In this issue

Make your garden bloom
The creation of a magnificent border
Counting Nature’s 50 shades of green
Farming on the edge: the romance of crofting

Arboreal ambitions

Caroline Donald visits the ancestral home of Clan Donald, Armadale Castle on the Isle of Skye, where the gardens are once again in safe hands and the historic trees will be given a boost with the planting of a new arboretum of endangered conifers

6 mins

Twice as nice

It appears as if it had been planned from the start, but, as Michael Heseltine recounts, the making of the double borders at his home at Thenford in Northamptonshire was far more random

6 mins

Touches of beauty

Wilton House, Wiltshire The seat of the Earl of Pembroke In the early 18th century, Wilton underwent improvement at the hands of the 9th Earl of Pembroke, an enthusiastic amateur architect. For a new book on this great house, John Martin Robinson assesses his remarkable legacy

8 mins

Meandering paths of green

Mermaid, palmetto, celadon, viridian and mintleaf: Steven Lovatt gets lost on a pleasurable wander through Nature, language and many shades of green

6 mins

The hills are alive

Remote working has a whole other meaning for those passionate individuals still farming crofts in the Highlands, discovers Joe Gibbs

6 mins

Keep your eyes on the toad

Despite their semi-webbed feet, warty skin and bulging eyes, toads are more endearing than Shakespeare’s witches would have us believe, says Simon Lester

5 mins

Interiors: The designer's room

Jessica Alken worked with Neptune to create this kitchen in a new Cornish house

1 min

History in the making

A fine country estate hits the market for the first time in 350 years, while a hall is rebuilt from the ground up

5 mins

A Marriage Made In Heaven

Lush grounds are the perfect foil for these four properties

4 mins

Flights of fantasy

On the centenary of Michael Ayrton’s birth, Laura Gascoigne explores the artist’s fascination with myth, mirrors and mazes

4 mins

Read all stories from Country Life UK

Country Life UK Magazine Description:

Country Life; architecture, gardens, countryside, property, the very best of British life Published by IPC Media. Country Life, the quintessential English magazine, is undoubtedly one of the biggest and instantly recognisable brands in the UK today. It has a unique core mix of contemporary country-related editorial and top end property advertising. Editorially, the magazine comments in-depth on a wide variety of subjects, such as architecture, the arts, gardens and gardening, travel, the countryside, field-sports and wildlife. With renowned columnists and superb photography Country Life delivers the very best of British life every week.