Focus on - plants for structure

Every garden should have some good strong shapes to form the backbone of the design. You can use hard landscaping and sculptures instead, but plants are usually less expensive and will create a much more 'organic' feel. All those listed below will create year-round interest, give your garden a distinctive feel, and are available at appropriate planting times from Greenleaf. If money is tight, you can choose a small specimen and let it grow to fit. If you are looking for an immediate effect, get a larger plant though - it's definitely worth the money to make you feel you've really achieved something.

Berberis Helmond Pillar

Ideal for a smaller garden, this unusual red leaved Berberis grows to about 5 feet tall, and will need almost no maintenance. It's tough too, and should survive almost anywhere as long as its roots are not actually underwater. Do make sure you keep it watered for the first few months if you plant it in a really dry spot though - once it's established it will repay your care. Only £5.95 from Greenleaf for a 30 cm pot.

Chamaecyparis pisifera 'Cornish Blue Boulevard'

Conifers make great structural plants, and this is a particular favourite.

Slowgrowing, with evergreen feathery silver-gray foliage which turns a faintly purple colour in the autumn, it forms a neat rounded cone. With time it will reach 10 feet tall, but you will never have to worry about it filling a small garden. It can even grow quite successfully in a large pot, so is ideal to add year-round colour to a small paved backyard. Only £5.25 for a 15cm plant from Greenleaf.

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana 'columnaris'

An ideal 'green column' for a narrow space. It will grow to 25 feet eventually, but is naturally slow-growing and tolerant of varied soils and some shade. The blue-gray foliage makes a wonderful background for pink or white-flowering plants. Greenleaf has 30cm tall plants for £7.50, or 60cm plants for £9.95

Corylus Contorta (Corkscrew Hazel)

If you have a little more space, the Corkscrew Hazel's unusual twisted branches really add interest to the garden, and again it will cope with any soil from heavy clay to well-drained sand, and is particularly good in windy or damp gardens where conifers might struggle. Slow growing (so you don't need to worry about it taking over) it will grow to around 1 meter 80 cm in 10 years. In spring the acid-green catkins are a bonus, and the twisted stems ( which are widely used by interior designers and very expensive in specialist shops) can be cut to make stylish indoor arrangements. You may even get a few hazel nuts! We charge £9.95 for a 70cm specimen, but for an immediate effect, why not push the boat out and go for a 1½ metre specimen for £25? It's not much for a plant which will enhance your garden for years to come.

Juncus Spiralis (Contorted bamboo)

Again ideal for the smaller garden, the dark green twirling leaves of this unusual bamboo will thrive in damper soil, and the plant won't grow to more than 60 cm tall. Only £3.25 from Greenleaf for a 10 cm pot.

Salix alba 'Chermesina' (red-stemmed willow)

This is one for the damp garden - even if your garden goes underwater in the winter, this willow will thrive. A shrubby bush, it looks stunning in winter with its bright red stems adding colour even through the snow. You will need to cut this back hard every other year to keep the coloured stems coming - but then woven willow screens, fences trellis and lawn edging are very fashionable at the moment! You can even create a living willow sculpture in your own back garden.

Taxus baccata (yew)

The ultimate hedging plant, though it does grow slowly, and the berries are poisonous. Deep green evergreen foliage makes a wonderful backing for almost any plant - try it with brilliant orange Shirley poppies for a stunning contrast. Tolerant of most soils unless the drainage is very poor, and also particularly good in polluted areas- for example near heavy traffic. Greenleaf sell 25cm plants for £7.50, though we can also supply well-rooted cuttings at £7.50 for 10 for use in hedging.

Or try the Irish yew, Taxus Baccata 'Fastigiata' - makes a fine upright deep black-green column for the middle sized garden, growing to 15 ft with age. Greenleaf supply 15cm plants for £5.50

Focus on - plants for security

Sometimes you need to screen your garden with something which will make intruders think twice - garden theft is a growing problem, and we all deserve a bit of privacy! One warning though. The police advise us that if you plant to hide your garden completely from public view, then you may be creating an area where a thief can work undisturbed at getting into your house. Unless you are going to make your garden secure by locking gates and blocking every gap, it's sometimes a good idea if the neighbours can easily keep an eye on your house - especially if you are away a lot.

However, for those who need them, we have come up with a special range of 'security plants' - fast-growing thorny shrubs suitable for most soils, almost as tough as barbed wire, but much more decorative!

Pyracantha 'Orange Glow'

This shrub will reach 12 feet within a few years, has glossy dark semi-evergreen leaves, and a fine array of 2cm spines on every stem. In June it will be covered in white flowers much loved by bees, and all

through the autumn fiery orange berries attract the birds. A superb security plant with so much more to offer, but it may need some pruning in July to keep it the right shape and size for your garden. We suggest you invest in stout gardening gloves (Greenleaf sell an attractive range from 'Home and Garden') and some long-handled pruners for the job!

Rosa Rugosa alba

Ideal for lighter and well-drained soils, this hardy rose produces large white single fragrant flowers throughout the summer months, followed by large orange-red rosehips which attract the birds. Makes a fine bushy hedge, requires little or no pruning, and most importantly has long thorns and a strong bushy growth habit. From Greenleaf you can buy a single plant for £4.50, or buy 5 for a hedge for only £20.

Rosa Rugosa Roserie de l'Hay

Another healthy trouble-free hedging rose, with good deterrent value. This time the flowers are double, and again sweetly scented. This is the plant to go for if you have a windy seaside garden, or poor soil. At Greenleaf we grow our own plants, and can therefore offer single plants for £4.50, or buy 5 for a hedge for only £#163;20.

Ilex (Holly)

Madame Briot is the variety we supply for hedging - evergreen, with especially large spines on the leaves, and makes an excellent barrier. You won't get many berries from a hedging holly, but it does make an excellent evergreen barrier. Again grown at Greenleaf, 1 30cm plant costs only £5.25, or we can sell you five plants for £25.