When choosing plants for my garden I like colour, insect friendly, food producing plants. I like to get at 2 out of 3 as much as possible.
Living in what used to be Essex (driest county in England with a rain-fall equivalent to Palestine) something that doesn't need moist soil is good too.
Also with a north facing garden, and ash trees at the bottom of my neighbours garden meaning no evening sun, a shade-tolerant plant is a good thing too.
And I don't like weeding round prickly plants.
I have just got from Thompson & Morgan a mahonia - yellow flowers, insect friendly. berries (I have a recipe from the book "The Rurubanite" by Alex Mitchell - hope they taste nice!) and can take partial shade. The variety "soft caress" doesn't have the usual prickles. (The plant sent doesn't look like a mahnoia at all - I hope they haven't made a mistake!)
It does like moisture so it's in a pot and I'll put a drip tray underneath before the summer to keep it as damp as possible.
