Welcome

February always brings the promise that spring

is on its way. Things can only get better from here! In this month’s issue we focus on frost – that climatic phenomenon that holds the garden in its icy grip. Many perennials retreat underground and rely on dormancy to survive; gardeners often wish we could hibernate too! This would be a great shame, though, because everywhere there are plants stirring, even in the depths of winter. Tiny bulbs are sending up their frost-proof flowers; daphne and winter honeysuckle are pumping out fragrance; and fiery cornus stems are putting on a dazzling show in the low winter sunlight (p6 and p36). The surrounding landscape is pared back to monochrome, helping us to see the natural world as a series of shapes, textures and tones. It’s the ideal time to rethink the garden’s structural elements and consider planting more ‘evergolds’ (p24).

Wild birds are so grateful for every morsel we feed them right now. On p59, wildlife columnist Adrian Thomas explains how to get a closer look at their feeding, nesting and other behavioural antics by installing trail and nestbox cams in the garden, without disturbing them.

Pigeons are, of course, the very worst nest builders, their scruffy stick installations somehow persisting through gales and snow, while the broody females fix us with a fathomless stare. Smaller birds seem much more secretive, although they’re more than happy to visit the feeders hung from my viburnum, pooping all over my foxglove seedlings without a care in the world.

It’s lucky they’re so cute!