The dangers of frost – and a few pheasants

protection against frost and there were times when I thought that some of the plants I had brought from my last garden were unlikely to survive after freezing solid in their pots.

Yet most have come through with little more than a few scorched leaves to show for their ordeal.

Hardy cyclamen and hellebores that were prostrate picked themselves up the moment that the snow turned to rain and the foliage of ajugas responded to the cold weather by turning an even more brilliant shade of purple.

These are the same ajugas I found being eaten by a pheasant when I raised the kitchen blinds a few days ago, but clearly they didn’t taste as good as they looked because, after a few pecks, it left them alone.

Growing plants that neither frost nor pheasants can destroy will be a priority in the year ahead and while there’s a tried-and-trusted hardiness ratings system that gives gardeners guidance on which plants can cope with harsh conditions, there isn’t anything comparable for the damage caused by wildlife, so it’s going to be a case of trial-and-error to find out what survives.

I also need to create space to grow things we ourselves like to eat and as raised beds are part of the long-term plan for the garden, then for the moment I’m going to be raising edibles in pots.

But not yet. Today, at the very end of the year, I’m just happy to have a new garden to enjoy and over the next few weeks I’m going to content myself with observing what the winter sun illuminates, where water collects when it rains and which areas are in constant shadow.

That way, once I start poring over the seed catalogues, I’ll have a better idea of which plants I can grow.