Alan Titchmarsh on the one plant you should have in your garden for beautiful blooms in November

Alan Titchmarsh has exclusively revealed one plant all gardeners should invest in to ensure that they can enjoy some beautiful blooms this month.

As winter approaches many of our gardens are looking a little bit empty, with the foliage falling off many of our plants as they go dormant during the cold, frosty months. If you are looking for a way to add some life to your garden at this time of year, then Alan Titchmarsh has exclusively recommended to the Mirror the perfect plant for you, and this stunning plant will also add some beautiful blooms to your green space over the colder months.

"That great gardener Christopher Lloyd used to say that the wonderful thing about the garden in November is that nobody expects anything of it, so anything that does produce a flower is a great bonus. Far from being a time solely of wet leaves and dank shrubberies, your garden can offer all kinds of riches, if you choose wisely," the gardening expert explains.

One way to make sure that your garden is at its best all year round is to change up your plant buying habits, Alan explains, and make sure you're visiting your local garden centre consistently throughout the year. "Instead of having an annual plant-buying spree in June, visit your local nursery or garden centre once a month throughout the year and buy two or three things that are in flower or fruit.

"That way, when they are established in your garden, you have year-round interest," Alan explains, and there is one plant he recommends in particular that will make be a triumph in your outside space at this time of year, all the way until spring begins next year. "One shrub that begins its winter display now, and which sputters on until March, pausing only when the weather turns frosty, is Viburnum x bodnantense 'Dawn'.

"You might walk right past it once the crimson burnished leaves have fallen earlier in the month. But look more closely and you will see clusters of flower buds at the shoot tips. They are a rich, rosy pink and the flowers themselves open a paler shade, fading to white.

"They are not what you would call staggeringly spectacular, but their autumn and winter timing make them valued, as does their perfume. Cut a few sprigs for indoors and they will scent a room with their sweet fragrance."

However, the expert has a word of warning for anyone who is planning on adding this shrub that brings some much-needed winter cheer into gardens: it can grow pretty big, so make sure to consider its placement carefully, and stay on top of pruning it. "The shrub itself will grow to around 20ft high and 6ft wide, but they take time to reach that size and you can keep it smaller by pruning. Grow one in a place you will walk past often in winter, such as the front garden or the path to the shed.

"When spring comes, there will still be a few flowers opening, but they are followed by bright green, deeply veined leaves as the plant assumes its summer role as a background plant."

Alan also advises that gardeners "make use of its stature by planting a variety of Clematis texensis such as 'Etoile Rose' at the extremity of the shrub's branches and train the stems up through its host.

"Result? A second flowering season in summer as a result of your nifty trick. Clematis viticella varieties are suitable, too. They can be pruned down to the ground in winter so that you can enjoy the flowers of the vibernum without the mess of the clematis cluttering them up."

With just a little bit of planning ahead and some careful plant purchases, you can make the most of your garden all year round, as the expert says, "Why have one season of glory when, with a little thoughtful planting, you can have two?"

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