December plants

Åsa Gregers-Warg rounds off her year of plants with a winter-flowering clematis, exotic-looking succulent and a burst of sunshine from a lemon-coloured marguerite

- Åsa Gregers-Warg

COTONEASTER FRANCHETII

A semi-evergreen shrub with a graceful, arching habit. In early winter the branches are laden with scarlet-red fruits, until the blackbirds move in for a feast. The foliage is small and greyish-green in colour, with a pale, downy underside, giving this cotoneaster a lighter effect than some of its relatives. Elsewhere in the gardens, we have the larger C. lacteus, its decorative fruits borne in large, drooping clusters. Planted as specimen shrubs, rather than as a hedge, they're only pruned occasionally, in early spring, to retain the shape and size. Unfussy and tolerant of exposed sites.

Height and spread 2.5-4m x 2.5-4m.

Origin Southwest China.

Conditions Most soils; full sun to partial shade.

Hardiness RHS H6. USDA 6a-9bt.

Season of interest Autumn to winter for berries.

CORNUS SANGUINEA 'MIDWINTER FIRE'

In early winter this shrub holds on to its autumn foliage, but once the leaves drop, the vibrant-coloured stems continue to glow like a beacon through winter. Deeper orange towards the top, with a redder tint on the sunny side of the branches. It's slower growing than C. alba and C. sericea, so we only cut plants back every two to three years. C. sanguinea 'Anny's Winter Orange' is bolder in colour and doesn't grow as tall. It spreads by suckering.

Height and spread 2.5m x 2m (if left unpruned).

Origin Garden (species Europe and western Asia).

Conditions Moist but well-drained soil; full sun to partial shade.

Hardiness RHS H6, USDA 5a-7b.

Season of interest Winter.

CLEMATIS CIRRHOSA