Hornbeam is a gem for your garden because it holds onto many of its leaves through winter, providing lovely, coppery-coloured foliage during the colder months and for £3.99 a pop, it's a steal.

Most leaves can be turned into leaf mould, but some take longer to compost than others. Oak, alder and hornbeam will soon rot down, while sycamore, beech, horse chestnut and sweet chestnut take a ...

According to the Royal Horticultural Society, you can get the best quality leaf mould from the leaves of oak, beech or ...