If you want to plant a light woodland–perhaps underplanted with wild primroses and bluebells–or are looking for a luminous specimen tree for the garden, consider a birch, advises Charles Quest-Ritson

One of the many highlights for visitors to Cliveden in Buckinghamshire has always been the 80 acres of gardens, which encompass a geometric parterre, a maze, a water garden and the famous Long Garden

Pink and purple plants are colonising new spots

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,

Bob Cooper of Macclesfield, Cheshire remembers: From an early age, I have always loved reading and writing. My best subject at school was English to the detriment of maths, and I managed to become top

For instant impact in a newly landscaped garden, there’s nothing quite like planting mature trees or native hedgerow plants for transformative and long-lasting results, believes Steven Desmond