SOME THINGS TO DO IN THE GARDEN IN DECEMBER
	Sometimes working outside at this time of the year can do more harm than good.  Digging a very wet heavy soil will not only hurt your back, but it won’t do the soil much good either.  Treading on a frosty lawn can leave nasty footprints on it for a long time afterwards, so take a tip from “The Reluctant Gardener”.  It is taken from The Happy Gardener, an anthology by H.T.V. Fletcher. Winter, winter coming fast Driving rain and icy blast. No more teacups on the lawn... Neatly trimmed and closely shorn. No more paths to sweep and rake, No more flowers to tie and stake. No more fruit for making jam, No more herbs for stuffing ham. No more pruning, no more weeds, No more sowing silly seeds. No more “Exhibition” fame, Isn’t it a blooming shame? HOORAY! Stoke the fire, and brew the tea. NO MORE GARDENING, PRAISE BE... For those who are not so reluctant, you can always find a few jobs.  Make a start on cutting back hard any hedges that have become overgrown and are composed of deciduous plants such as beech or hornbeam. Cover new or tender evergreens and surround young conifers with surplus greenery cut from over-mature evergreens as protection against winds as well as frost. Lift some clumps of budding snowdrops and put in small pots of compost to take as garden tokens to the housebound. A very Happy Christmas to you all, and may 2002 be a good gardening year for us all. David Jones