Time to make some resolutions!

This issue of Garden News is all about looking ahead to what a great year 2021 might be. Life could – should – get back to some sort of normality but I’m certain everyone who has worked so hard in their gardens in 2020 will want to continue in the future. We are a nation of gardeners now! Our columnists Carol Klein (page 24) and Terry Walton (page 33) look forward to what the year will hold for them, while our feature on page 14 offers lots of ideas for you in the garden in 2021. As I’ve said so often this year, I’ve felt very fortunate to have a garden at all during the pandemic. Spending more time outside than usual – the benefit of working at home – I now look on it with fresh eyes. That doesn’t mean any outlandish resolutions but rather a few achievable ones! I want to make a fresh start with my veg patch, for one thing: I’ve a couple of raised beds but they’re too shady. I fancy I’ll turn them over to ornamentals that don’t demand full sun and relocate the veg elsewhere. I’ve got a decent spot earmarked but a couple of shrubs may need to move! A new compost bin is on the cards too; each fortnight I fill my brown council bin so I may as well use some of that rubbish myself. The garden will appreciate it. Like everyone, I want to help wildlife so most of the flowers I grow will be pollinator-friendly – not exactly a hardship – while a small barrel pond could also be a lot of fun. Here’s to a happy and healthy 2021. Have a great gardening year!