Innholdsfortegnelse for January 2026 i Gardens Illustrated Magazine

OUT & ABOUT WILDER VISIONS The winners have been announced of the first ever Wildflower Photographer of the Year competition, with the chosen photos and a selection of impressive entries now on display at the Eden Project in Cornwall. The competition celebrates 25 years of the organisation’s National Wildflower Centre (NWC), which creates new landscapes to reverse the decline of wildflower habitats. Garden photographers Clive Nichols (whose work often fills the pages of Gardens Illustrated) and Molly Hollman joined the NWC team to judge hundreds of entries, all showcasing the roughly 1,600 wildflower species native to the UK. Justin Minns’ atmospheric shot of wild garlic in misty Chalkney Wood in Essex won in the Professionals category, while Damien Walmsley’s evocative shot of a poppy field in Kinver, Staffordshire, Cool Light…

IN BRIEF What A spectacular garden created to foster wildlife, with ponds and streams, copses and wildflower meadows, plus large-scale perennial planting. Where Devon. Size Ten acres. Soil A mixture of soggy Devon clay and well-drained slopes created from demolition rubble. Climate Mild and wet. Hardiness zone USDA 9b. We were younger then,” says Jennie Marles, turning the pages of a photo album, revealing grainy shots of a complex of semi-industrial buildings – vast, asbestos-roofed sheds housing thousands of intensively reared pigs. Towards the top of the image is a concrete circular structure. “That was a 100,000-gallon slurry tank,” explains Jennie. “It took two years to get rid of it. When we came to view the place, the smell was so strong, most people didn’t even get out of their cars.” Twenty years on, it’s…

IN BRIEF What Historic garden originally created by Henry Avray Tipping in the early 20th century and now restored by designer Arne Maynard. Where Monmouthshire. Size Five acres within a 70-acre estate that includes woodland and pasture. Soil Sitting on limestone bedrock, the sandy clay-loam is alkaline and only a thin layer of topsoil in places. Climate Temperate with high rainfall, occasional strong winds and low exposure to frosts due to the proximity of the Bristol Channel. Hardiness zone USDA 8. Hidden in the hills beyond Chepstow in southeast Wales, there is a little-known Arts and Crafts garden undergoing an amazing renaissance. Under the stewardship of Arne Maynard, and supported by its passionate owners, Mounton House is finally becoming the garden its creator, Henry Avray Tipping, could be proud of. Mounton’s story began in the…

18 JANUARY Fermentation masterclass Learn how to make your own sauerkraut and kimchi. 1.30-4.30pm. £100. Garden Museum, Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1 7LB. Tel 020 3640 9322, gardenmuseum.org.uk 23 JANUARY A history of the arboretum and pinetum at Chatsworth Learn more about Chatsworth’s historic tree collection, planted in the 1830s. 11am-12pm. £15. Chatsworth, Bakewell, Derbyshire DE45 1PP. chatsworth.org 28 JANUARY Floral winterscape Build your own winter centrepiece. 10.30am-12pm. £105. Petersham Nurseries, Church Lane, Off Petersham Road, Richmond, London TW10 7AB. Tel 020 8940 5230, petershamnurseries.com For more events this month and throughout winter, scan the QR code with your phone camera or visit gardensillustrated.com/events-and-shows…

FACT FILE What Cultivated forms of the genus Citrus, which sits within the Rutaceae family and is made up of around 28 species. Season Evergreen foliage with flowers and fruit all year round. Size Variable according to cultivar, growing conditions, natural vigour and rootstock. The largest are medium-sized trees. Most of those featured here will grow to around 5m x 5m in a container. Conditions Warm temperate to tropical. Overwinter indoors in cool temperate climates, with summer outdoors. Origins Asia and Oceania; probably rainforest trees. Hardiness Most can be grown outside over summer but will need overwintering in a greenhouse; some may be suitable for growing outside in milder areas. Most have a hardiness rating of H1C-H3 and are suitable for gardens in USDA zones 9a to 11. *Holds an…

