Plants
Trees
Native trees for the garden, from oak and lime to rowan and holly. For each: how large it grows, where it wants to stand and what lives in it.
Large deciduous trees
Trees that outgrow the house. For a large garden, or as the one tree the rest is planned around.
Plants
Common beech: where to plant it, hedges, pruning and nuts
Common beech (Fagus sylvatica): a native tree of 24 to 30 metres with a smooth grey trunk. Where it fits, how to plant it and when to trim a beech hedge.
Plants
Common hornbeam: planting, hedges and pruning
Common hornbeam (Carpinus betulus): a native tree, 15 to 25 metres, often grown as a hedge. How to identify, plant and trim it, and which bird eats the seeds.
Plants
Silver birch: where it grows, planting and what it feeds
Silver birch (Betula pendula): a native tree of 15 to 20 metres with a white trunk and hanging twigs. Where it fits, what it costs, what to do when it fails.
Small trees
Trees that fit an ordinary back garden and still give blossom, berries and shade.
Plants
Medlar tree: where to plant it, pruning and fruit
Medlar tree (Mespilus germanica): a small tree of 4 to 6 metres with large white flowers and brown fruit. Where it fits, how to plant it and when to prune it.
Plants
Common holly: where it grows, pruning and berries
Common holly (Ilex aquifolium): a native evergreen shrub or small tree up to 10 m, with spiny leaves and red berries. Where it grows well and what it costs.
Conifers
Yew, juniper and Scots pine: green all year, each with its own story about how native it is.
Plants
Common juniper: where it grows, price and pruning
Common juniper (Juniperus communis): a native conifer 4 to 8 m tall that stays green and pricks. Where it fits, what it costs, how to plant and what goes wrong.
Plants
Common yew: where it grows, pruning and poison
Common yew (Taxus baccata): a native evergreen conifer up to 18 m tall that copes even with deep shade. Where it fits, how to prune it and what is poisonous.