Camellias are a mainstay of the late winter/early spring garden. This Camellia japonica began to open its flower buds at the beginning of March.

Skimmia japonica ‘Rubella’. This old favourite has been brightening up the winter garden with its clusters of red flower buds since well before Christmas. In a few weeks the buds will open to reveal white flowers.

Sorbaria sorbifolia ‘Sem’ is beginning to open its pinkish-red, fern-like foliage – a sign that spring is not far away.

Acacia dealbata, also known as Mimosa, one of the earliest flowering trees in the garden. This one began to show off its finery this year in mid February.

Daphne odora ‘Aureomarginata’: in flower from the beginning of February and giving off a wonderful fragrance that fills a large garden area. Ideal for planting in a front garden so that it can be enjoyed every day.

Cornus alba ‘Sibirica’, or dogwood, revealing its attractive red stems in the winter sunlight.

Mahonia x media ‘Charity’, another highly fragrant winter performer, has been in flower since November.

Sarcococca humilis, or Christmas Box, has been filling the garden with its fragrance since the beginning of February.

This Pyracantha has kept its berries right through the winter and continues to make a striking show in a London front garden. Birds have now begun to harvest the fruit, working their way down from the top of the shrub.

A carefully controlled minimalist design has transformed this nondescript backyard into a superb modern space for relaxing and entertaining. The fencing and decking are made of solid cedar wood, as are the built-in benches. The latter have removable tops so that their inner space can be used for storage.

Concealed lighting means that the garden can be used well into the evening and an irrigation system has been installed to minimise maintenance.

The planting scheme is strong and simple, using reliable, robust plants which will largely look after themselves.

The ‘before’ picture – a sunny spot with lots of potential!

This is a well-proportioned suburban plot backing on to mature woodland. The brief was to create a family garden in a traditional style and we used the generous space to create a decent sized lawn and a large paved area in reclaimed York stone. Both side fences had to be replaced and these will very quickly be colonised by a range of climbers, including Clematis, honeysuckle, Solanum (potato vine), rose, Campsis (trumpet vine), and Trachelospermum (star jasmine).

This picture, taken only three months after planting, shows how quickly the herbaceous perennials we planted are settling in and claiming their space.

The garden is north-facing, very dry towards the far end  and very moist nearer the house. Careful  planning was necessary to make sure that all the plants would be happy in their respective places and provide a range of interest throughout the year. Robust plants requiring a minimum of maintenance were used.

Below are two more views of the ’supershed’, followed by a ‘before’ picture of its predecssor.

This somewhat neglected garden was a ‘blank canvas’ when I had finished clearing the old and overgrown plant material as only one shrub proved worth keeping. These pictures were taken this week on the day new planting was finished – in a year’s time it will be full of growth and colour and the raw edges will have long been smoothed over.

The  brief was to create a garden that would attract birds and my design set about achieving this in a number of ways. The pond, which will be substantially planted next spring, is a key element in attracting wildlife while an informal lawn, untreated with pesticides, will also prove a food source for birds. The planting is dense and permanent and includes a high proportion of evergreen shrubs in order to provide safe gathering, roosting and nesting sites for a range of birds. This effect will increase in time as the plants mature and fill out.

The planting scheme provides flowers throughout most of the year. Flowers, of course, attract pollinating insects thus drawing birds to the garden. Many of the plants used are traditional or native, such as Crab apple, Hawthorn, Lavender, Acanthus and Rosemary and these attract a wider range of species than more exotic plantings. Many of the plants I have chosen produce seeds and berries – Clematis, Honeysuckle, Stipa, Miscanthus, Libertia and Sarcococca, for example – which will also draw the birds. I always advise clients who wish to encourage birdlife to leave their gardens slightly unkempt in the winter so that birds can feed on the seeds of the perennial plants.

This was the scene that greeted me on my first visit to this town garden: builders renovating the house had taken it over and destroyed it! A design was drawn up and a planting scheme devised to make the most of the plot’s sunny aspect. As soon as the builders had taken away their cement-mixer two small trees and a range of flowering shrubs and herbaceous perennials were planted. The ‘after’ pictures below were taken only 18 months later, showing how quickly a new garden can be established.

The ‘finish’ of all hard surfaces used here is of very high quality. The fencing is bespoke, designed to create a smooth, seamless boundary. The planting is chosen to look good all year round and need a minimum of maintenance.