Shrubs

The best December flowers and foliage from winter interest plants chosen for structure, colour and texture in the garden. Photographs Jason Ingram

Looking for an alternative to a cut Christmas tree? Here are some attractive conifers that you can grow outdoors in pots all year round, then bring indoors for the festive season

Cultivars of Cornus sanguinea, Cornus alba and Cornus sericea are grown for their colourful winter stems, but some have the benefit of attractive foliage too, giving them year-round appeal. Plant expert Andy McIndoe recommends some of the best.

Put the work into your garden now and you'll reap the rewards come spring. Head gardener Benjamin William Pope and garden writer Aaron Bertelsen explain what you can sow in November

There's plenty of ways to find colour and contrast in the garden on November days. Here Tom Brown and Fleur van Zonneveld pick the best plants for November. Photographs Jason Ingram and Maayke de Ridder

Bold autumn tints and early plumes of flower make the cotinus, or smoke bush, an indispensable shrub in the garden. Shrub expert Andy McIndoe advises on how to grow them. Photographs by Richard Bloom

Plant ecologist Ken Thompson explains the effect that climate change could have on the colour of your plants

Daphnes are shrubs that are best known for their scented flowers in winter, but some flower in spring and summer too. Shrub expert Andy McIndoe chooses 12 of the best daphnes to grow. Photographs by Dianna Jazwinski

These hard-working plants provide several seasons of interest in your garden through flowers, fruit, foliage, bark and even spring shoots

Sissinghurst’s head gardener Troy Scott Smith guides us through the jobs that he and his team do in summer. Images by John Campbell

We recommend 26 of the best flowering shrubs, so that with careful planning, you can enjoy flowers in your garden for 12 months of the year.

Wisteria needs to be pruned twice a year to keep it in good shape and to ensure abundant flowers. Here's how to do it. Photographs by Gavin Kingcome.

The explosion of box blight and box moth caterpillar has left many gardeners looking for alternative plants for balls, topiary and hedges. Matthew Pottage, curator at RHS Garden Wisley, recommends his top choices. Images by Jason Ingram.

We asked expert plantspeople, designers and gardeners which brand new and recently introduced plants they are excited about growing this year

Looking for plants with impact? Great Dixter's head gardener Fergus Garrett rounds up his top plants for dramatic impact

One of the UK's most innovative gardeners, head gardener at Great Dixter, Fergus Garrett, shares the plants he loves the most. Portrait Jim Holden

With extreme wet weather events becoming more frequent, writer and designer Naomi Slade picks the plants that are best for flood-prone gardens

Plantsman John Hoyland shows how to prune buddleia to achieve a well-shaped, prolifically flowering plant. Photographs by Gavin Kingcome

These evergreen shrubs come in a multitude of sizes and shapes with shiny, often variegated or colourful leaves and small scented flowers.

For many, the word conifer conjures an image of imposing trees and hedges, but there are also smaller types that can add useful evergreen structure. Matthew Pottage, Curator at RHS Garden Wisley, recommends some of the best to grow. Photographs by Jason Ingram.

Shrub and evergreen plant expert Andy McIndoe explains the benefits of evergreen trees and how to prune them