The following list are just some of the options to make your home look and feel not only secure but to give it a  welcoming "feel" as you or friends  turn into your driveway. One can have all of the same or a mix in order to give year round interest. Have evergreens so that the look is not spoilt during the "winter sleep",this can be easily achieved by using variuos types of conifers or Hebes,or use Cornus which gives beautiful red stems after the leaf fall of autumn. A row of Poplars will give grandeur,and if cut regularly they will not become too tall and imposing.   We must also concider security for our homes and families and one of the plants for this must surely be the Berberis family of which there are variuos colour and form available these days,.The red  (as in the shown picture) keeps it's colour and leaves all year round ,it also has the added bonus of  density if trimmed 2 - 3 times a year plus thorns to deter any would be prowler.       For scent and beauty Phyadelphus is a must . A bank of these could not be finer with their lime green leaves and the most gorgeous scent hanging in the summer evening air,they can be cut after flowering to tidy up the shrub but there is the added bonus with some of repeat flowering later in the year. Buddleia is a must for nature lovers as buttlerflies are attracted to them for their nectar as are many other insect friends of the garden.   If you require privacy all year round as well as height nothing is better than Bamboo in it's various forms. They are concidered to be rather exotic as well ,so to impress the neighbours plant a bank of Bamboo, You will soon have a windbreak for the bar-be-cuemyear round colour,when established an inpenetrable barrier of 10-15 foot if you so desire,plus many types are completely hardy.With the added bonus that when one thins them out one has canes of many colours(red,yellow,black,white ) to stake the tomatoes with!!   Hebes,Berberis,Buddleia,Cornus,Cytsus,Euonymous,Forsythia,Hydrangeas,Ribes Philadelphus, Acers, Alder, Rose, Bamboo, Bay, Laurel,  Pieris     Nothing looks more inviting than climbers on the walls of your home., or to hide that unsitely heating oil tank,separate the veg garden from the formal garden,as a "leader" through a garden walk to another garden within the garden,to trail Whisteria over a pergola or feast your eyes on the blooms of a Clematis.Fill your senses with the heady perfume of  roses or Jasmine.Their uses are varied and endless,but always of beauty of colour,shape and scent. There are thousands of different climbers some hardy some are not,some are annual, but they are all plants of beauty to bring a smile and lift the heart.   Garria Eliptica, Hedera, Jasmine, Rose, Clematis, Evergreen creepers ,Virginian Creeper, Russian Vine, Montana, Passion Flower, Wisteria, Convolvus, Bougainvillea Vigna caracalla     No garden is complete without that special plant or plants brought home from the garden centre or what better way is there  to remember a holiday than with a plant from the area where you stayed (but don't dig up anything please) Something living will keep that special memory more alive than any photo or video. Give it a special place in your garden or better still design a "special moments" bed which will evoke constant pleasant happy memories for years to come. Or plant a tree to celebrate the birth of a child, a wedding, an anniversary,or to mark when you moved into your new home. You will see it grow and mature through the seasons over the years. If this feels a bit daunting then contact me and I can either visit or give you advise...that's what I'm here for !!   Here's a handy tip: If you are growing roses but hate to spray against green fly then plant lavender around them.The scent of the lavender stops green fly "smelling" the roses.This is one of the reasons you will see them planted together in large gardens or displays by local authorities.   Gunnera, Black Bamboo, Agapanthus, Dicksonia, Musa, Acer, Phormium, Yucca, Cordeline, Abutilon, Hebes     Cottage or town house,perennials look good anywhere and are a must in any planting scheme,they flower over a long time,some from spring through to the first frosts,others a short while but still impressive and hardly missed as something else takes it's place filling any gaps. They fill the air with scent and are a pleasure to look at,even touching some can stimulate the senses.Then there is the loud pop from the seed pods as they burst sending their seed far to spead they beauty.   