Any way back to the job in hand and at the time of writing we have force 8/9 winds and torrential rain! Winter is well and truly here, which means that there is absolutely nothing to do in the garden. Ha! Ha! Sorry just having a laugh or should that be a seasonal Ho! Ho! or even Hoe! Hoe! in gardening terms.

Right, to the jobs for December, bought all the presents? Stocked up on food and drink; good then I’ll begin. Now is a good time to move shrubs that have outgrown their current position. Lift them with as large a root ball as possible and tie them to stakes for extra stability and at least wait for the current gale force winds to die down.

I think its safe to say that you will need not need to water as often and beware of over watering or you may find that plants can become waterlogged and rot. However it is surprising how quickly pots can dry out especially in dry, windy conditions.

Lining the inside of your greenhouse with bubble wrap will help give some protection from frosts though to be sure you need to a space heater which works on a thermostat (until there is a power cut, that is).

Clear away the remains of old crops, any remaining leaves, to tidy up the garden and prepare the area for next year. This will also help reduce the snail and slug population.

For those of you trying to fit in last years party frock or those trousers you looked so good in at the office party its time for more lawnorobics by raking any leaves off your lawn and even mowing it should the month be mild.

Anybody still not done the winter digging to allow the frost to do all your hard work for you to produce a nice friable tilth in the Spring. Well ok, the digging is fairly hard work and I bet there are not many of you who still double dig! Get out there when the conditions are right, if not light the fire, put your feet up and start reading gardening magazines and send for the numerous catalogues to buy all those indispensable things. P.S. for those in the 21st century you can do this “Online”.

If you have a bird table or have been putting food out during the autumn please remember to doing so over the coming months and ensure that there is plenty of water available during times when their usual supply is frozen.

I didn’t recommend any plants did I? There are plenty of recommendations in the Blooming Direct catalogue and on their web site, Happy Hunting.

I think that all it leaves me to do now is to wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year and in the words of the governor of California “I’ll be back” in the New Year, well he didn’t say that last bit, I did.