As regular readers will be aware, I am a huge fan of perennial edibles. So often, their leaves, fruit, flowers, buds or roots are not only as delicious as annuals, but they’re easier to come by, thanks to the plant being typically more resilient to the vagaries of the British climate and its pests and … Read more
Poor old Theodore Oswaldtwistle the thistle sifter who, when sifting a sack of thistles, thrust three thorns through the thick of his thumb. This old tongue-twister, once used by P. G. Wodehouse’s Bertie Wooster to check on Jeeves’s sobriety, holds a painful truth. Nature’s thorns, spikes and prickles have the potential to leave us feeling … Read more
In England, a substantial country house might be sited in a sheltered combe. In Tuscany, by contrast, an exposed, hilltop site is the location of choice. In the past, defensive considerations were important, but more abundant winter light and cooling summer breezes have ever been sought. Above all, such elevated positions enable the garden to … Read more
This interview is part of a series on David Beckham’s countryside champions, as featured in the October 22, 2025 edition of Country Life. Read part 1 with stockman Trevor Kirk, part 2 with milliner Barnaby Horn, part 3 with gardener Poppy Okotcha and part 4 with Ramandeep Nijjar, a young naturalist. My family wore wool … Read more
You might think it unlikely, but making a garden for someone is thrilling. A telephone call out of the blue, a drive to some distant part of the country, knocking on the door of a strange house and meeting not only a new person, but a new garden. That first meeting bursts with potential — … Read more