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Eucalyptus gunnii 'Azura', commonly known as the cider gum, is an evergreen tree valued for its feathered, airy form as a specimen tree. Its foliage is particularly notable, displaying rounded, silvery-blue juvenile leaves that mature into longer, narrower grey-green leaves, offering a striking contrast in colour and shape as the tree ages. The foliage releases a distinctive aromatic, menthol-like scent when crushed, adding sensory appeal to the garden. Structurally, 'Azura' forms a feathered, upright tree with a naturally graceful, open habit, requiring minimal pruning to maintain its shape. The fast growth rate makes it suitable for creating height and structure within a relatively short space of time. The silvery foliage provides year-round interest, remaining attractive through all seasons given its evergreen nature, with particular appeal in winter when the pale bark and blue-toned leaves stand out against bare deciduous planting. The bark is also decorative, peeling away in patches to reveal a smooth, cream to greenish surface beneath, adding further textural interest throughout the year. This tree is well suited to coastal gardens, tolerating exposed and windy positions, and performs well in a variety of soil types provided drainage is adequate.

New Zealand Broadleaf is an evergreen shrub valued for its glossy, apple-green leaves, which are broad, rounded and leathery in texture, providing year-round interest and a fresh appearance to borders and hedging. The foliage catches light attractively, giving the plant a bright, polished look throughout the seasons. It forms a dense, bushy structure, making it a reliable choice for screening or hedging purposes, and it responds well to clipping, allowing it to be maintained at a desired size and shape. This shrub produces small, inconspicuous greenish-yellow flowers in late spring, which are not a significant ornamental feature but may be followed by small purple berries on female plants if a male is present nearby for pollination. New Zealand Broadleaf is particularly well-suited to coastal gardens, as it has a strong tolerance for salt-laden winds and exposed positions, making it an excellent choice for seaside planting schemes. It also performs well in a range of soil types, including loamy and clay soils, provided drainage is reasonable. Its dense habit and evergreen nature make it useful for creating shelter and year-round structure in the garden.

New Zealand Broadleaf is an evergreen shrub well suited to hedging. Its foliage is glossy, apple-green and rounded, with a fresh, bright appearance that holds well throughout the year. The leaves grow densely on the stem, creating a thick, well-filled hedge that provides good structure and screening once established. This plant forms a dense, bushy habit that responds well to clipping, making it a popular choice for formal hedging. Its consistent leaf colour offers year-round interest, with the foliage remaining attractive through all seasons rather than being tied to a single period of display. New Zealand Broadleaf is particularly well suited to coastal areas, as it tolerates salt-laden winds and exposed positions with ease. It also performs well in a range of soil types, provided drainage is reasonable, making it a versatile option for gardens near the sea or in more exposed locations. Its resilience to wind makes it a practical choice for creating shelter belts as well as ornamental boundaries. Regular trimming during the growing season will help maintain a neat, formal shape and encourage dense growth from the base upwards.

Pittosporum 'Golf Ball' is a compact evergreen shrub with a naturally neat, dense, rounded form, as its name suggests. It requires little to no clipping to maintain its spherical shape, making it a low-maintenance choice for structured planting schemes. The small, glossy, pale to mid-green leaves have slightly wavy margins and are densely packed along dark stems, creating a solid, uniform texture throughout the year. This tight growth habit makes it particularly useful for low hedging, edging, or as a formal accent in borders and containers. Small, honey-scented, dark maroon flowers may appear in late spring, though they are often insignificant and largely hidden among the foliage. The shrub tolerates coastal conditions well, being resistant to salt-laden winds, and performs best in a sheltered, sunny to partially shaded position with well-drained soil. It is a versatile plant suited to modern and traditional garden designs alike, offering year-round structure and consistent form with minimal upkeep.

Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Grandiflora' is an attractive, bushy, suckering, long-blooming, deciduous shrub with narrow, dark blue-green leaves. In late winter, large, rounded flower-heads composed of tiny, fragrant, bright yellow flowers appear on bare stems from small, hairy buds. The period of blooming is long, from 4 to 6 weeks providing an exquisite display in winter and early spring. Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Grandiflora' prefers fertile, hummus-rich, loamy, moist but well-drained soils in light dappled shade or full sun. In hot areas, it appreciates protection from the afternoon sun. Intolerant of hot dry summers. Pest-free and disease-free. Doesn’t require pruning. Its inner bark can be used to make quality paper, hence the name Paperbush. Edgeworthia chrysantha 'Grandiflora' is a stunning ornamental plant, attractive all year round. Ggreat addition to any garden – informal, cottage, coastal or urban. It is perfect as a specimen plant, great for wall-side borders, shrub borders, or foundation plantings. Suitable for growing in containers.

Magnolia Susan is a beautiful flowering tree known for its stunning blooms and attractive foliage. This deciduous tree is a member of the magnolia family and is a popular choice among gardeners and landscapers for its showy flowers that come in shades of pink and purple. The Magnolia Susan typically grows to a height of 10-15 feet and can spread up to 12 feet wide. It has a dense, upright growth habit and produces large, tulip-shaped flowers in mid to late spring. The flowers are about 5 inches across and have a sweet fragrance that fills the air. The leaves of the Magnolia Susan are glossy and dark green, with a slightly wavy margin. They are oval-shaped and can grow up to 6 inches long. In the fall, the leaves turn a beautiful golden yellow before dropping for the winter.

Hosta 'Minuteman' is a herbaceous perennial that dies back in winter and re-emerges in spring. It forms a neat, mounded clump of heart-shaped leaves with dark green centres and crisp, irregular white margins, creating a striking variegated effect that brightens shaded borders throughout the growing season. The foliage holds its colour and shape well from spring through to autumn, providing consistent structural interest in the garden. In summer, tall flower spikes rise above the foliage bearing pale lavender, bell-shaped blooms, adding a further layer of interest to the display. The flowers are attractive to bees and other pollinating insects, making this plant a useful addition for gardeners wishing to support local wildlife. Hosta 'Minuteman' is well suited to shady or partially shaded positions and performs best in moist, humus-rich soil, making it an excellent choice for woodland-style planting schemes or shaded borders where many other perennials struggle to thrive. It is also a good option for planting alongside ponds or in damp corners of the garden, provided the soil is not prone to waterlogging. This variety is best protected from slugs and snails, which can damage the foliage, and benefits from division every few years to maintain vigour.

Corylus avellana 'Contorta', commonly known as the Corkscrew Hazel, is a deciduous tree with a distinctively twisted and contorted branch structure that gives it year-round interest. The spiralling stems are particularly striking in winter once the leaves have fallen, revealing the full extent of the gnarled, curling growth pattern. The mid-green, rounded leaves are themselves slightly twisted and textured, turning yellow in autumn before dropping to expose the sculptural framework beneath. In late winter and early spring, before the leaves emerge, the tree produces pale yellow catkins that hang from the bare contorted branches, creating an attractive display during an otherwise quiet period in the garden. Small, inconspicuous red female flowers appear around the same time, occasionally followed by edible hazelnuts in autumn, though fruiting tends to be light. This tree is slow-growing and generally compact, making it well suited to smaller gardens or as a specimen planting where its unusual form can be fully appreciated. It is also a popular choice for cut stems used in floristry and decorative displays. The Corkscrew Hazel tolerates a wide range of soil types, including clay, and adapts well to both sunny and partially shaded positions.

