Spring really isn’t too far away now!

Doesn’t Christmas feel like a long time ago? It may have been the fact that lights and decorations went up sooner than usual for many people, but the festive build-up seemed to go on for a very long time! Quite right too – we all needed a bit of cheering up. But as we move into January we can start to look ahead with optimism. I know it’s a pretty gloomy time for many (January 18 is set to be the most depressing day of the year apparently!) but I prefer to look on the bright side – literally, as the days are gradually getting longer. By the end of the month, sunset times where I live will be almost a whole hour later than at the end of December. It may not seem much, especially when it’s raining, but before we know it we’ll be talking about the clocks changing and enjoying evenings in our gardens. Hang in there, folks!

This week I’m delighted to say that Mark Lane is joining Garden News with a fortnightly column on container gardening. He’s a familiar face to many thanks to his TV appearanances and he’s a wonderful addition to our roster of brilliant gardening writers.

Speaking of which, Carol Klein talks about her favourite ‘New Year plants’ on page 20 – as inspiring as ever. Do take a look, and see if any of Carol’s top plants take your fancy!

And I know many of you are itching to get sowing (hands up from me, too!) so our Job of the Week on page 25 is right up your street. Early-sowing perennials really does make it feel as if spring is only just around the corner.

Lots to read and lots to get stuck into – have a great gardening week!