQ Pergola, 1.5m x 3m, £1,599, Atkin and Thyme, 01462 412100, atkinandthyme.co.uk SLATTED SHADE Renson Amani Louvered Roof Pergola, POA, Outdoor Living Design, 01932 569277, outdoorlivingdesign.co.uk OPTIONAL SWING SEAT Pergola with Curve Back Swing Seat, From £7,176, Sitting Spiritually, 01297 443084, sittingspiritually.co.uk FRENCH FLAVOUR Provence Pergola, matt black, £850, Agriframes, 0117 934 1790, agriframes.co.uk DOMED DESIGN Halls Signature Lunar Pod Garden Pergola, £799.99, GardenSite, 0121 355 7701, gardensite.co.uk STYLISH STEEL The Beaulieu Corten Steel Pergola, From £5,800, Stark & Greensmith, 01737 701088, starkandgreensmith.com DROP SIDES PergoSTET Plus Square Wall Mounted Pergola, 3m x 3m, £3,399, Harbour Lifestyle, 0330 808 1744, harbourlifestyle.co.uk CLEAN LINES Contemporary Pergola with Slatted Panels, £898.99, The Worm That Turned, 0345 605 2505, worm.co.uk OLD-STYLE CHARM Ogee Garden Pergola, From £1,110, Harrod Horticultural, 0333…

FROM GIFTS FOR GARDENERS, PAGES 21-26 The Botanical Candle Co 01747 859200, thebotanicalcandleco.co.uk The British Blanket Company thebritishblanketcompany.com Celtic & Co 0333 400 0044, celticandco.com Claverton Cloches 01225 375259, clavertoncloches.com Crocus 01344 578000, crocus.co.uk Daylesford 01608 692776, daylesford.com Elho elho.com Freight 01273 474917, freightstore.co.uk Gardenheir gardenheir.com Harth harthchocolate.com Hawkens Gingerbread 01476 501740, hawkensgingerbread.com Holloways of Ludlow 020 7602 5757, hollowaysofludlow.com Holly & Co holly.co Niwaki 01747 445059, niwaki.com Not Just A Shop 020 7514 2277, notjustashop.arts.ac.uk The Painted Bird 01736 796217/01326 315639, thepaintedbird.co.uk Plümo 020 8889 9945, plumo.com Raven Botanicals ravenbotanicals.com Safomasi safomasi.com Sitting Spiritually 01297 443084, sittingspiritually.co.uk These Two Hands thesetwohands.co.uk Tinker and Fix tinkerandfix.co.uk Toast 0333 400 5200, toa.st The Vely Soapery thevelysoapery.com Waterstones 0808 118 8787, waterstones.com Wilda wilda-swim.com Wildbounds wildbounds.com The Wild Nettle Co 07935 866983,…

Matt Collins Matt recommends the best mahonias, page 42. “Mahonias’ versatility is criminally undervalued. Offering much more than structure and stability. It's high time they emerged from the shade.” Fiona Pickles Fiona has tips for a natural Christmas, page 60. “Humble ingredients, like woodland-floor finds, can be transformed into dramatic, natural and impactful Christmas decorations.” Andrea Jones Andrea photographs a frosty winter garden in Scotland, page 92. “After years of visits, the garden still surprises me – its clever composition and design lines disarmed by wit and whimsy.”…

Earliest garden memory The tiny balcony in the back of a shady New York brownstone where my family grew strawberries and chillies in pots, and also managed to squish around a table in one square metre of space. First plant love Lonicera fragrantissima, winter honeysuckle. I was struck by its gentle floral scent (not too sickly sweet) and the joy it can bring on a dark January day. Biggest inspiration My first gardening job was with a garden maintenance company in New York. My boss, Diane, with her gentle wisdom, kindness and trust, created the greatest team of gardeners and sparked an interest in gardening in me. Her way of working with people and plants is an inspiration to me still. Horticultural hero I used to volunteer at Dr Neil's Garden,…

You will need Freshly cut Akebia quinata (any vine would work) 12-15 bunches of dried Alchemilla mollis flowers Strong wire Chicken wire  Nails (or self adhesive hooks) Hammer Dust sheet Step ladder How to achieve the look 1 Hammer a nail in at the highest point. 2 Lay a dust sheet on the floor and, without untangling it too much, spread the vine out on the dust sheet – you can be quite rough with the vine to coax it into shape. 3 Select a large section as your starting point to affix to the top nail. Twist a short length of wire round it and tie on. Don’t worry about making it perfect at this stage; get it in situ and tweak later. 4 Once you see how this section falls, hammer…

