Using seedheads to create winter interest is something we've always done at the Gardens, and it can benefit wildlife too. These plants create some beautifully frosty sillhouettes and are well worth leaving in place over winter for their architectural value.

In 2009, Beth wrote an article for the Guardian newspaper about her delight in seeing the Lenten rose, Helleborus x hybridus, for the first time.

Why is this powdery alligator flag in our gardens? It's a non-native plant which is fantastically architectural, but with a nasty bite!