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Thuja orientalis 'Aurea Nana' is a dwarf, compact, slow-growing, evergreen, coniferous tree of columnar to conical habit, with dense, flattened sprays of scale-like, golden-yellow foliage, and oval, female cones. The foliage may have a bronze tinge during the winter. Dwarf Golden Oriental Thuja can adapt to a wide range of soil conditions, but thrives in fertile, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. It hot summers, it appreciates some afternoon shade. It should not be overcrowded because it likes good air circulation. It is resistant to heat, but doesn’t tolerate winter as much as the species. It doesn’t have major pest or disease problems. Low maintenance plant, doesn’t require pruning but is tolerant of hard pruning. Thuja orientalis 'Aurea Nana' is a lovely, ornamental shrub, perfect as an accent plant in small informal, cottage, and urban gardens. Great for low hedges, foundation plantings, and shrub borders. Excellent in rock and gravel gardens.

Cotoneaster Rothschildianus is a semi-evergreen tree, grown here in a feathered form with branches retained down to ground level, giving a dense, bushy structure. The foliage is glossy and dark green, providing a good backdrop to the seasonal flowers and fruit. Small white flowers appear in early summer, held in clusters along the arching branches, and these are followed by a heavy crop of pale yellow berries that ripen through autumn and persist well into winter. This makes the tree particularly attractive during the autumn and winter months, when the branches are laden with fruit. The flowers are attractive to bees and other pollinating insects, while the berries provide a valuable food source for birds during the colder months, supporting garden wildlife through autumn and winter. The feathered shape suits informal planting schemes, screening, or as a specimen tree where its natural, well-furnished outline can be appreciated from ground level upwards. It is tolerant of a range of soil types, including clay, and copes well with exposed or coastal conditions, making it a versatile choice for gardens where hardier, low-maintenance planting is required.

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.

Camellia 'Winter's Snowman' is a charming and distinctive evergreen shrub prized for its exquisite, pure white blossoms that bloom profusely in the late winter to early spring, providing a delightful contrast against its glossy, dark green foliage. The flowers, resembling delicate snowflakes, boast a pristine beauty that evokes a sense of tranquility and serenity, making 'Winter's Snowman' a picturesque sight in any landscape.

One of the notable features of Camellia 'Winter's Snowman' is its compact and upright growth habit, typically reaching a height of around 6 to 8 feet with a similar spread. This moderate size makes it an excellent choice for various garden settings, including borders, hedges, or as a standalone specimen. Its dense foliage not only adds aesthetic appeal but also provides year-round structure and interest to the garden landscape.

It thrives in well-drained, acidic soil with partial shade, this camellia variety is relatively low-maintenance once established, requiring minimal pruning and regular watering to maintain optimal health and vigor. With proper care, it can withstand cold temperatures. 

Acer palmatum ‘Chitose-Yama’ is a striking and reliable Japanese maple valued for its seasonal colour shifts and strong garden presence. Its deeply lobed foliage emerges in spring as bright red-purple tones, gradually maturing to bronze-green through summer while retaining attractive reddish highlights. In autumn, the tree produces a vivid display of fiery crimson, orange, and gold, making it a standout feature in the late-season garden.

This cultivar has a more vigorous, upright habit than many Japanese maples, making it well suited to medium and larger gardens where it can develop its natural shape. It works particularly well as a specimen tree in lawns, mixed borders, or woodland-style plantings, where its changing foliage can contrast beautifully with evergreen shrubs and softer underplanting.

‘Chitose-Yama’ prefers moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil and benefits from a sheltered position away from strong winds. Partial shade is ideal, although it can tolerate sunnier sites if soil moisture is consistent. Once established, it is relatively low maintenance, requiring only light pruning to maintain structure.

With its robust growth, reliable colouring, and seasonal transformation, Acer palmatum ‘Chitose-Yama’ brings structure, movement, and exceptional year-round interest to the garden.

Leucothoe axillaris 'Curly Red' is a captivating, ornamental evergreen shrub perfect for adding unique texture and vibrant color to any garden. Its distinctive, curled foliage emerges in a rich, reddish hue that transforms with seasonal changes. The deeply lobed leaves and gracefully arching branches create a dynamic, eye-catching display throughout the year. Thriving in partial shade, this low-maintenance shrub is ideal for woodland gardens, understory plantings, and mixed borders. It tolerates a variety of soils while offering a striking contrast against more traditional greens. Its elegant structure and year-round interest make it a versatile choice for enhancing outdoor spaces, adding both color and movement to any landscape. Experience a garden transformation with this truly striking shrub that draws admiring glances.

