Winter Structure With Evergreens

With their glossy leaves, interesting colours, textures and shapes, evergreens are essential at any time of year but never more so than in winter, says Sally Jenner

- Sally Jenner

I ALWAYS think of evergreens as the beating heart of a winter garden. Their greenness adds life to borders at a time when deciduous and herbaceous plants have shed their leaves or disappeared below ground. So it’s perhaps no coincidence that the rich-green foliage of holly and ivy has long been used to symbolise everlasting life at Christmas time.