Aconitum napellus, commonly known as Monkshood. A tall, upright perennial with wonderful blue flowers in early to mid-summer.

Rosa ‘Dark Lady’, a shrub rose with large, deep-red blooms. These sometimes get so big that they need supporting.

Phlomis fruticosa, or Jerusalem sage, is a sun-loving, grey-leaved evergreen shrub which is covered in these rather oddly-shaped yellow flowers in early summer.

This is the wonderful and rather strange Darmera peltata which throws up its flowers on long stems after lying dormant all through the winter. Once the flowers begin to fade huge, rhubarb-like leaves take their place, growing from nothing to full size in a matter of days.

I have had to remove several Cordyline australis this year, killed from the top by the recent hard winter. All is not necessarily lost, however, as this picture shows. This purple-leaved cultivar, although clearly dying, has started to put out new shoots from the base.

Apple blossom: short-lived but wonderful. This is Malus ‘Red Falstaff’, a delicious dessert variety, pictured on 2nd May 2010.

Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’ is filling gardens with wonderful fragrance at the moment. A small evergreen, it has narrow cream margins to the leaves and is one of the earliest flowering shrubs. This photograph was taken on the 5th March 2010.

Acacia dealbata, also known as Mimosa, is about to burst into fragrant flower and provide one of the highlights of the winter/early spring garden. An elegant, vigorous tree, it can grow very quickly to about 12 metres in height and has wonderful feathery, blue-green leaves. The above picture was taken on the 17th February 2008.

Prunus x subhirtella ‘Autumnalis’ bursts unexpectedly into flower in mid to late winter (the picture above was taken on the 14th February 2010). Pink buds open into semi-double, white flowers. Pictured here as a street tree, it is equally at home in a medium-sized garden.

Mahonia x media ‘Charity’ is a stalwart evergreen shrub for the mixed border, displaying its fragrant yellow flowers from the autumn through to early spring (the above picture was taken on the 5th February 2010). The large, spiny leaves are a glossy dark green and form a strong architectural presence in the garden. Mahonias thrive in moist shade and can become tall and leggy (up to 3 metres); in drier soils they grow more slowly. Pruning immediately after flowering each year will keep them shorter and more dense.