Last month, this column focused on the desirable characteristics of Christmas trees, one of which is good needle retention.

When the sap falls in the autumn — yes, I know it's spring, but bear with me — a few shrubs and trees become prettier. The cold and the dormancy cause their bark to glow more intensely than in the ...

ONE of the winter highlights in my garden is the gnarled silhouette of the "corkscrew hazel" - Corylus avellana 'Contorta'. In low sunshine, the pale sky provides the perfect backdrop for its dark and ...

The corkscrew hazel is a great curiosity and immediately grabs attention, especially at this time of year, when the branches are bare and the catkins begin to open. Although the branches are twisted ...