Taught to expect indeed enjoy an ongoing renewal within the garden is especially relevant in a public space such as a hotel garden, where each guest, each new pair of eyes would like to see something exciting something beautiful maybe, all through the year.

Planting for each season is essential. All too often gardens are plentiful in spring and early summer as we are called to visit the garden centre at Easter by the onslaught of advertising and Gardening programs at that time of year.

Autumn and winter are neglected, partly because most garden centres nowadays are not growers and refuse to carry stock through the winter for fear of loss.

When purchasing plants for a new garden or improving on an established one, I like to pick a selection starting from midwinter forward in time.

Starting with my evergreen and winter colour, followed by spring bulbs and very early flowering shrubs into summer herbaceous planting and summer flowing shrubs trees and climbers.

I pick progressively later flowering variety, thinking about berries and architectural value of plants into the first frost. Keeping in mind autumn and winter colour changing foliage, autumn and winter flowering bulbs add particular interest to finish.