Projects to keep us warm in winter

Just in from the garden, where I thought it would be nice to spend this morning’s tea break, and I can confirm that winter is here – it’s freezing out there! That said, it’s at least dry and bright, and with coat (and rather snazzy bobble hat!) it wasn’t too hard to stay warm as long as I kept moving – a bit of hedge pruning did the trick. I love these crisp days, when the sun is out and the air seems really fresh – it feels as if the garden is a world of possibilities.

If you want to stay busy outside, why not try one of our pallet projects (page 22)? There are some lovely ideas here and they’re really not that difficult – and the great thing is you have plenty of time to do them before next spring. I must confess that I often allow jobs such as that to span a few weeks – but why not?

When it comes to plants, I loved Nick Bailey’s column this week about silver stunners (page 38). When it comes to a wonderful winter garden, these plants are absolute crackers and will gladden your heart when you step outside.

And if you’re still wanting to grow your own as much as possible, a fruiting hedgerow (page 8) is a definite possibility. We’ve picked out some great options for you to try – and the great news is you can get planting them right now.

The birds will thank you for it, which brings me neatly on to my final point – with the weather now getting very cold, birds need as much help as we can give them. They’re very much our friends in the garden so please do look after them through winter. Have a great gardening week!