Alison’s tips for dealing with a tricky site

1 Don’t worry too much about a specific colour scheme. I focus more on what will grow well rather than worrying about complementary colours. It usually all comes together in the end! 2 If a plant isn’t thriving, I dig it up, nurture it back to health in the greenhouse and then try it again somewhere else in the garden. 3 Trees really make a garden and they don’t have to be huge specimens. Crab apples or black-leaved elders are compact but add a lot of impact to a planting scheme. 4 It’s always a good thing to consider how you can turn a gardening challenge into an opportunity. I was disappointed when the neighbours’ tree felling left a gaping hole I had to fill, but I’ve now got a beautiful cut-flower garden.