A superb tree with lots of advantages. It will grow in any soil, is absolutely huge, and has wonderful white flowers at the end of spring, running into early summer, when it is definitely at its best. The flowers are followed by masses of conkers inside their spiny shells. There are alternatives but this species is still the best, and it has been given the Award of Garden Merit (AGM) by the Royal Horticultural Society.

This variety is also known as the Kashmir birch, and is one of the loveliest with its intensely white bark. Some plants have cream or orange bark, which sheds itself in large sheets. To be sure of good colour, it is best to choose one of the selected forms such as 'Silver Shadow'. It is an exceptionally beautiful specimen tree, even more impressive when several are planted close together to make a small clump, and stands out against a foil of dark green woodland or evergreen hedging. In autumn the foliage is vivid yellow. It prefers a sunny or slightly dappled position, growing in fertile, well-drained soil.

Holder of the Royal Horticultural Society's prestigious Award of Garden Merit (AGM), the Plume poppy is a striking architectural plant, with tall upright stems and attractive grey to olive-green, lacy foliage. In summer, the stems are topped by long airy sprays of buff white flowers. Plants are slow to get going and often barely grow in their first season but, once established, they can spread quite rapidly. If space permits, plants look best when allowed to develop freely into large clumps, especially when used as a feature in the same way as pampas grass.

This neat, dwarf, clump-forming shrub is ideal for smaller gardens or as a low-growing hedge. It has deeply-toothed, slightly woolly, aromatic silver leaves on white felted branches which are soft to the touch. Do not prune the shrub until after July, as its bright lemon-yellow pompon flowers add a wonderful splash of colour through the latter summer months. Once the plant has flowered, don't be afraid to cut it back fairly hard to keep it in good shape. It's not a particularly demanding plant but, as with all plants of Mediterranean origin, it needs a sunny position in well drained soil.

The tall statuesque stems of this native Scotch thistle are clad in silvery spiny foliage and topped with a huge pink thistle. It is best planted at the back of a border as it can reach around 3m (10ft). Although it is a biennial, it self-seeds freely and so plants appear each year. Plant in any fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic soil in full sun. This plant is perfect for a sunny gravel or wildlife garden.