There comes a time in one's life when instead of switching channels when Gardeners' Question Time starts on BBC Radio 4, you find yourself soothed by discussions of wintersweet, sawfly and lousewort. Devotees of the programme will know of Iford Manor because of its garden, designed by Harold Peto to the Italian model, its terraces heavy with wisteria, its cloisters peppered with statuary from long abandoned churches. For those of us who can kill a pot of basil with a single glance, it hosts the most enchanting of the summer festivals, Iford Arts.

Digging over our blooming past

Our green-fingered correspondent Anna Pavord continues her A-Z of horticultural pests and problems standing between you and your perfect garden

The Big Six: From beautiful stone farmhouses to pastel-coloured cottages

Conservatorium, Amsterdam

A plant scientist has turned his Oxford garden into a corner of the African savannah

You know what they say - you can choose your friends but you can't choose your family. Or your neighbours.

In the long summer days Eleanor Doughty has discovered a new way to pass the time. Just don't tell the neighbours

Find your inner Tarzan, get up close to the beasts of the jungle or explore some of the nation's leading museums and attractions

David Cameron gave to G8 leaders a playlist of best of British pop, which includes Tom Odell, Rudimental and Ben Howard. Watch music videos of some of the PM's selection:

A man with knife allegedly killed one woman and injured two others in a stabbing rampage with children metres away.

House being sold by Saudi prince who demands all potential buyers sign confidentiality agreement before viewing property

Calculations from Canadian and US scientists show runaway greenhouse effect is realistic possibility

Researchers at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew have been running the Kew Millennium Seed Bank for a number of years. In a new report thaye have identified a number of crops that require saving by building up their stocks.