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-spring, covered in white flowers which, come the autumn, turn into deep red berries, or haws. They also make spectacular trees that reach about 5m in 10 years - although if left alone they can reach 18m. They're fantastically gnarly and twisted and every wild

long, gradually fading with age. 'Roma' adds a lovely pink to the display, but there are lots of other equally generous astrantias available in greens, whites and deep reds. Some even offer variegated foliage, but this isn't really to my taste

to do on the plot it's tricky to know where to start. At the moment I've got a bit of a routine: I do a quick whizz round, snapping the flower buds off my onions, harvesting courgettes and checking the brassicas for signs of cabbage white butterfly eggs

, but it's their striking flowers most people are after. Their blooms are really spathes; bright trumpets at the tip of a stem, with a graceful twist and pointed tip unlike the flowers of anything else you're likely to grow.It's surprising that some

).But I digress: back to blossom. The purpose of blossom (as I'm sure you know) is to attract pollinators and therefore to produce fruit. However, it's also very lovely in its own right. Not all of the trees are yet in flower, but at the moment we can

. This is a very vigorous climber, better known as Russian vine or mile-a-minute. Only the very brave will plant this in a small garden as, although it's undoubtedly attractive and flowers for a long time, it has an unquenchable curiosity. Many years ago I

and the singed toffee-coloured flowers are so subtle that they seem to only whisper (but such seductive words that the heart melts).Phlox 'Blue Paradise': I think these are the very best of the family. A sort of washed denim colour that changes with the light

). Mostly because I'm a bit short of space for any more plants but also because of laziness. I am beginning to see the error of my ways ... I want more. Not so much the petunias or busy Lizzies (even though white ones are a very effective way of making a

days, stretches of perfect white sand, bobbing seals, heathery hills, shining blue lobsters and lichened rocks. But, even though to the casual observer it may have seemed that I was lolling around all week doing very little, I have been diligent in my

, but I'll leave them on display for as long as possible.I've combined mine with a compact gaultheria with pure white berries, snipping away its green shoots to neaten up the display. All these plants are quite cheap to buy, so could be discarded