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Evergreen trees and shrubs are tricky. They are a very important part of our gardens at this time of year, but they need to be used with great care and a light touch.I'm thinking about this at the moment because I'm planting a new woodland for a

an elephant's shin and is equally exotic.This tree contains a mixture of London and Spain.This tree is another easy one, no hint required.Here is the evergreen version.That old... To save this becoming a rather long quiz I will stop there. If I could go on I

sheltered area, then there are a couple of exotic trees that are truly spectacular. The silk tree (Albizia julibrissin f. rosea) has large pinnate leaves and flowers like pink starbursts.Also, Weinmannia trichosperma, which is a Chilean evergreen with fern

the evergreens to keep us amused.Last year my autumn tree of choice was the magnificent liquidambar - I was actually quite bossy in my urgings. This year I have chosen a slightly more humble tree: the field maple, Acer campestre.Acer campestre is our only native

is so unexpected and so swift that you're only able to take six plants from your existing garden.So which six plants will you choose? Will you go for something big - a favourite cherry or a noble oak? Maybe an evergreen to liven up your winter? A rose

The other day there was a tweet* from Gardeners' World regarding a post I wrote on this blog a couple of years ago, about my top five trees for small gardens.While I still stick with those five I thought I might try and add a further five just

as cut flowers). I saw them at the base of street trees, gleefully mixed in with bright chrysanthemums and lipstick-pink cyclamen. Not  a very conventional mixture but certainly striking.There are variations: this one has a good solid evergreen box edge

that are being groomed - already -  for displays at next year's RHS Flower Shows.Herbs are one of the few things that can be used the whole way through the winter. A pot of rosemary, some mint (Egyptian mint is, apparently, the most evergreen) and a bay tree

In the 19th century the gardens at Leighton Hall, Powys were planted with newly discovered tree varieties, gleaned by fearless plant hunters from every corner of the Empire. Included in the arboretum were the Monterey cypress, from California

? Or eating our shoes like Charlie Chaplin in The Gold Rush?My highlights of the snowy weather:Bleakness: I love an undisturbed field.Beech trees: because they have such smooth bark the snow tends to slip off leaving them as lizard green contrast to the rest