Cider Gum 'Azura' is an evergreen tree with a naturally bushy, compact habit, making it a good choice for smaller gardens where space is limited. The rounded juvenile leaves are a striking silvery-blue, ageing to a more elongated grey-green as the tree matures, providing year-round colour and interest. Unlike the species form, this cultivar retains its attractive juvenile foliage for longer due to regular pruning or its naturally dense growth habit, giving it a soft, textured appearance throughout the seasons. The aromatic foliage releases a fresh, eucalyptus scent when brushed or crushed, adding a sensory dimension to any planting scheme. Its dense, bushy structure makes it useful as a specimen tree or informal screen, offering good coverage without the towering height of the species form. Small white flowers may appear in summer on mature wood, though flowering is not a primary feature of this cultivar when grown for its foliage. The blue-grey leaves are particularly valued by flower arrangers and are often used in cut foliage displays. This tree tolerates a wide range of soil types, including clay, and once established is relatively drought tolerant. It performs well in full sun and is suited to exposed or coastal gardens, tolerating wind well.

Chaenomeles x superba 'Pink Lady', commonly known as the flowering quince, is a striking deciduous shrub renowned for its vibrant spring display. It is a hybrid variety belonging to the Rosaceae family and is appreciated for both its ornamental value and hardy nature.

The 'Pink Lady' typically grows to a height and spread of about 1.5 metres, making it suitable for a variety of garden settings, from hedges and borders to standalone specimen plants. Its growth habit is dense and thorny, which can provide added security as well as beauty.

One of the standout features of 'Pink Lady' is its profusion of stunning, bright pink flowers. These blooms, which appear from late winter to early spring, are cup-shaped with a delicate yet vivid hue that can lift the spirits during the duller months. The flowers often emerge before the leaves, creating a striking contrast against the bare branches. Each blossom comprises five petals, which are subtly ruffled, adding to the plant's charm.

Following the flowering period, 'Pink Lady' produces small, yellow-green fruits resembling tiny apples. These fruits are hard and bitter when raw but can be cooked to make jellies and preserves, adding another layer of utility to this attractive shrub.

The foliage of 'Pink Lady' is equally appealing, with glossy, dark green leaves that provide a lush backdrop for the vibrant flowers. The leaves are oval-shaped with finely serrated edges, turning a rich yellow in the autumn before falling.

Chaenomeles x superba 'Pink Lady' is robust and easy to grow, thriving in a range of soil types provided they are well-drained. It prefers a sunny or partially shaded position and is tolerant of urban pollution and coastal conditions. Regular pruning after flowering can help maintain its shape and encourage more prolific blooming in the following season. This makes 'Pink Lady' a versatile and low-maintenance choice for gardeners seeking year-round interest.

Spotted Laurel 'Mr Goldstrike' is an evergreen shrub with a dense, rounded habit, making it a reliable choice for year-round structure in the garden. The glossy, dark green leaves are heavily speckled and splashed with vivid golden-yellow markings, providing strong colour contrast throughout the year, particularly brightening up darker corners during the winter months. Small, reddish-purple flowers appear in spring, though these are relatively inconspicuous and are followed, on female plants when pollinated, by bright red berries in autumn and winter. These berries can provide a food source for birds during the colder months, offering some wildlife value to the garden. This shrub is particularly well suited to shady and deep shade positions, performing well in areas where many other shrubs would struggle to establish. It tolerates a wide range of soil types, including clay, and copes well with urban pollution and coastal exposure, making it a versatile option for difficult or low-maintenance planting schemes. Its dense foliage also makes it useful for screening or informal hedging, while its tolerance of shade makes it ideal for underplanting beneath trees or in courtyard gardens.

Cornus alba 'Kesselringii', commonly known as purple-stemmed dogwood, is a deciduous shrub with a bushy habit. Its most striking feature is its dark purple-black stems, which provide vivid colour throughout the winter months once the leaves have fallen, making it a valuable addition for seasonal interest. The foliage consists of dark green, ovate leaves that turn shades of red and purple in autumn before dropping. In late spring and early summer, small creamy-white flowers appear in flattened clusters, followed by small white or blue-tinged fruits later in the season. The flowers provide a source of nectar for pollinating insects, while the fruits are attractive to birds, offering some wildlife value through the growing season. This shrub forms a dense, twiggy structure, making it useful for informal hedging or as a structural feature within a mixed border. It is particularly effective when planted in groups, where the winter stem colour can be best appreciated against a plain backdrop. Purple-stemmed dogwood tolerates a wide range of soil types, including clay and wet or poorly drained ground, making it a versatile choice for damp areas of the garden where other shrubs may struggle to establish.

