An ideal starting point for those interested in growing their own organic produce, Allotment Gardening is crammed full of tips from getting started, to designing, to growing techniques and even common pests and problems. There are even recipe ideas for all your home-grown produce! A great book to get you started and make sure you make a success of your allotment.

Sticky Wicket is the tale of Pam Lewis's eco-friendly wildlife garden in Dorset. You cannot fail to be enthused by Pam's vivid text and her strong belief that we do not need to compromise the look and feel of our planting to provide a rich haven for our native wildlife. It's so easy to get drawn into Pam's easy style of writing that we cannot fail to recommend this book.

To tie in with his new series, also called the Gardener's Year, Alan Titchmarsh brings us his latest literary offering. Alan's down to earth and unpatronising advice has made him one of the most popular faces in the gardening world and it's clear to see why as soon as you open this book. It is a practical and comprehensive guide to all things gardening featuring month by month projects, recommended plants and garden features and much, much more. A top GGD pick.

Aucuba Japonica is an evergreen shrub which will grow practically anywhere. To produce its characteristic red berries a female and male plant are required. The beautiful, glossy foliage of A japonica truly brighten up gardens and parks when little else is growing. Native to Japan and fully hardy, its mature size is normally around 2m, although it is not uncommon for it to reach as much as 3m. Perfect for growing under trees.

Yucca filamentosa is an evergreen native to Guatemala and Mexico where it was commonly planted as a boundary marker or barrier. It is fully hardy and in maturity reaches a maximum height of 200cm and a spread of 150cm. It is happy in full sun or shade and is generally easy to please. An essential part to any tropical, architectural or Mediterranean planting scheme.