Garrya

January is a month when you have to work for your beauty in the garden, which is exactly why garrya earns its place. From midwinter, this evergreen shrub produces the most extraordinary catkins — long, silvery-green tassels that hang in dense curtains from every branch. 'James Roof' is the male form, and the catkins can reach a foot long, sometimes more. A well-established plant in full tassel looks like it's been decorated for a very tasteful winter party.

The effect is unlike anything else in the winter garden. Where witch hazel gives you tiny, spidery flowers and hellebores give you downward-facing cups, garrya gives you drama. Sheer, cascading, architectural drama. Against a dark wall or a grey January sky, those pale tassels are genuinely breathtaking.

I have mine trained against a north-facing wall, which is supposed to be the worst aspect in the garden. Garrya doesn't care. The leathery, wavy-edged leaves are evergreen and handsome year-round, but in January and February, when those catkins are at their best, it becomes the single most interesting thing in any direction. Visitors stop and stare.

Cut a few branches for the house and they last well in water — the tassels gradually elongate and turn from silver-green to a warm, buttery yellow as the pollen develops. Mixed with bare branches and a few snowdrops in a jug, it's my favourite winter arrangement. Proof that the garden never really stops, even in the darkest month.