The garden in winter can often seem like something to be endured rather than enjoyed for gardeners who dash to garden centres at Easter, departing with cars brimful of petunias and bags of compost. Bu

Once Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing press in around 1440, it was inevitable that gardeners would embrace the exciting new technology that sped up printing and reduced its cost. The first her

Few potteries operating today capture the mood of comfortable English life as well as Emma Bridgewater. Founded in 1984 when Emma couldn’t find a suitable present for her mother and decided to make on

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

This is my annual guilty pleasure. By early December I am as frantic as anyone. As I hurriedly plant the last of my bulbs and make sure to complete essential deadlines before the end of the year, I co

Right now, I’m pruning the roses. I hate them looking so straggly and forlorn, and he-who-has-opinions can’t bear their wayward stems trying to snag him as he makes his way to the shed. I feel the ros