With the forecast of a very cold spell of weather for this weekend,
possibly lasting well into next week and beyond, it's a tricky time of
year for the garden.

I've just been on a recce. Most plants are keeping their heads down but
I've noticed that my (unnamed) Tree Paeony has broken bud and the leaves
are starting to extend. A bit reckless of it, I think, but I'm hoping for
the best.

I'm also resisting a real spring tidy-up, particularly in the pruning
department - my Penstemons are looking very scruffy, but I'm making them
wait.

The handfork is also safely locked away in the shed. Every year, I start
weeding and forking over the soil much too early, to find that some
unmarked plant or other is hiding, just below the surface, and ends up in
bits on the end of the fork.

I don't know about you all, but I have an almost atavistic reaction to
this time of year. I don't bother with the garden at all after
mid-autumn, until immediately after the Xmas holidays, when I get the
overwhelming urge to get going, even though I know it's far too early for
much of what I'd like to do.

- Tom.