Life lessons A new landscape project championing biophilic, low-carbon design at Merstham Park secondary school in Surrey has been shortlisted for the 2026 Society of Garden and Landscape Designers (SGLD) Awards. The scheme, a Department for Education pathfinder initiative, brings green space into the school experience while accommodating contemporary issues of climate change, flooding and health. Landscape designer Nicholas Atherton of Natural Dimensions repurposed the site’s demolition rubble as a subbase, and created social spaces enveloped by diverse habitats, including wildflower meadows, wetland scrapes, allotment beds, woodland and an orchard. In the school’s courtyard, dining and meeting spaces are surrounded by trees and naturalistic planting, while a canopy channels rainwater into planting beds. Nick has included colourful perennials, such as Betonica officinalis ‘Hummelo’ and Achillea ‘Credo’, generously interspersed with grasses,…

When we refer to trends in the garden world, we are actually referring more to collective shifts in mentality. ‘Trend’ suggests something that’s popular now that won’t be later, and in striving to be more sustainable and planet friendly, the last thing we want to encourage is wasteful choices. What’s heartening to see is that these shifts continue to be more thoughtful: design and ecology are no longer separate conversations, and the appetite for change is spreading well beyond the design world. These ideas will, I believe, enter the mainstream with time. Trend #1: Wellness spaces While the concept of a garden as a sanctuary is nothing new, the definition of sanctuary, and how we enjoy our gardens is evolving. We’ve steadily seen the ever-popular term ‘wellbeing’ move into the…

IN BRIEF What Open garden known for its subtropical planting. Where Isles of Scilly. Size 17 acres. Soil The Top Terrace is on a bedrock of granite; sandy and sandy loam in all other areas. Climate Cool, temperate. Hardiness zone USDA 9. It’s difficult to imagine a more isolated garden than Tresco Abbey Gardens. Yet with its towering palms, 12-month growing season and riot of unusual and colourful blooms, this windswept treasure 28 miles off the coast of Cornwall has been making horticultural waves for centuries. “It’s all about exchange,” says head gardener Andrew Lawson. “We have bonds with gardens from all around the world with which we share our plant range.” Now with climate change bringing new challenges, Tresco’s practice of experimentation, adaptation and forging global connections offers a guide for navigating our way…

IN BRIEF What Naturalistic hillside garden. Where Buckinghamshire. Size About three acres. Soil Improved heavy clay. Climate Temperate, with minimum temperatures of -10°C. Hardiness zone USDA 8a. We were inspired by Dan Pearson and Beth Chatto, whose work we admire for their sensitivity and observation of natural environments Hidden at the end of a narrow lane in the historic village of Stoke Goldington lies a plant lovers’ paradise, carved out of the landscape by owners Emily and James Chua over almost 30 years. Their remarkable garden offers surprises at every turn, with dramatic vistas guiding you through a series of interconnected themed areas, each embroidered with rich threads of layered planting. The couple bought Old Park Barn and its surrounding land with the aim of making a home for their young family, and a garden…

When time is tight, sticking to a deadline is vital, and that was the challenge this garden in Amsterdam presented for designer Stefano Marinaz. “My clients are Australian and were planning on being in Amsterdam for just a couple of years,” he explains, “so we only had two months to remodel the front and back garden, ready for a summer of entertaining and being outside.” And what a transformation in 60 short days. The front garden, of 75 square metres, has gone from grey and hard to lush and calm, while satisfying the client’s request for a car parking space and a store for a cargo bike. The rear garden of 165 square metres backs onto the famous Vondelpark, and Stefano blurred its boundaries using texture, colour and focused repetition…

ACROSS 1 Genus of bergamot and bee balm – a random sort (7) 5 Genus of lily-like flower… in container in exhibition (6) 8 Check a flower stalk (4) 9 Part of a calyx – leaps out (5) 10 Small green-fleshed melon with striped skin – gone mouldy (4) 11 Genus of popular foliage plant that’s attractive to slugs (5) 12 Species of the British native anemone – or so name changed (8) 14 Ornamental kitchen gardens’ pears got spoilt (8) 16 See 26 across 18 Small, juicy sweet plum tomato; also Santa’s oldest reindeer (6) 20 Genus of ‘coral plant’ with scarlet pendant flowers – use arils differently (8) 22 Sort of upright shrub – flag, perhaps? (8) 24 Number of stamens in a crocus – or there about! (5) 25 Camellia japonica with deep-red flowers – held by Titchmarsh (4) 26/16 across Latin…