Idle hands are the devil’s workshop. And boy, gardeners are often idle in midwinter. Of course there are plenty of other fun things to do in winter. Often, though, I find myself in front of the window, wistfully looking at the garden. So instead of the garden, the vices grow.

Impatience

Impatience is probably the least of these. In October, I was looking forward to these dusky days. No work having to be done on the garden, and spending your free time watching movies and reading books. Now we are here, and I have had it with darkness, and eating and drinking all the time The bulbs are already peaking out their little heads, probably because of the temperatures. I feel like getting started again.

A New Year’s resolution: Live in the moment a bit. And, don’t be discouraged by a lack of time or plain bad luck. The garden does not mind, and so shouldn’t I. I did indulge my impatience a little. These hyacinths are standby for when Christmas leaves us.

Envy

This gardener is green with envy sometimes. I’m not envious of people with large gardens. Neither do I envy the ones that have beautiful gardens, or the ones who have both (well, maybe a little). A lot of time, money and effort in whatever combination has gone into the place, and I have not been a gardener for long. What I absolutely cannot stand, is a garden no one seems to care about, and a little jewel growing in it. A lovely old shrub, a large colony of lungwort or an old paeonia, and no one who sees it or cares. It is even worse when they all of a sudden decide to do the place up, and use a …… Pearls before swine….. This envious piglet has rescued quite a few plants this way though.

Cheating

I do not own a greenhouse, so I have been cheating this Christmas. The supermarket has stocked my square foot garden with fresh herbs. Now that the weather has been so mild, I can actually enjoy it for a while.

I wish you all a lovely New Year’s Eve. Don’t make too many resolutions though, because life’s no fun without any naughtiness, is it.