A riot of coloured bark, an emblem of resilience and final rest, an integral part of rural life and blessed relief from a headache: the willow tree has little to weep about, finds Deborah Nicholls-Lee

As the third-most common tree in the UK, the European ash is a much-loved part of the landscape in both town and countryside. The ash is often used as a symbol of healing, magic and life, such as in N

Carpeting woodland in clouds of white star-shape flowers and filling the air with a heady, intense aroma, wild garlic is abundant in April. This bulb hibernates for most of the year before bursting fo

Try our pick of the most beautiful plants ...

I like unusual words and there are a couple that seem appropriate for this time of year. March, we know, is a fickle beast, where the weather can flicker from T-shirt to thermals in the course of a da

To hide my new garden’s nakedness, I planted trees. Damson and mirabelle plum, ‘Discovery’ and reinette apples, two pears, a quince and a ‘Nottingham’ medlar. There was a purple-leaved filbert, a ‘Che