December - Plants of the moment

Add extra colour and impact to your garden by choosing plants that contribute towards winter displays, including evergreen and winter flowering shrubs, and plants with fruits and berries for both you and garden wildlife to enjoy.

Evergreen shrubs, conifers and hedging create privacy and reduce road noise, providing a year-round structure to the garden. They also provide shelter from strong wind and cold weather, creating warmer pockets where more tender plants can flourish.

Don’t ignore shrubs with interesting stems either, such as the brilliant Dogwoods and white-stemmed bramble (Rubus cockburnianus), or varieties of trees with striking bark including varieties of Silver Birch, Prunus* and Maple.

Hardy shrubs for winter flower include:

Wintersweet – Chimonanthus praecox

Winter Honeysuckle Lonicera x purpusii ‘Winter Beauty’ AGM

Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’

Daphne bholua ‘Jacqueline Postill’ AGM

Viburnum tinus ‘Eve Price’

Witch Hazel (Hamamelis)

Sweet Box (Sarcococca)

Winter Jasmine (Jasminum nudiflorum AGM)

Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’ AGM

Winter Heathers (Erica carnea varieties)

Trees and shrubs for fruits and berries include:

Holly (Ilex varieties)

Firethorn (Pyracantha varieties)

Rowan (Sorbus)

Beauty Berry (Callicarpa ‘Profusion’ AGM)

Snowberry (Symphoricarpos)

Prickly Heath (Gaultheria mucronata)