Back to the land

Reviews of four tomes ideal for your coffee table – and for perusing during holiday downtime

Romantic planting with a sleek modern style creates a striking mix in this Hertfordshire garden

In winter, when the art school here at Benton End closed for the year and the garden fell quiet, Cedric Morris would head to warmer climes to escape the chill of his 16th-century house, but also to pa

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

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

Nick Dakin-Elliot, who gardens in Tuscany, is still moved by the Italian hilltop gardens that command some of the most beautiful views in the world