If you had to choose a favourite tree species, what would it be? That was the difficult decision I had to make when I made a return trip to Brockhole one morning last week (I said it wouldn't be long before I was back to visit). The gardeners wanted to plant a tree to commemorate my time as head gardener there, and the senior forester had said I might choose any tree I liked from the tree nursery.

After 15 minutes of anxious deliberating between red oaks, sweet chestnuts, noble fir and coast redwoods my eye finally lighted on a yew sapling at the back of the nursery. The perfect choice - a British native, not growing too large but able to live for many hundreds of years (just so I'm not forgotten after a mere century or so).

Over the years I have helped to plant many commemorative trees at Brockhole, for all sorts of people, to mark all sorts of circumstances, including births, deaths and marriages. There are three trees that mark events in my own family: my son's christening, my father-in-law's 70th birthday and my mother's death in 2002.

Some were very happy occasions, others extremely sad - this planting was definitely in the former category, a gathering of good friends to commemorate a significant period of my working life.

Another great present, given to me before I left, was a box full of the most delicious cyclamen. Half are Cyclamen hederifolium, which will flower in the autumn, their pots currently filled with heart-shaped, dark green foliage delicately marbled with paler green and grey. In contrast, the other half are in full flower now, delicate clusters of reflexed and twisted petals in shades of pink, white and carmine. These are Cyclamen coum, late winter and spring flowering plants with rounded, dark green leaves and silver markings. Each plant has different leaf markings so that even without the gorgeous flowers they are quite fascinating.

Cyclamen hederifloium is a Mediterranean species, while Cyclamen coum is native to Turkey and the Lebanon. Both prefer a dry period during the summer months and are best planted in humus-rich but well drained soils such as those found underneath trees and shrubs.

I have planted the C. hederifolium at the edge of our south-facing patio where they will be shaded for part of each day by a large cotoneaster. It is important to place winter flowering plants where they will be seen, and appreciated, in the course of a normal winter's day. For this reason I have planted the Cyclamen coum in a well-drained spot in our front garden, where they can be viewed both from our front door and from the pavement outside.

Jobs for the gardener...

Prune established shrubs such as aucuba, laurel, witch hazel and willows. Cut out completely any diseased, crossing or badly shaped shoots, then remove up to one third of the oldest branches to ground level, leaving an open and healthy framework.

Give fruit trees and bushes a top-dressing of well-rotted compost or manure, to give them a good start to the growing season.

If conditions are dry enough, lawns will benefit from a good raking to remove debris, thatch and moss.