Articles by Sarah Alcroft

When a house is being renovated, the landscape often can become a bit of an afterthought. Not so with this yard behind a Victorian home in North London. “The owners wanted the garden to be the focal point as soon as you came through the door,” says Pa…

Back in its spring slot at last, the 2022 RHS Chelsea Flower Show (24 to 28 May) was packed with ideas for our own yards, from ways to incorporate well-being to sustainable gardening and the best planting to attract wildlife. One of the key messages, …

This 1960s single-story house in southwest London has big windows with fabulous views of the outdoors. Unfortunately, when these owners moved in, those views were largely of a patchy lawn and overgrown bushes. Landscape designer Lucy Willcox had the v…

As spring kicks off, and suddenly there are masses of cheerful plants for sale, it’s tempting to grab a selection to add instant garden color. However, without a little planning, it’s easy to end up with an incoherent design that doesn’t quite work. S…

Many of us have reconnected with the natural world over the past two years. In doing so, we’ve also realized that there’s lots to enjoy right outside our door. Discovering how much nature can contribute to well-being has prompted some of us lucky enou…

Homes don’t have to be huge to function well and look unique, as this two-bedroom apartment in a three-story Victorian in Bristol, England, demonstrates. Owner Lizzie O’Neill, who’s an architect, used her skill and design eye to change the flow and fe…

After 2020’s virtual version, the RHS Chelsea Flower Show in London returned in all its glory, taking place in the fall (Sept. 21-26, 2021) rather than the spring for the first time in its history. One of the key themes this year was the idea that you…

When a “plantaholic” who likes to socialize inherited a small backyard with scant greenery and broken paving, there was only one thing to do: call in landscape designer Pippa Schofield and ask her to create an entertaining space surrounded by masses o…

The hall is the epitome of a high-traffic area, yet it’s also the first glimpse most people have of your home, so the flooring needs to look good while handling the knocks. There are lots of options, and your decision will be guided by how much wear a…

Dutch plantsman and designer Piet Oudolf is admired for his beautiful landscapes filled with dreamy drifts of perennial plants, and it was a love of his work that inspired the owners of this home to hire landscape designer Joanne Bernstein. The couple…