John and Jenny Brett have created an all-year garden design at St Mary’s, combining formal plant structures with colourful insect-friendly perennials, but in winter, when dusted with white and dancing with shadows, the garden shimmers

GROW A GARDEN THAT’S A HANDS-ON

The quiet beauty of winter sets the stage in this garden, where topiary shapes and the borrowed landscape are the main performers

Reader Caroline Crocker celebrates her chance to reclaim the family garden to create a plant lover’s paradise with a focus on climate resilience.

A good time to visit The Old Rectory in Doynton is as dusk falls on a frosty December evening. Driving in through the gate, you’ll be cheered by the sight of two illuminated Portuguese laurel cylinder

The first glimpse of Cressy Hall, appearing as you round a bend on the narrow serpentine drive that winds to the rear of the house, is a moment of wonder. There stands a fine red-brick building of han