Sweet Gum 'Gum Ball' is a deciduous tree trained here as a half standard, producing a compact, rounded head of growth on a clear stem. The glossy, star-shaped leaves are the main feature of this cultivar, emerging fresh green through spring and summer before turning striking shades of purple, red and orange in autumn, providing reliable seasonal colour. The dense, ball-like crown gives the tree a neat, formal structure, making it a good choice where a smaller, well-defined shape is required rather than the larger spreading form typical of the species. Small, inconspicuous flowers appear in spring but hold little ornamental value, and the tree is primarily grown for its foliage and overall form rather than for blossom. The spiky seed capsules that follow are of minor interest and can be left on the tree or removed as preferred. This cultivar performs best in moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil and benefits from a position in full sun to maximise autumn leaf colour. It is tolerant of a range of garden situations once established, though it is best avoided in shallow chalky soils. Its compact habit makes it suitable for smaller gardens, courtyards or as a specimen tree where a tidy, structured form is desired.

Rhododendron 'Nova Zembla' is a robust, evergreen shrub admired for its bold, vibrant flowers and reliable growth, making it a striking addition to a wide range of gardens. It typically grows to 1.5–2 metres in height and spread, forming a dense, rounded shape that provides year-round structure and visual interest.

In late spring, ‘Nova Zembla’ produces large trusses of deep crimson-red flowers, often accented with darker markings in the throat. The vivid blooms create a dramatic focal point in borders, woodland gardens, or as a specimen plant, and they attract pollinators such as bees, enhancing biodiversity in the garden. Its glossy, dark green leaves maintain structure and colour throughout the year, ensuring evergreen appeal even outside the flowering season.

This rhododendron thrives in moist, well-drained, acidic soil enriched with organic matter and prefers a sheltered position in partial shade or dappled sunlight. It benefits from protection against strong winds and hot afternoon sun to maintain healthy foliage and maximise flowering.

‘Nova Zembla’ is perfect for woodland-style gardens, mixed shrub borders, or as a standout specimen. Its striking colour, compact growth, and dependable performance make it an excellent choice for gardeners seeking dramatic spring interest and year-round structure.

Spotted Laurel 'Rozannie' is a compact, evergreen shrub forming a dense, rounded mound of glossy, dark green foliage. The leaves are broad, leathery and elliptical, providing consistent colour and texture throughout the year. This self-fertile cultivar produces small, purplish-red flowers in spring, followed by bright red berries in autumn and winter, which persist on the plant and add seasonal interest when little else is in colour. The berries provide a food source for birds during the colder months, supporting garden wildlife through the winter period. This shrub is particularly valuable for its tolerance of deep shade and dry conditions, making it a reliable choice for difficult areas of the garden such as underneath trees or in north-facing borders where other plants may struggle. It also copes well with pollution, making it suitable for urban gardens. Aucuba japonica 'Rozannie' is low-maintenance, requiring minimal pruning to maintain its neat, compact habit, and works well as low hedging, ground cover, or as a specimen shrub. Its adaptability to a range of soil types, including clay, along with its resilience in shady positions, makes it a practical addition to planting schemes requiring structure and year-round foliage interest.

Rootgrow is a mycorrhizal fungi product that helps plants establish stronger root systems by forming a symbiotic relationship with their roots. These fungi enhance nutrient and water uptake, particularly phosphorus, leading to healthier, more resilient plants. Rootgrow is commonly used when planting trees, shrubs, flowers, and vegetables to improve growth, drought resistance, and overall plant health.

However, some plants do not benefit from Rootgrow, including brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, kale), beets, rhododendrons, azaleas, and blueberries. These plants either do not form mycorrhizal associations or prefer acidic soil conditions unsuitable for the fungi. Using Rootgrow on these plants may provide no benefit or, in some cases, be counterproductive.