Syringa Vulgaris Souvenir d'Alice Harding is a beautiful and fragrant lilac cultivar that would make a lovely addition to any garden. This deciduous shrub typically grows to be about 8 to 12 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide, with a dense and bushy habit.

The Souvenir d'Alice Harding lilac produces stunning panicles of fragrant, double flowers that bloom in late spring to early summer. The flowers are a pale lavender color with a hint of pink, and are quite large and showy. The foliage of this lilac is also attractive, with heart-shaped, deep green leaves that turn a golden-yellow color in the fall.

This lilac prefers full sun to partial shade and well-draining soil that is slightly alkaline. It is relatively low-maintenance and requires minimal pruning to maintain its shape and size.

Overall, Syringa Vulgaris Souvenir d'Alice Harding is a gorgeous and easy-to-grow lilac cultivar that is sure to delight any gardener or flower enthusiast. Its stunning flowers and lovely fragrance make it a popular choice for garden borders, hedges, and cut flower arrangements.

Viburnum opulus 'Roseum', commonly known as the Snowball Bush or Snowball Tree, is a deciduous shrub with a rounded, bushy habit and moderately dense growth. The foliage consists of lobed, maple-like leaves that turn attractive shades of red and purple in autumn, providing good seasonal colour after the flowering display has finished. In late spring to early summer, the shrub produces large, spherical clusters of sterile white flowers, resembling pompoms or snowballs, which gradually change from lime green to pure white as they mature. These blooms are borne in abundance, covering the shrub and creating a striking display against the green foliage. Unlike the species form, this cultivar's flowers are sterile and therefore do not produce the berries typically associated with Viburnum opulus, meaning it offers limited direct value to pollinators or birds in terms of fruit production. However, the dense branching structure can still provide shelter for small garden birds. This shrub is adaptable to a range of soil types, including clay and loamy soils, and tolerates both sun and partial shade, making it a versatile choice for various garden positions. It also performs well in moisture-retentive soils, making it suitable for gardens with damper conditions.

Cornus kousa 'Milky Way' is a small deciduous tree that is a member of the dogwood family. It is prized for its stunning ornamental features, including its striking white blooms that appear in late spring or early summer, followed by its unique fruit that ripens in the fall. The 'Milky Way' cultivar is notable for its profuse, large, and showy flowers. The creamy-white blooms are star-shaped and feature four bracts, which surround a small, yellowish-green cluster of true flowers in the center. The tree's leaves are a glossy, deep green color and turn shades of red, orange, and purple in the fall, providing a colorful autumnal display. This variety is also known for its exceptional disease resistance, particularly against powdery mildew, a common fungal disease that affects many dogwood species. 'Milky Way' can reach a height of 20 to 30 feet with a spread of 15 to 20 feet at maturity. It prefers well-drained soil and partial to full sun exposure.

Cordyline australis 'Red Star', commonly known as the Red Torbay Palm or Red Cabbage Palm, is an evergreen architectural plant with a distinctive shuttlecock form. It produces bold, arching strap-like leaves in deep burgundy-red, radiating from a central point to create a striking fountain-like structure. As the plant matures, it develops a sturdy trunk, giving it a palm-like appearance that adds height and structural interest to planting schemes. The foliage colour remains consistent year-round, providing a strong focal point in any season, though the rich red tones can appear particularly vivid during summer months. Mature specimens may produce large sprays of creamy-white, fragrant flowers in early summer, followed by small whitish berries, though this is less common in cooler climates. This plant is well suited to coastal gardens, as it tolerates salt-laden winds and exposed positions with ease. It also performs well in free-draining soils and benefits from a sheltered spot in colder regions to protect against hard frosts. Ideal for adding a dramatic, subtropical feel to patios, borders, or gravel gardens, it works well as a specimen plant or within mixed Mediterranean-style planting.

The Pittosporum ‘Green Elf’ is a compact, evergreen shrub renowned for its dense, bushy growth and vibrant green foliage. This attractive plant is particularly favoured for its neat, rounded habit and versatility in garden design.

This cultivar is distinguished by its small, leathery, oval-shaped leaves, which display a glossy, deep green hue, offering year-round interest. The foliage remains lush and dense, making it an excellent choice for low hedging, topiary, or as a feature plant in pots and borders. As a naturally compact shrub, it typically reaches a height and spread of 60–90 cm, making it well-suited for smaller gardens or urban spaces where space is limited.

