If I had to choose one tree for my garden, it would an Amelanchier, the Snowy Mespilus.

In fact, it was the first tree I planted in our garden 20 years ago. It is now a lovely mature specimen all of 5m high. Multi stemmed, it’s had it’s lower branches pruned over the years to create the desired shape – a process known as ‘lifting the skirt’. This allowed me to plant round its base pale pink Geranium macrorrhizum ‘Ingwersen’s Variety’ for early summer flowers and Aster schreberi for white daises in late summer. Good ground cover plants and both tolerant of the dry conditions found under a tree.

The Amelanchier’s delicate white blossom has just emerged in the past few days together with the bronze flush of its young foliage. The blossom dances in the slightest breeze. As the leaves turn green by mid summer, the berries appear that the blackbirds love. Annoyingly, so do the Wood pigeons. They’re just too heavy for the thin branches and can cause some damage. In the past couple of years, they’ve also taken to eating the blossom buds too just before they open. So far, this doesn’t seem to have affected the mass of flowers, thank goodness.

By autumn, the leaves take on beautiful shades of orange and red. After the leaves have fallen, I prune out any damaged branches, muttering under my breath about greedy Wood pigeons, and then wait for next spring’s stunning display. One of the best trees for a small garden.