A new pattern

John and Jenny Brett have created an all-year garden design at St Mary’s, combining formal plant structures with colourful insect-friendly perennials, but in winter, when dusted with white and dancing with shadows, the garden shimmers

In winter the bones of the formal garden at Owlpen Manor come to life. Highlighted with frost, the dark greens and greys of hedges and topiary take on the patina of an engraving. The manicured parterr

The quiet beauty of winter sets the stage in this garden, where topiary shapes and the borrowed landscape are the main performers

Adding a magical element to any garden on a frosty winter’s day, topiary offers interest all year round, as well as the chance to demonstrate some creative clipping, says Jen Harbrow, senior gardener at the National Trust’s Hinton Ampner in Hampshire

In 1993 Sarah and Chris Vermont moved from Brixton, London, to Hungerdowns in Essex, an old farmhouse dating back to 1600 with a Georgian front added in 1757. In the garden there were existing hedges,

A good time to visit The Old Rectory in Doynton is as dusk falls on a frosty December evening. Driving in through the gate, you’ll be cheered by the sight of two illuminated Portuguese laurel cylinder