How a racist taunt prompted me to reclaim Britain’s countryside

A man on a train told me to go back to where I’m from – and so I did. Walking alone in nature, I felt liberated from prejudice, says nature writer Anita Sethi

Weeds, wellbeing and pizza ovens: Bridgewater, a new kind of RHS garden

By allowing designers to playfully rewrite the rules, the Royal Horticultural Society has created a radical, sustainable garden that is almost guaranteed success

Knowledge of medicinal plants at risk as languages die out

Loss of linguistic diversity means less chance to discover age-old remedies not known to science, study warns

‘It’s a love letter to adventure’: the mud-spattered show about jogging

Inspired by a 90-mile run to the Peak District, These Hills Are Ours explores the joys of trail running – then invites its audience out for a jog

The evidence is in: low-traffic neighbourhoods are popular

The London election proves that measures to make streets safer are a vote-winner, says a former Labour leader of Ealing council

Bees give me a sense of calm: discovering nature in my back garden

Their busy buzzing supplies the soundtrack to our summer – and by spotting them I’ve found a fresh sense of inner peace, says Alison Benjamin

Asthma in toddlers linked to in-utero exposure to air pollution, study finds

Developing foetuses ‘exquisitely sensitive’ to harm from tiny particles, scientists say

Down to earth: how escaping to the country isn’t always what it seems

When Rebecca Schiller swapped the city for a rural dream life seemed idyllic. But however far you go, you can’t escape your self…

‘Melon seedlings make good pets’: how lockdown made us love houseplants

From orchids to apple trees, readers share their stories of the plants that kept them busy, lifted their spirits and distracted them from the endless Zoom meetings

Country diary: the ewes and I enjoy a flawless spring morning

Dolgellau, Gwynedd: The animals graze unconcernedly among clumps of soft rush as I wander past