Every eight weeks or so I receive springtime in my mailbox. It comes in the form of my favorite gardening magazine, The English Garden. I say springtime because finding it in the mailbox gives me the same feeling as seeing the first leaves on a lilac bush, or the tips of tulips pushing through the soil. As I turn the pages and look through the index I’m reminded of why I’m a gardener and I fall in love with landscaping all over again.
The English Garden highlights gardening in the United Kingdom, so many of it’s pages are graced by hundred year old yews and perfectly sculpted boxwood hedges. There are 19th century ponds and country manors massed in purple wysteria. Every turn of the page brings another sigh worthy scene-a rusted door to a courtyard garden, the newest David Austen English rose, a century old glasshouse, winding cobble stone pathways- the list could go on forever.
Most of us however, do not have acres of land to tame into a masterpiece, we don’t have aged stone walls or abbeys as the backdrops to our rose gardens. The average gardener hasn’t inherited a two hundred year old estate with all it’s accompanying beech trees. If only.
But aside from awe-inspiring photographs the magazine offers design tips and planting advice that would apply around the world. In the most recent issue I was inspired by their article on
They list plant’s by their botanical name, which makes finding plants and utilizing their design tips a breeze.
With every featured garden comes a list of nearby nurseries and other gardens to visit. I find myself jotting down the names and addresses. I’m keeping track for an eventual garden tour of the British Isles. For me, looking through the pages is like skimming a travel brochure.
In this digital age I find that there’s something about holding a copy in my hands, ripping out pictures, or dog-earing the pages. However, I love visiting the English Garden Website, no subscription required. Who wouldn’t want to visit a site that writes reviews on books like “Secret Gardens of the Cotswolds”? They also offer instructional videos on things like pruning roses and storing seeds.
It’s a little pricier than most other gardening magazines. Just once I’d love to get an offer for a year of issues at $5.99 {with a free gift included} like I do for Better Homes and Gardens. But for me it’s worth every penny to wander through the Laburnum Arch at Bodnant, or the Edwardian glasshouse at Dundonnell.
The way you write makes me feel like am there with you, having a conversation about things we both love. Thanks for the inspiration.