Plant of the week: Magnolia stellata

In early spring it clothes its leafless branches with numerous star-shaped white flowers.

It likes a sheltered site out of cold winds and where the soil is moist, well-drained and fertile.

When planting, tease apart the roots and spread them out in the planting hole; failure to do is likely to produce a sickly tree with few blooms and a shortened life.

Expect a mature specimen to reach 10ft in height.