It is November 1964. Mr Mackenzie, in his black waistcoat, baggy black trousers, white shirt with tie, his head topped with the battered brown trilby he always wore come rain or shine, wiped the dewdrop off the end of his nose with the back of his horny hand and proceeded to dig up the maiden … Read more
It’s fair to say that 2025 has not been a vintage year for outdoor-grown sweet peas. The hot dry days of an uncharacteristic May (followed, in our case, by frost during Chelsea Flower Show week) were not good for the young sweet peas looking for cool, moist days to climb up their supports before flowering. … Read more
We moved to our Wiltshire cottage two years ago this November and, at the time, the front garden was overgrown with shrubs. However, among them I counted — with glee — 15 mature roses. Come spring, my joy was dashed because each rose, now flowering, was a different colour. And they didn’t have much scent. … Read more
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
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