Celebrated in the loveliest of carols, holly warms hearts anew each winter, but there’s more to the spiky gem than merely Christmas cheer, writes Deborah Nicholls-Lee

Step into a magical winter garden in the Weald of Kent, where cyclamens, hellebores and crocuses add splashes of pink and purple to the white carpet of snowdrops

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, yo

The search for still-life subjects led the artist Kate Friend to some of the greatest gardens and gardeners in the country, discovers Tiffany Daneff

Our festive traditions may feel rooted in celebrations of the birth of Christ, but the trees and plants we use for decoration tell a different story

FACT FILE What A genus of architectural, evergreen and predominantly spiny-leaved shrubs from the barberry family (Berberidaceae), bearing remarkably luminous, highly fragrant flowers in autumn and wi