The house plant I've kept alive for 50 years
Charles Quest-Ritson on the amazing longevity of his Purpurea.
Charles Quest-Ritson is the author of the RHS Encyclopedia of Roses and a regular contributor to Country Life.
Charles Quest-Ritson on the amazing longevity of his Purpurea.
As old as husbandry hedges may be, but that doesn’t mean they cannot be beautiful, too. Charles Quest-Ritson considers the many options.
Generations have sought that unattainable mystical creature, the perfect rose: shapely, dark red and sweetly scented. What is it about this flower that holds us so in thrall, and why are roses associated with love? Charles Quest-Ritson finds out.
Gardeners can be reluctant to take a blade to a healthy tree, but sometimes a severe pruning will leave both plant and garden in better health.
When George Harrison first saw the famous Topiary Garden at Friar Park in Oxfordshire, it was a tangled jungle of overgrown yews. The work he began has been continued by his wife, Olivia, and, now, the display is back to its full glory, finds Charles Quest-Ritson.
The gardeners of The Newt in Somerset share their pick of the best eating apples to grow and enjoy in your own garden.
Nowhere else in the country has a finer display of trained apples than the 18th-century walled garden at The Newt in Somerset, writes Charles Quest-Ritson. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
Charles Quest-Ritson was invited in to the National Trust's top-secret plant nursery. Here's what he discovered.
Changes are afoot at the famous rhododendron gardens of Leonardslee, which are now being planted for year-round interest. Charles Quest-Ritson reports.
Charles Quest-Ritson joins the legion of garden enthusiasts who make the pilgrimage to the dramatic plant nurseries at Larch Cottage in Cumbria. Photographs by Val Corbett for Country Life.
A single meeting between Graham Stuart Thomas and Gertrude Jekyll shaped the career and thinking of the 'greatest gardener ever', says Charles Quest-Ritson. But at what cost?
Originally laid out in the 1630s, the garden at West Lavington Manor in Wiltshire is today the home of Mr and Mrs Andrew Doman. And in its latest iteration, says Charles Quest-Ritson, has found a perfect balance between planting and design. Photographs by Jason Ingram.
Charles Quest-Ritson takes aim at some of the gardening advice that constantly does the rounds despite being complete nonsense.
Trees don’t need to be weeded, pruned, sprayed and fussed about. The only catch is that they take a while to grow — so don't wait any longer.
Rose expert Charles Quest-Ritson on the delights of the rambling rose.
Charles Quest-Ritson takes a look at the incomparable hepaticas of John Massey.
The more you look at Knoyle Place — the Wiltshire home of the Comtesse de La Morinière — the more there is to admire. Charles Quest-Ritson takes a look at this magnificent garden, which has been subtly and beautifully enhanced in recent decades. Photographs by Mimi Connolly.
As the fifth generation takes on the care of the historic Borde Hill Garden in West Sussex, Charles Quest-Ritson rejoices in the unique legacy of its horticulturally astute owners.
Once, there were just four types of wild citrus, but farmers and gardeners over the centuries have selected for wonderful variety and abundance, says Charles Quest-Ritson.