During spring and early summer, Pittosporum ‘Green Elf’ produces small, inconspicuous flowers with a delicate honey-like fragrance. These blooms, although not particularly showy, add a subtle charm and attract pollinators such as bees.

Hardy in UK climates, it thrives best in well-drained soil and prefers a position in full sun to partial shade. It is drought-tolerant once established and can withstand coastal conditions, making it ideal for seaside gardens. Regular pruning helps maintain its shape and encourages denser growth, though it naturally maintains a tidy form.

This low-maintenance shrub is highly adaptable and works well in contemporary, formal, or Mediterranean-style gardens. It can be planted as a border edging, underplanting for taller shrubs, or as part of a mixed planting scheme.

Overall, Pittosporum ‘Green Elf’ is an excellent choice for gardeners seeking a compact, evergreen plant that provides year-round structure and elegance with minimal care. Its resilience, attractive foliage, and versatility make it a valuable addition to UK gardens.

Arbutus unedo, commonly known as the strawberry tree, is an evergreen shrub valued for its year-round foliage interest. The dark green, glossy leaves are leathery and finely toothed, providing dense cover throughout the seasons. This shrub is particularly attractive during autumn, when it produces small, white or pale pink urn-shaped flowers alongside the previous year's fruit maturing to a rich red, creating a striking two-tone display. The fruit resembles strawberries in appearance, with a warty red skin, though it has a grainy texture and mild flavour. Flowering typically occurs from autumn into early winter, making it an unusual plant that bears both flowers and fruit simultaneously. The strawberry tree offers notable wildlife benefits, with its flowers providing a valuable late-season nectar source for bees and other pollinators when few other plants are in bloom. The fruit is also attractive to birds, supporting local biodiversity during the autumn and winter months. This shrub is well-suited to coastal areas, tolerating salt-laden winds and exposed positions with ease. It is also adaptable to a range of soil types, including poor or well-drained soils, making it a versatile choice for gardens seeking resilience alongside seasonal interest.

Acer palmatum 'Katsura' is a deciduous Japanese maple, grown here as a bushy tree with a dense, twiggy habit that forms a rounded, compact crown. In spring the emerging foliage is a striking combination of orange and yellow, giving the leaves a vivid, almost glowing appearance before settling to light green through summer. The small, deeply lobed leaves contribute to a fine-textured canopy. In autumn the foliage returns to shades of yellow, orange and gold, providing a second period of seasonal colour. Small reddish flowers appear in spring, though these are not a significant ornamental feature and are followed by the typical winged seed pairs (samaras) of the species. This cultivar is well suited to planting in a sheltered spot, protected from strong winds and harsh afternoon sun, which can scorch the delicate spring foliage. It performs well in moist, well-drained, slightly acidic to neutral soils and tolerates light shade, making it a good choice for woodland-edge planting schemes or as a specimen tree in a smaller garden setting. Its compact, bushy form makes it suitable for planting in borders or as a container specimen on patios.

Camellia 'Winter's Snowman' is a charming and distinctive evergreen shrub prized for its exquisite, pure white blossoms that bloom profusely in the late winter to early spring, providing a delightful contrast against its glossy, dark green foliage. The flowers, resembling delicate snowflakes, boast a pristine beauty that evokes a sense of tranquility and serenity, making 'Winter's Snowman' a picturesque sight in any landscape.

One of the notable features of Camellia 'Winter's Snowman' is its compact and upright growth habit, typically reaching a height of around 6 to 8 feet with a similar spread. This moderate size makes it an excellent choice for various garden settings, including borders, hedges, or as a standalone specimen. Its dense foliage not only adds aesthetic appeal but also provides year-round structure and interest to the garden landscape.

It thrives in well-drained, acidic soil with partial shade, this camellia variety is relatively low-maintenance once established, requiring minimal pruning and regular watering to maintain optimal health and vigor. With proper care, it can withstand cold temperatures. 