WIN THE TOP 12 BOOKS OF THE YEAR BOOKS OF THE YEAR COLOUR IN THE GARDEN: STYLISH IDEAS FOR YEAR-ROUND COLOUR by Lucy Bellamy Mitchell Beazley, £25 ISBN 978-1784729349 ‘I am hungry for colour. I want jam red and acid yellow, violet blue and caterpillar green. I want cinnamon orange with scorched yellow, liquorice and blackcurrant. I want amethyst, putty and smoky blue, the liminal in-between colours, and sharp lemon with tart pink and purple that is rich and electric. We all know instinctively that colour is good for us and it is colour that draws me out into my garden,’ says Lucy Bellamy. Her modern approach to colour in the garden offers beautiful planting palettes and advice on colour in containers and smaller spaces. VP THE CONTEMPORARY GARDEN Introduction…

Charlotte Harris Charlotte co-founded the values-driven landscape design practice Harris Bugg Studio with Hugo Bugg in 2017. She has won three Gold medals at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, as well as Best Show Garden in 2023. Fergus Garrett Fergus was appointed head gardener at Great Dixter by Christopher Lloyd in 1993 and is now CEO of the garden's Charitable Trust. He was awarded an RHS Associate of Honour in 2008 and an RHS Victoria Medal of Honour in 2019. James Basson James lives in the South of France where he runs Scape Design, a practice for creating sustainable landscapes. The winner of four Chelsea Gold medals, he was awarded Best Show Garden in 2017. Anna Pavord Anna was The Independent's gardening correspondent for 30 years and is the author…

ERYNGIUM YUCCIFOLIUM The rattlesnake master has a pale, silvery presence when its thimble-sized flowers are at their peak in high summer. This species is not as thorny as many of its eryngium relatives, with soft, strappy basal foliage, and a long-lived perennial rosette that mostly retreats below ground in the winter. It remains well as a winter skeleton here, turning buttery at first and then darkening to russet brown as it ages. Thinking about its origins in the North American prairies, I have teamed it at Hillside with the wintery forms of still-standing Panicum. Height and spread 1m x 50cm. Origin North America. Conditions Moisture-retentive but free-draining soil; full sun. Hardiness RHS H4, USDA 3a-8b†. Season of interest July – January. LUNARIA ANNUA ‘CHEDGLOW’ Rising to flower early in spring, ‘Chedglow’ is a good,…

The florist was closed. Ditto the bookshop. The opportunities for picking up a housewarming gift for my friends were few. I was due to leave in an hour and I could not turn up empty handed. In desperation, I turned to the garden. Not a flower in sight. I roamed the path looking for anything I could cut and tie with raffia to hand to my friend as they opened the door. Then I spotted them. The little oval pearls of white set among the dark green of the hellebores. Clusters of snowdrop shoots, a few in bud, a promise of things to come. I have a box of old terracotta pots, each barely big enough to hold a single crocus. Stuffed with garden soil, each one took three diminutive…

You will need A sturdy vase, urn or container Stand (optional) Strong tape or florist's pot tape A selection of materials collected from walks, including lichen-covered branches with interesting shapes, fallen lichen, pine cones and small pieces of wood or driftwood  Sturdy chicken wire, with holes of a sufficient size that the branches can be threaded through. Twine or thread (in my case dyed yellow naturally with buddleja flowers) A few heads of dried Alchemilla mollis (lady's mantle) flowers How to achieve the look 1 Crumple up some chicken wire into a dome shape that sits slightly proud of your vase or container (be careful as the cut ends can be sharp). Consider how high you want this dome to appear at the end, taking into account the additional height…

It's a rare thing to meet someone with true panache, but it's the quality I see immediately when I meet Francine Raymond on a cool autumn day. The acclaimed gardener, fowl fancier, designer and writer welcomes me into her newly built eco-home, which sings with a harmonious yellow hue. “I like the way it makes me feel,” she says. “I’m a nester; someone who sets great store by my surroundings, almost as a means of artistic expression.” A pioneer in living, growing and eating well – from foraging to fruit trees, animal husbandry to farmers’ markets – Francine's intuition for what's coming is her talent and secret power. It's one that's still going strong as she evolves into later life. In 2024, she divided the back garden of her Arts…

When I started out in garden design, I would do rather naive black-and-white sketches in an attempt to convey my design ideas. They were hit and miss. One client asked if I would colour in my sketches so they could get more of a feel for the garden. I was reluctant, because how could I even start to conjure up the garden in all its different guises, and across its entire lifespan? Somehow I managed to convince them of my design, and went on to build the garden, but I shall never forget their faces when the plants turned up – little pots of seemingly bare soil and twigs. It wasn’t the instant garden they were hoping for. But three years later, almost to the day, I got a call…