Ground cover is essential as these little beauties smother weeds as well as a show of colour, some herbs are very good for this ,planted inbetween flagstones they give of their aroma when stood on. Also some ground cover plants will be in full flower with spring bulbs so they look good together.   Achillea, Salvia, Crocosmia Lucifer, Lavender, Delphinium, Foxglove, Euphorbia, Achillea, Astilbes, Hellebores, Lobelia, Phlox,  Ajuga, Alstroemeria, Campanula, Aquilegia, Brunnera, Coreopsis, Dianthus, Dicentra, Geranium, Gerbera, Eremurus, Lupin, Paeonia, Polemonium, ,Platycodon    For the shady or wet site ferns look delicate frail beauties,mixing  with other woodland plants such as primroses,blue bells,aquilegias just to name a few. They give an air of peace and tranquility, close your eyes and imagine the scene, you can almost hear the birds singing in the leafy tree.     Dicksonia when mature planted by a stream or pond under a leafy canopy will give an air of grandeur to any garden,and is suprisingly hardy in most areas of GREAT BRITAIN.   Dicksonia, Dryopteris Fillix-mas, Polystichum aculeate, Asplenium scolopendrium     There are many types,forms,heights,and colours of grasses,from the stately Pampus to the weird twisted stems of others. They all have character and a place in the garden should be found for one or two. Also they can be drought tollerent,very tough and hardy critters!   Hakonechloa, Carex, Arundo Donax, Miscanthus, Pennisetum, Juncus Effuses, Spartina Pectinata, Phalaris, Leymus arenarius, Papyrus     These are best suited for under trees,by ponds or streams where they will show off best, but they can still be planted in semi shade and some are quite happy in full sun but these will require watering. One of the gardens I manage has an extensive variety of Hostas and they are sited in all of these areas and they are thriving  happily,showing    off their dainty white,cream pale bue flowers high above the leaves. Yes,slugs and snails like some of them,but if you can find a chimney sweep ask him or her for any soot they may have and spread it around the plants quite thick,this deters them all as it causes burning. I use this all around my own garden and even the inside of the glass houses! There are also some modern hybrids which claim to be slug proof.... Who knows?     With the increasing warmer, longer summers that we are having now having something exotic is no longer such a taboo, and if one has a green house or conservatory these plants can quite haply over winter under cover. They also are not so costly as they once were and are within the reach of most folks pockets, if not then try growing some from seed which can be very rewarding when you show off a palm or Musa  that you have nurtured from a small seed into a beautiful plant...Trust me you will feel such happiness and pride... I have never over the years lost that feeling of pride and accomplishment,whether it be a humble tomato plant as I pick the first fruit warmed by the sun, or an exotic Musa (banana),the feeling is still the same,if I ever lose that sense of pride and wonder  that will be the day I hang up my trowel ! Specimen plants for grandeur,colour,shape and form  always look good if sited right to give the most impact to yourself and visitors,they give a hint of boldness in your planting as do the exotics. So be bold and exotic !     Musa, Phormium, Cordyline, Ginger, Brugmansias, Aroids, Cannas,                                        Pumbago, Strelizia, Dicksonia, Gunnera, Hibiscus, Chamaerops                                    Humilis, Papyrus, Bougainvillea, Vigna caracalla,       CONTAINERS AND BASKETS   No garden shows off itself better than with hanging baskets by the front door,they are so welcoming after a long day at work with their bright colours and scents. They can be neat balls or trailing mammoths,the choice is yours as is the beauty to behold.    Containers have a place anywhere, even the smallest space will have room even if it is just one pot with 5 - 6 plants in it. Spring bulbs,the heady scent of hyacinths wafting through the air as the sun warms them,later pretty showy annuals with a tall plant in the center,later when the annuals are gone one still has the specimen plant to enjoy.   FRUIT TREES   What better way of making a pie,tart or just wondering throigh the garden and picking an apple,cherry,plum,pear,peach,apricot etc from your own trees? The taste will be fuller ,far more juicey and without  pesticides,unless of course you use them.  These days even a small garden can enjoy these fruits as they are grafted onto small growing root stocks,even a tub can be used. My grandchildren think nothing of going out into the garden and picking fresh fruit to eat  as they play.