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.I know conifers are deeply unfashionable but that's not a good enough reason to ignore them - for some people and certain situations they are the perfect solution. A good one is Pinus aristata, which was brought over by the Victorians from the Rocky

with trees and plants with the same sense of fidelity as Zsa Zsa Gabor in her prime.At number five: Abies Koreana, the Korean Fir. I know that conifers are a little suspect among the high echelons of garden society and I also believe that many of them

planting 'aliens', they stick out like sore thumbs.  By aliens I mean the good serviceable evergreens that work well in gardens but never quite fit in when planted near fields and woods. A tall conifer in a hedge looks as uncomfortable as a jockey in a

of the hazel) play much the same game, as do many conifers and most grasses (albeit later in the year).I was reminded of all this botany by a peculiar event. We were sitting in my in-laws' kitchen, when suddenly it seemed that a great cloud of smoke blew across

late summer flowering plant that will tolerate a bit of shade (provided it is not too dry). The pinky-purple flowers look like the mouths of giant carp. Gets to about 45cm high.Metasequoia glyptostroboides - the dawn redwood is a deciduous conifer from

to describe the effect. So box and yew are definitely off the menu as are laurels and pretty much every evergreen shrub apart from some conifers.Hmm, further thought is called for but, in the meantime, I don’t want to hear any of you complaining about snow