Ever thought about how to capture frost-covered holly, close-ups of pretty petals or swathes of woodland bulbs in fading light?

If you've not had much success taking good pictures of your plants, eminent flower and plant photographer Clive Nichols offers some useful pointers on how aspiring horticultural photographers can create pictures to frame proudly rather than instantly delete.

"If you're shooting outdoors, give yourself the best possible chance of success and select somewhere photogenic. The garden of a National Trust or English Heritage property would be a good place to start, or alternatively a well-maintained public or privately-owned garden," says Nichols, who runs online courses on the subject.

"Of course, if you're lucky enough to have a wonderful garden of your own, start there."

The National Gardens Scheme (www.ngs.org.uk) has thousands of gardens that open nationwide to the public in all seasons, so check on your nearest open garden and go and visit - chat to the owners and they may well allow you to take some photographs.

Take note of the weather, he advises.

"Unless you want shots with subject movement, you should ideally shoot on a day when there's little wind. I use sites like BBC Weather to check on wind speeds and when they drop below 5mph that triggers me to go out and take pictures."

One of the major mistakes that amateurs make when photographing plants and gardens is to shoot in bright sunlight.

"Although your brain is saying 'Wow, this garden looks amazing', your pictures will probably be disappointing because of dark inky shadows and bright, burnt-out highlights.

"Put simply, your pictures will probably be too contrasty. Shooting on overcast days with a bit of sunshine pushing through the clouds will undoubtedly yield better results as the soft, diffused light allows you to capture the subtle colour and texture of flowers and plants.

"Choosing the right time of day is also important. You can get good shots in the middle of the day, but I prefer to shoot with early morning or late afternoon light, when the sunlight is raking across gardens, throwing shadows which add three-dimensionality and depth to your photos.

"I like to shoot towards the sun when it's low in the sky, so your subject is lit from behind, which adds beauty and sparkle to flowers and foliage."

For garden scenes, look for interesting features such as statues, topiary, fountains or sundials and shoot along pathways to lead the viewers' eyes into the photo, Nichols advises.

"If the sky is dull and white then don't include too much of it - use a zoom lens so that the sky is cropped out. If the sky has dramatic clouds, then use a wide angle lens to show a wider view with more of the sky included.

"Combinations of colourful flowers in borders can be very photogenic, so again using a zoom lens to fill the frame with flowers works well. Keep your composition simple and don't include anything that doesn't contribute to your composition.

"Things like plant labels or part of an ugly fence in the background can spoil a good picture. If you're shooting close-ups outdoors, select a specimen that's in good condition and isolate it against a plain, distraction-free background.

"You can of course create wonderful flower images by buying some attractive specimens from your local florist and photographing them indoors. I personally like to shoot them simply, using natural daylight from a nearby window. If one side of the subject is too dark, you can reflect light back onto it using a piece of white card."

You don't need a camera bag full of expensive equipment to shoot good horticultural photographs, he continues.

"It's best to keep things simple for wider garden scenes and take just one or two lenses - ideally a zoom and a wide-angle. If you want to get in really close to your subjects and fill the frame with a small part of a flower or plant, a macro lens is the answer.

"Using a sturdy tripod may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it certainly makes for sharper pictures. If you are hand holding shots then try and use a fast shutter speed - say 1/250th second - to freeze the movement of flowers blowing in the wind."

Most gardens look at their most colourful, vibrant best in spring and summer, but Nichols takes as many pictures in autumn and winter. Frost, snow and autumnal mists and fog add extra drama to your garden and plant photographs, so get up early to take some amazing photographs - ones that you will be proud to show to family and friends.

:: Clive Nichols' next four-week online masterclass in plant and flower photography starts on March 7. Visit www.my-garden-school.com

BEST OF THE BUNCH - Paper birch (Betula papyrifera)

The beauty of this stand-alone tree is its white bark which peels off in large sheets to reveal the new, pale orange-brown bark underneath. Yellow, hanging catkins appear in spring, while green leaves turn to pretty shades of orange and yellow in autumn. The white bark is shown off to its best against a warm brick wall or dark background of evergreen shrubs. These trees should be grown in full sun or light shade in fertile, moist but well-drained soil.

GOOD ENOUGH TO EAT - Jerusalem artichokes

These knobbly, nutty root vegetables can be blitzed after roasting to make a delicious puree or added to a soup. Plant tubers from late February to April in a sunny ro partly shaded spot in the garden in well-drained soil, placing them in holes 10cm deep, 30cm apart. When stems reach around 30cm, draw soil around them to around 15cm, as you would when earthing up potatoes, to stabilise the plants as they grow. Stake them to prevent the tops being blown about and damaged. As well as tasting good, they also look good, their tall stems topped with pretty yellow flowers which compare with heleniums or rudbeckia at the back of a border. Harvest the tubers in autumn when the foliage starts to turn yellow. Like potatoes, they can be invasive, so make sure you remove all the tubers to stop them spreading.

WHAT TO DO THIS WEEK

:: In the greenhouse, prick out seedlings and space them in bigger trays when they are big enough to transplant.

:: Sow broad beans in pots under glass for planting out later.

:: Place cloches over vegetable patches to warm the soil before planting.

:: Plant new roses before spring.

:: Plant new bare-rooted hedging plants from specialists for large areas.

:: Continue planting new trees and shrubs.

:: Dig up and store remaining parsnips in dry sand.

:: Lift and divide established clumps of rhubarb which need rejuvenating.

:: Prune summer-flowering shrubs.

:: Keep topping up bird feeders and baths.

:: Feed fruit trees with a fertiliser high in nitrogen.