Bloom

Bloom is a seasonal magazine for gardeners, plant admirers, nature lovers and outdoor adventurers. Each issue is packed with practical gardening projects, explorations of the natural world and celebrations of the beauty of all green spaces, whether they’re in the wilderness or on a windowsill. Beautiful and useful, Bloom inspires you to harness the power of nature and to get out there and be a part of it.

Nature is the way in.

Bloom

bloomloves sea holly

THE SEASON • What to forage, spot, harvest and grow this autumn

GOLDEN OLDIES • Quinoa flown in from Peru? Chia from Mexico? No thanks. British farmers are changing the story, bringing ancient (and local) grains to a larder near you

GRAIN POWER • Farmers and champions with a foot in the past and an eye on the future

GROW YOUR OWN QUINOA

HIP HOPS YOU DON’T STOP • Growing hops for beauty rather than brewing is a difficult process – but this traditional crop is worth the effort, says Hampshire Hops farm manager Ciarran Minns

WITH FLYING COLOURS • Bloom pays a visit to Weleda’s garden – a place that provides for plants, people and a kaleidoscope of butterflies

BUTTER UP BUTTERFLIES WITH WELEDA’S TIPS FOR ATTRACTING AND SPOTTING DIFFERENT SPECIES

URBAN SQUEEZE • With just a few nifty tricks, you can turn a teeny city garden into cut-flower heaven

POWER TO THE PRODUCE • Saving and planting your own vegetable seeds is an act of resistance. Sue Stickland of the Seed Sovereignty programme explains how to rise up

THE FORAGER’S GARDEN • Roaming the landscape for free food isn’t always possible – or sustainable – says Josh Quick of Wild St Ives, who has turned his allotment into a one-stop-shop for wild edible plants

PICK SOME PEP • The British landscape is a surprising larder of spices. Add unique flavours to your rack with Josh’s tips on what to plant or pluck.

A LIGHT BULB MOMENT • Your veg patch might be organic, but what about your tulips? Landscape designers Adam Hunt and Lulu Urquhart explain why eco-friendly bulbs are a bright idea

SUPER GRASS • Bold and dramatic or airy and swishy, grasses add character, colour and shape to your garden. Neil Lucas of Knoll Gardens explains how to use these swaying beauties

PLANT A WILD FLOWER MEADOW(IN A POT)

‘Nature dominates Orkney in every way in its majesty and severity: its weather, light, colours, smells and sounds’ • Erland Cooper’s meditative records are inspired by the wildlife and sea-crashed landscapes of Orkney. He tells Euan Ferguson why music and nature are both spaces to disconnect

NIGHT TRIPPER • Explore the outdoors after dusk and you could discover a celestial view, says TIFFANY FRANCIS

GOING GOING, GONE • Plants are becoming extinct faster than mammals, birds and reptiles combined – we speak to one man on a mission to rescue them

Her approach to gardening changed everything.

Can horticulture mend shattered minds?

Bed, board and blooms • A vase of stems at hotel reception doesn’t cut it these days. Step in Soho House’s Raphael Verrion – one of a new breed of florists giving the hospitality industry a floral makeover

From on high • 75 years on, Nan Shepherd’s forgotten meditation on nature The Living Mountain is still radical – and still has the power to show us how to really appreciate the outdoors

BARK LIFE • Every tree has a story – discover its origins and you could unlock a history that changes the way you see the tree (and your local area) forever

‘A H, YOU THOUGHT LOVE HUMAN TILL YOU LOST YOURSELF IN THE FOREST’ • The Forestry Commission was founded 100 years ago to restore woods and forests in the wake of WWI. It now manages more than 1,500 wooded areas in England, including Westonbirt, The...