1 day ago
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I suspect you’re not thinking about the garden much this month. After all, we’re 12 days away from Christmas. Perhaps you’re wrapping presents or running school fairs, or maybe you’ve stumbled upon this while having a little scroll in the queue for a grotto somewhere. It’s difficult to even be outside and at a loose end during daylight hours at the moment.
In case you’re feeling a little overwhelmed, what if you went out into your green space or garden, and started having a bit of a potter? Nothing fancy; goodness knows, I don’t put my garden “to bed” as tradition would dictate – chopping down perennial growth and sweeping up leaves and laying a thick black blanket of mulch over neatly edged beds. But rather a gentle ramble, picking up the plastic flowerpots that have blown about the place and finally emptying that sad pot of desiccated summer annuals into the compost bin. You’ll probably feel a bit less chaotic, possibly even a little festive, afterwards.
I always feel as if this time of year is like a tidal wave that I can see looming on the horizon until it teeters over everything. Present-buying; matching pyjamas; the general pressure to “scape” my mantel or banister or table or cistern; that stupid elf on its stupid shelf. We force ourselves to do more when, really, the depth of winter is a time when we should be hibernating.
I love the quietude and reflection that can arrive in December if you create the space to look for it. Inside the house, I like to undertake the equivalent of a winter clean – donating things I no longer need. And when growth is slowing into dormancy outside it’s a good time to tackle jobs in the garden, too. It could be as simple as a bit of a spruce; I’m thinking of the errant plastic square flap from the bottom of my compost bin that has been lying on the lawn for weeks and the wheelbarrow full of leaf-strewn rainwater. Or you could step it up and fix that fence panel. You’ll be grateful you did when the winds arrive in the new year.
I am a firm believer that Twixmas is a great time to paint a fence, but why stop there? Give the garden furniture you use in summer a wipe down and a freshen up too; you won’t get around to it when everything is growing in May. Dust down the cold frame if it’s lingering unloved; you could sow sweet peas in there on Boxing Day.
Prune the roses if you’re feeling keen, or simply give your tools a good clean. Sort out the shed before it becomes filled up in spring. Turn the compost heaps. Remind yourself that life continues out here without all the glitter, and then head inside, pink-cheeked, for a well-deserved cup of tea.