Chaenomeles 'Madame Butterfly', commonly known as flowering quince, is a deciduous shrub with a dense, twiggy, spreading habit. The glossy dark green leaves provide a good backdrop throughout the growing season, emerging with a bronze tint in spring before maturing to green. The shrub is particularly attractive in spring when it produces an abundance of pure white, semi-double flowers with a delicate ruffled appearance, borne along bare branches before the foliage fully develops. This creates a striking display at a time when few other shrubs are in flower. Following the blossom, small yellow-green quince fruits may form in autumn, adding a secondary point of interest later in the year. The early flowers provide a valuable source of nectar and pollen for bees and other pollinating insects emerging in spring when forage is otherwise scarce, making it a useful addition to a wildlife-friendly garden. The dense branching structure also offers shelter for small birds and nesting opportunities within a mixed border or hedge. This shrub is tolerant of a range of soil types, including clay, and performs well when trained against a wall, grown as a freestanding specimen, or incorporated into a mixed or informal hedge.

The Olive is an evergreen tree with a naturally bushy habit, forming a dense, rounded canopy of gnarled, textured branches. Its narrow, lance-shaped leaves are a distinctive silvery-grey to grey-green above with a lighter, almost silver underside, giving the tree a soft, shimmering appearance when the foliage moves in the breeze. Small, creamy-white flowers appear in late spring to early summer, clustered along the stems in short sprays. These are followed by the familiar oval fruits, which ripen from green to a deep purplish-black through autumn, adding seasonal interest to the tree. The textured bark becomes increasingly gnarled and characterful with age, giving mature specimens a sculptural, weathered quality that suits both formal and relaxed planting schemes. The Olive thrives in free-draining soil and is particularly well suited to sheltered, sunny positions. It shows good tolerance of coastal conditions, including salt-laden winds, making it a reliable choice for gardens near the sea. It also performs well in containers, making it a versatile option for patios and courtyards as well as open ground planting.

Camellia ‘Brushfields Yellow’ is a vigorous, compact, neat and tidy, evergreen shrub with glossy, dark green leaves, and abundance of beautiful, creamy-white, double flowers, primrose yellow in the centre, that bloom in spring. Camellia ‘Brushfields Yellow’ loves organically rich, slightly acidic, moist, well-drained soils. The soil needs to be consistently moist, too much water may lead to a root rot. It thrives in partial shade. Direct sunlight will burn its leaves and full shade may lead to thinner leaves and fewer blooms. It can withstand frost but needs to be sheltered from harsh winds. Late frosts may damage the flower buds. Low maintenance plant, doesn’t require regular pruning. Camellia ‘Brushfields Yellow’ is one of the most popular camellias. Its evergreen foliage and spectacular flowers makes it a wonderful specimen plant in informal, cottage, and urban gardens. Great in beds and borders, wall-side borders, and shrub borders. Excellent for hedges and screens. Suitable for growing in containers.

Ilex 'Nellie R. Stevens' is a small, evergreen tree of widely conical to broadly oval habit with spiny, toothed, extremely glossy, emerald green leaves. Small, greenish-white flowers that bloom in spring are followed by abundant and long-lasting crop of attractive, large, orange to red, berries in autumn and winter. It’s a female, partially self-pollinating plant. 'Nellie R. Stevens' Holly is a cross between English holly (ilex aquifolium) and Chinese holly (ilex cornuta). It can grow in various soil types, but prefers fertile, medium moist, well-drained soils. It thrives in full sun or partial shade. It can withstand frost and wind, but needs to be sheltered from drying winter winds. It is suitable for coastal areas. Low maintenance plant. Ilex 'Nellie R. Stevens' is great as a specimen plant, good for hedges and screens, foundations, path edgings, and for growing in containers. Its branches with glossy leaves and red berries are typical Christmas decoration.

Thuja orientalis 'Aurea Nana' is a dwarf, compact, slow-growing, evergreen, coniferous tree of columnar to conical habit, with dense, flattened sprays of scale-like, golden-yellow foliage, and oval, female cones. The foliage may have a bronze tinge during the winter. Dwarf Golden Oriental Thuja can adapt to a wide range of soil conditions, but thrives in fertile, medium moisture, well-drained soils in full sun. It hot summers, it appreciates some afternoon shade. It should not be overcrowded because it likes good air circulation. It is resistant to heat, but doesn’t tolerate winter as much as the species. It doesn’t have major pest or disease problems. Low maintenance plant, doesn’t require pruning but is tolerant of hard pruning. Thuja orientalis 'Aurea Nana' is a lovely, ornamental shrub, perfect as an accent plant in small informal, cottage, and urban gardens. Great for low hedges, foundation plantings, and shrub borders. Excellent in rock and gravel gardens.

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.