CATEGORIES

A leap in the dark

The primal play of light and shadow, whether in Leonardo's ever-so-subtle sfumato or Caravaggio's dramatic contrasts, has shaped Western art, as Michael Hall reveals

Beauty and the blimp

Inflammable airships may be gone, but a new hybrid aircraft, capable of delivering eco-friendly aviation, is set to take to the skies with a bang, finds Charles Harris

Three wishes for food and farming

Royal hedge planting, the terrible toll on Ukrainian farming and a maiden speech

Seeing the wood for the trees

Scotland's much-evolved forestry industry has become a focus for clever investors

Let's fall in love

Birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it. Laura Parker finds that, when it comes to creatures mating for life, persistence, patience and a little dad dancing are key to success

Back from the dead

THREE Wentworth elm saplings have been planted in the grounds of the Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, and on the Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire-29 years after what was thought to be the lastknown Wentworth elm died.

A man among men

What makes a master? Beloved of the commercial art world, handled warily by art historians, the word has long been opaque. Michael Prodger investigates its many meanings-and discovers that being male confers an unfair advantage

Unearth one of life's luxuries

Black diamonds are a girl's best friend this Valentine's Day, with Périgord truffle-based skincare from TRUFFE

Adventure awaits

Spend an unforgettable family holiday on the Benmore Estate and experience some of Scotland's finest wildlife and sporting activities

Let the art rule the head

Despite being a world leader in everything from jewellery to fashion and music, the UK is failing to nurture creativity at school and in regional centres. Tristram Hunt, director of the V&A Museum, calls for an urgent review

And that's how it's done

A Narable-and-livestock farm in the CotsAwards, wangiovestock own the combine a commercial French partridge shoot with 'phenomenal' habitat creation and predator control to conserve wild grey partridge, corn buntings and skylarks, has scooped gold at the annual Purdey Awards, now in its 25th year.

Ferns, battles and strawberry tarts

FIFTY-THREE new gardens have signed up to open for Scoward's Gardens Scheme (SGS) this year, bringing the total to more than 400, with 244 charities and local good causes set to benefit.

Heart to art

Oskar Reinhart, Switzerland's Samuel Courtauld and a man so driven that he pursued one painting for 30 years, amassed such an extraordinary collection that it fed two museums. Now, a selection of his works goes on show in London

Light work

Tiffany Daneff discovers how to transform a typically dark London back garden into a light-filled green haven that is always in use

Trumpets call

HOOP-PETTICOAT daffodils is what the RHS calls them, but no one remembers the 1860s fashion for those uncomfortable waist-worn cages that concealed the ankles of Victorian ladies from upskirting gentlemen.

Come on, baby, light my fire

With its glossy orange cap, the 'little flame with a velvet foot' is a colourful addition to winter's mushroom bounty, but don't confuse it for a funeral bell, warns John Wright

Nature and nurture

In this final article in a series of three, Tim Richardson looks at the innovative and superbly maintained 18th-century landscape garden of Bramham

Magnificent mahonias

Scented, easy to grow and with many new forms in the pipeline, the once-maligned mahonia is due a renaissance, believes Charles Quest-Ritson

Mould and behold

Josiah Wedgwood beat today’s marketing virtuosos by some 260 years, but his remarkable social conscience stands out even more than his talent for business. Tristram Hunt traces the life and legacy of one of Britain’s most brilliant minds

Clashing colours

MINIATURE electric-pink ears are emerging through a tapestry of leaves and bare brown ground. It is January and this is the first wonder of the gardening year. Cyclamen coum also come in paling shades from the plush of ruby to snow white. However, my gardening partner and husband covets only the deepest magenta flowers, combing plant nurseries and DIY shops for the most colour-saturated flowers wriggling through the pots and trays of small heart-shaped leaves. He remarks on the energy of these miniature enamel beauties and says he finds it strengthening. He is, however, not a purist collector and, although he loves to set these garnets on a velvety ground under trees when planting these small corms, he also loves creating swathes of them in grass and beds, all muddled up with snowdrops and winter aconites. Snowdrops, yes, any time, but yellow aconites, Eranthis hyemalis, with puce cyclamen? Really? I, too, rejoice in the fringe of first green the aconites bring, that little lion's mane of chrome, but I recoil rather at the brassy cocktail of lemoncello aconites with the cherry brandy-coloured C. coum, except perhaps in a jug indoors. Isn't this rather sickly? Mr B feels strongly that it all helps to brighten up the dull days of February.

New link formed in food chain

Supermarkets recognise they need farmers as partners if they are going to stack their shelves

Building the dream

Sustainable, stylish and with all the modern benefits, buying a countryside new build can be a tempting proposition

Friends with benefits

Charles Quest-Ritson is a convert to the use of nematodes, parasitic worms that act as a biological control of many troublesome garden pests

Catch us if you can

England will have to fly to overtake runaway favourites France and Ireland in the impending Guinness Six Nations, says Owain Jones, as he sizes up the key players who could change their team's fate

Heard it on the radio

Company, music, news and a glimpse of life beyond: the first form of home-based mass entertainment, radio quickly became the soundtrack to our lives and it isn't going anywhere, says Ben Lerwill

Full of the joys of spring(ers)

Big brother to the fashionable cocker, the energetic, enthusiastic and thoroughly endearing English springer remains our most popular working spaniel, says Matthew Dennison

Snake, rattle and roll

Imported from India, Snakes and Ladders has been stripped of its demigods, Heaven and other spiritual elements, until only the dice and an ability to count remain, finds Rob Crossan

A Palladian premonition

Bramham Park, West Yorkshire, part I The home of Nick and Rachel Lane Fox - In the first of three articles, Richard Hewlings examines one of the most original and idiosyncratic houses of early 18th-century Yorkshire and offers a fresh analysis of its architecture

Living in eclectic dreams

Next month's auction at Sworders marks the final chapter in the extraordinary story of the legendary London antique dealer, Guinevere. For 60 years, its highly distinctive approach inspired Mick Jagger, Ralph Lauren, Valentino and generations of interior designers. Its influence has changed the trade forever, says COUNTRY LIFE's interiors editor, Giles Kime

Wedding peace of mind

On your big day, good things happen in The Insurance Emporium