Yule love this festive foliage

I FIND Christmas really begins once the house fills with fragrance, from spiced drinks on the hob and something delicious in the oven to greenery from the garden.

- with DAVID DOMONEY

When borders feel bare, evergreens step into the spotlight. With a few hardworking plants, you can snip natural decorations in early December for outdoors, and from mid-December for inside.

Holly for colour

Holly's glossy leaves and berries instantly say Christmas. Variegated forms such as Ilex aquifolium 'Argentea Marginata' bring cream-edged foliage, brightening the dullest day.

Plant holly in moist but well-drained soil, in sun or partial shade. It works well as a hedge, specimen shrub or mixed border plant.