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and kept below their normal height. They're not much good if you're looking for flowers, but for sheer well-cut elegance you can't really go wrong. You know the sort of thing: yew hedges with razor edges, parasols of pleached lime and frost-dusted box

, but then she also grew a lot of other things universally regarded as supremely tasteful and fashionable. Dianthus make a very charming edging plant with lots of colour (provided you like pink) and most of them are fabulously scented. If you don't like pink

winter.Actaea 'James Compton' - these used to be called cimicifugas. Tall and very, very elegant. 'James Compton' has dark purplish leaves as well.Zauschenaria californica - any plant whose name begins with Z has a special spot in my heart. A great edging

in clean water so probably still a bit risky!A great plant for the edge of a woodland or a large border although it does tend to seed itself in inappropriate places. The American Constitution was written in ink made from the berries of Pokeweed.

to Podocarpus macrophyllus (or Japanese Yew).Acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum' is a maple with dark red, lacy-edged leaves. It will stay within the height limit, although it is susceptible to middle aged spread and will cover a largish area. It can also be grown

and they're looking a bit scraggy round the edges. Usually I have no objections to a bit of scrag, but if they are cut back, the geraniums will put on some lush new growth and the salvias will flower again later in the summer. The allium seed heads look

of damage and a decent helping of pain. However, a bramble scrambling through hedgerows or the edges of woodland, where it's doing no harm is loved by everybody. The bramble is extraordinarily vigorous. It uses its thorns as grappling hooks to pull it across