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At this time of year hedgerows bristle with elderflowers. Elder (Sambucus nigra) is a native tree with white flowers in midsummer and bunches of small black berries in autumn. It is a bit of a weed but, like many weeds, it has both a purpose

and work well as part of a mixed border - I have a lovely white iris called Iris sibirica 'Snow Queen' and a blue one called 'Emperor'.These are fine, but they pale into insignificance compared to the huge, complicated flowers of their bearded cousins. Each

will already have bought their bulbs. I may be too late to help this year but these are my top tulips. To be perfectly accurate these are some of my top tulips as there are too many to fit in here. Tulipa 'White Triumphator' - the shape and colour of angels T

out there that punch way, way above their weight when it comes to fragrance.As an example Sarcococca hookeriana, a sparky little evergreen shrub with deep maroony leaf stems and tiny white flowers like the tassels on a stripper. Last year I had one

. Pale custard-yellow flowers, blackish stems and great leaves.Sanguisorba canadensis - I'm a complete sucker for a sanguisorba. This was one of the first I grew and is an absolute star. Spires of sparkly clean white flowers that stand beautifully all

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

In two large pots I am growing big white lilies (lets not talk about the dapper scarlet lily beetles and their repulsively slimy offspring at the moment - too depressing) and a luscious deep red dahlia called Arabian Night. Around the feet

white 'Prosperity' and shimmery, pink 'Felicia'.I am also ordering wine-coloured shrub 'Charles de Mills', luscious scarlet 'Scarlachglut' and the lemony buttoned climber R. banksiae 'Lutea'. One of the longest lasting roses is (the sadly scentless) R

and it is one of my great pleasures. The dark green leaves go perfectly with the aged brick, in the spring it is covered with frothy white flowers and come the autumn the branches are laden with red berries. When the hard frosts come we then have a wonderful

higher odds on getting a hard frost which, I think, is even more beautiful. Snow blankets and muffles the features in the garden turning all a soft virgin white - even rubbish heaps and messy areas are suddenly transformed into something clean