Winter Garden

Still flowering

Don't forget that a winter garden can still have flowers. There are the white snowdrops which will look marvellous under the Acer above. And for more colour, plant Hellebores 'corsicus' (originally argutifolius), priced from about £4.50. They come in a range of lovely colours from cream through to pink and purple - plant them in a shady spot, and they'll start to flower from February onwards.

The evergreen Vibernum bodnantense 'dawn' (from £14.50) produces masses of sweet-smelling white flowers between December and January. As it will grow up to four metres (yards) high, plant it at the back of the border. All these plants are available from Burncoose Nurseries.

Room with a view

Even if you don't want to sit outside in your winter garden, you'll still want to admire it, so build yourself somewhere to sit, like a summerhouse. They can be quite well insulated against the cold, and if you connect electricity, you can heat it. Stan Fairbrother manufactures a huge range of elegant garden structures like this summerhouse, priced at £5,450. Visit Stan Fairbrother or telephone (01772) 814274.