MARIE-LOUISE AGIUS’S

selection of resilient plants to try in your garden

Helleborus niger

Year-round interest from foliage, but particular winter interest from the flowers (January to March). Tolerant of heavy soils and has a high degree of resilience to stress in general.

Rosa rugosa

Tough, easy to grow, and can be used for hedging. Multi-seasonal with scented blooms and brightly coloured autumn hips. Will handle almost all soils, and is a great food source for wildlife and pollinators, as well as providing shelter and habitat.

Amelanchier x lamarckii

A beautiful, small, deciduous tree with multi-seasonal interest from spring blossom to autumn foliage and fruit. It can be pruned up to create sculptural, architectural, multi-stemmed specimens in a small garden. The nectar-rich flowers are also great for attracting pollinators.

Quercus ilex

A tough, long-lived tree that is fast-growing, resistant to salt spray and useful as a wind-break in coastal situations, allowing habitat to develop behind it. More resistant to pests and diseases than some of our native oaks; being of Mediterranean origin, it is well placed to adapt to the anticipated changing climatic conditions of the UK.

Ginkgo biloba

Having survived multiple mass-extinction events, this tree is a true survivor. It is long-lived, pollution-tolerant, low maintenance and generally pest- and disease-free. It is also simply stunning in the autumn with its buttery, golden-yellow colouring.