Prunus subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’ is an elegant ornamental flowering cherry highly valued for extending seasonal interest in the garden. This small deciduous tree or large shrub produces delicate semi-double pale pink to white blossoms intermittently from late autumn through mild winter periods and into early spring, bringing welcome colour when little else is flowering. Its graceful branching structure and light green foliage, which turns warm yellow and bronze in autumn, add further ornamental appeal.

Ideal for medium and larger gardens, it suits lawns, cottage gardens, wildlife-friendly planting schemes, and Japanese-inspired landscapes. Its relatively compact habit makes it suitable for urban gardens where space is limited compared with larger cherry varieties. Best planted in fertile, moist but well-drained soil, it thrives in full sun or light partial shade and benefits from a sheltered position protected from harsh winds.

Prunus subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’ also attracts early pollinators during mild winter spells, making it valuable for biodiversity. Its graceful form and unusual flowering season create a striking focal point throughout the colder months.

The Strawberry Tree is an evergreen tree, grown here as a full standard with a rounded, bushy crown of glossy, dark green, leathery leaves that provide year-round interest. Its structure is dense and attractive, making it a good specimen tree for year-round screening or focal interest in a garden setting. This tree offers attractiveness across several seasons. In autumn, small white, bell-shaped flowers appear in drooping clusters, coinciding with the ripening of the previous year's fruit. This unusual overlap of flowers and strawberry-like fruits, which ripen from yellow to a deep red, gives the tree a particularly ornamental display in autumn. The fruits, while edible, are mostly grown for decorative purposes. The flowers provide a valuable late-season source of nectar for bees and other pollinating insects, supporting biodiversity at a time of year when fewer plants are in bloom. The fruits are also attractive to birds and other wildlife, who feed on them once ripe, offering further value as a wildlife-friendly specimen tree. The Strawberry Tree is tolerant of coastal conditions, making it a suitable choice for exposed or salt-laden environments. It also performs well in a range of soil types, including loamy and clay soils, provided drainage is reasonable.

Osmanthus aquifolium (often known as Osmanthus heterophyllus) trained as a multi-stem shrub is an excellent choice for adding year-round structure and evergreen interest to a garden. With its holly-like, glossy, dark green leaves, it provides a strong architectural presence while also offering a refined, ornamental quality.

This shrub is particularly well suited to sheltered positions in full sun or partial shade, thriving in well-drained soil. It is highly adaptable and tolerant of urban pollution, making it ideal for town and city gardens as well as more traditional settings. As a multi-stem specimen, it creates a more open, sculptural form compared to standard shrubs, making it perfect as a focal point or for adding height and layering within planting schemes.

In autumn, Osmanthus produces small but highly fragrant white flowers, which release a sweet, jasmine-like scent, adding a sensory element to the garden when little else is in bloom. Reaching around 3–4 metres over time, it remains manageable and responds well to pruning if shaping is required.

Hardy, low maintenance, and evergreen, it is an excellent choice for structure, screening, and year-round interest.

Mimosa is an evergreen tree, grown here as a full standard with a single clear stem supporting a rounded, airy canopy. The foliage is finely divided and fern-like, silvery-grey to blue-green in colour, giving the tree a soft, feathery texture throughout the year. In late winter to early spring, the tree becomes covered in masses of fragrant, bright yellow, fluffy flowerheads, creating a striking display of colour at a time when little else is in bloom. This flowering period makes it particularly valuable for early-season interest in the garden. The blossom is attractive to early-flying pollinators, including bees, providing a useful nectar source when few other flowering plants are available. Mimosa prefers a sheltered, sunny position and is best suited to milder gardens, performing particularly well in coastal areas where it benefits from free-draining soil and protection from harsh frosts. It is not fully hardy in colder, exposed inland locations and appreciates a warm wall or sheltered spot in such areas. As a full standard, it works well as a specimen tree, bringing height, structure and seasonal colour to a planting scheme.