A toast to the hardy souls who bring life to winter gardens

So, it probably pays not to be a winter flowerer – you may be noticed occasionally, but few people have the time or inclination to stop and stare, to admire blooms and foliage when the weather has a Siberian edge.

Thus it pays to bloom in summer.

Sad, really, because those brave individuals that defy winter deserve as much, if not more, acclaim than any that flower from May to September. A brief flash of colour in January must be worth at least a border full of blooms in mid-August.

So, hats off, please, to the holly, cotoneaster, viburnum, pyracanthra, penettya, mahonia, jasmine, heather and the aptly-named winter sweet. Ten out of ten for dedication and determination above and beyond the call of normal duty. And even a salute to the snowberry, a plant which doesn't shout its presence but which, nevertheless, manages to defy winter.

Here's a plant which will grow anywhere, be it in shade or sun, damp or dry. The soil doesn't really matter; wherever you plant symphoricarpos (or wherever it self-seeds) it will root and grow.

Which is perhaps why it has become a common sight in wild and untamed places and why it can sometimes be cursed for its ability to spread.

But snowberries were once grown for hedging. They may be rampant, but they are quick growing, and as long as they are trimmed regularly, they can be kept within reasonable bounds.

Yes, they can throw up unwanted suckers, and, yes, they can become very lax and lazy, demanding far more room than they deserve from their neighbours, but they are still attractive.

Varieties like 'Mother of Pearl', with large, pinkish-white fruit, and 'Magic Berry', which is more compact and produces reddish berries, are deserving of a place at the back of the border or in a multi-variety hedge.

'Hancock', with its pink and white berries, is lower-growing, and could, with effort, be persuaded to grow as ground cover, while S albus has justifiably earned the name of the pearl tree.

Here is a shrub which is at home in the wilder parts of the garden where in summer it can produce tiny white or pink flowers which eventually fall to reveal those waxy berries which hang on throughout the worst that winter can offer.

From October till February, a single bush will stand out. Prune it in March and give it a quiet word of thanks for all it has done to brighten up the darkest months of the year.