Doorsteps with star qualities

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spruce, ornamental dwarf pines or the purple-coned Korean fir (Abies koreana) are all ideal for the job. They don’t come cheap but they can be planted out in the garden afterwards or else repotted and recycled every Christmas for years.

You can even use them instead of a conventional Christmas tree indoors. If there’s a power point you can light up your doorstep Christmas tree with fairy lights but be sure to use the outdoor grade since they’ll be out in all weathers.

Otherwise, add a few traditional tree baubles or “go green” and use natural-style tree ornaments such as raffia ribbons, mistletoe sprigs, acorns, pine cones and nuts and berries held in place with thin florists’ wire.

When you want something slightly different, try a holly tree that’s been trained into a standard lollipop shape, perhaps potted topiary plants or a mixed tub of evergreen shrubs.

To keep “in theme”, it’s worth using winter-flowering heathers with ivy or variegated euonymus and berried skimmia shrubs or a well-budded Viburnum tinus.

A Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) would be brilliant if you can find one that’s coming into flower. A lot of them don’t really “peak” until well into January.

For something more stylish and less traditional, choose a red-stemmed dogwood (Cornus alba Westonbirt) or the more orangey-tinted Midwinter Fire with tall upright stems and team it with POTATOES have come up in the world. Once seen as little more than bulk for filling hungry families, today they are one of the fastest-growing gourmet crops in the veg patch.

Many of the most exciting, novel and flavourful spuds are in short supply so if you want to try them it pays to order early from the seed firms, which stock a huge range.

Some of the very tastiest are the Mayan varieties.

These are relative newcomers on the spud scene with a rich, almost nutty flavour and attractive yellow flesh.

Mayan Gold, Mayan Queen and Mayan Twilight are all early main crops, which make brilliant roast potatoes, potato wedges and chips.

Another relative newcomer great for roasting is Yukon Gold. It’s a good-looking, yellow-skinned variety with a rich buttery flavour and is ready to use in summer.

For the very earliest baby new potatoes of the year, choose varieties such as Lady Christl, Rocket, Swift or Vales Emerald winter-flowering heathers or the low-trailing wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens), which has big bright-red gobstopper-like berries offset nicely against near-rounded evergreen leaves.

If the colours of berries, stems and foliage need a boost, you can always add ribbons for a few extra festive decorative touches.

However, festive tubs aren’t just for the front door. HEN your living room looks out on to the patio, use a group of seasonal containers to create a festive view.

One spectacular star turn looks great surrounded by a supporting cast of troughs and perhaps a hanging basket, all displayed in a sheltered corner and framed by patio doors. For your large central tub use a taller mixture of winter evergreens, coloured stemmed dogwood and flowering shrubs and add smaller plants such as ivies or euonymus for evergreen pots.

For colour, use winter pansies, ornamental cabbages and kales and again wintergreen Gaultheria procumbens (which team well with heathers in hanging baskets).

Two tips help make a display “hang together”. One is to repeat the same plant throughout the display – make it a minor player, such as heather, ivy or euonymus.

The other is keep to a colour theme. Red, cream and green instantly say Christmas.

POTATO CROPS ENJOYING A PURPLE PATCH

or go for old faithfuls such as Foremost or Red Duke of York (which if left to grow larger turns into a brilliant baking potato). For salads, it’s hard to beat modern Anya. Coloured potatoes are also enjoying a huge surge of popularity. Red or bright pink potatoes such as Rooster, Rudolph and Maxine look stunning and eat well too.

For real novelties look out for purple potatoes such as Highland Blue and Congo, which are available only in small quantities from just a few outlets.

But when you want to grow spuds organically, with no spraying, look out for varieties with good natural resistance to blight. These include Cara, Red Cara, Verity and Valor but the latest addition is Sarpo Mira.

If you miss out on mail order, you’ll still find a fair few favourites on sale at garden centres in spring but they may not have the novelties and fancy varieties – so stock up while the going’s good.