Three of the best (w/c - 30/4/12)

(Clockwise from top left) Clematis montana 'Tetrarose' - A vigourous climber that will cover as much space as you give it, with fragrant deep pink flowerds and bronze tinted foliage. Kerria japonica - Upright, bamboo-like stems of this shrub grow to 1.5m and bear golden yellow flowers. Myrrhis odorata (Sweet Cicely) - A quick growing herbaceous perennial that thrives in partial shade. The lacy flowers, which rise above feathery foliage, are also edible.

In the green

There is often so much emphasis on flowers in the garden it can be easy to forget that the most important colour is green. Green is everywhere of course but can be overlooked as we delve into the subtleties of different shades of pink or blue. Is the cerise flower of that Geranium too strident, or are the flowers of that Salvia bluey-purple or mauve and will it go with the reddy-pink of the Sedum next to it? Much time is spent making sure flower colour works, whether in close combinations, in the overall context of a planting scheme or from one season to the next.