As a gardening editor, here are the five trees I'd never plant in my own garden – and the 3 I absolutely would

Cut grass lawn in garden surrounded by border plants and trees.

If there's one thing I think every garden could benefit from, it's more trees; nature's air conditioning, they create shady spots, add plenty of year-round interest in the form of berries, blossoms, and shifting foliage, and they are great for wildlife. And yet...

Well, and yet there are five I'd never plant in my own garden. I'm certainly not anti-tree – quite the opposite, actually; my own garden is home to several, including a few trees in pots (an apple and an olive, to be precise), a pear tree planted in the ground, and a glorious magnolia that steals the show every spring. (It's the tree everyone comments on when they visit, and I can't pretend I'm not a little smug about it).