It’s back, the only reasonably sensible list for gardeners of all types, no cashmere pyjamas or pink suede gauntlets here…

These are two of my favourite coffee table purchases of the year. I enjoyed my visit to Le Jardin Plume so much I bought the book. Yes it is in French but you don’t need to be fluent to get the gist of what’s going on. The photos tell the story, and the photos are fab.

I’ve been going to Kew Gardens since I was knee high to a grasshopper but only went into the Marianne North Gallery for the first time earlier this year. All of the 627 paintings - part botanical illustration, part travelogue - are reproduced here. Marianne North visited 13 countries and four continents in the second half of the 19th century and she paid for the construction of the gallery to house all her paintings. A major vanity project? And so what.

Sarah Price’s garden at the 2023 Chelsea Flower Show

Well no list is complete without a ticket to the Chelsea Flower Show. Is it expensive, is it over crowded, is it worth it? Hell yeah. The RHS runs one or two other shows which are all a bit cheaper, a bit less less busy and, well, you get what you pay for….

Looking for an easy way to boost your garden’s attractiveness to wildlife? Just add water. Birds, insects and mammals will all find a small pond very appealing. It doesn’t have to be deep, or have a fountain or even require digging a big hole.

A shallow water bowl or bird bath will do the job. A few pebbles and a couple of plants will finish it off nicely.

Who doesn’t enjoy a nice garden visit with a fabulous lunch thrown in? Top of my list is Gravetye Manor (still waiting..), The Newt was fab and the cafe at West Green is a little more modest but no less tasty.

Most gardeners are suckers for tools, especially really good quality ones. I’ve mentioned Felco secateurs before, as well as Showa 370 gardening gloves, Silky Fox folding saws, Hayter lawnmowers and Henchmen ladders.

And they also love seed trays, garden twine, small terracotta pots, compost (but so awkward to wrap…), magazine subscriptions, bird boxes, seeds and cake of course.

But nothing says I love you like a bespoke cedar greenhouse…

And finally, what not to buy a gardener unless they have specifically asked for it - a plant. You have no idea how difficult it is to accommodate a rose that’s the wrong colour, or an inappropriately sized tree, into a carefully curated garden.

New year, new resolutions? You can’t have seen any of the news recently and wondered how on earth you could really make any difference to your environment. This might help; doing just one of these is something.

The two best things you can to green up your garden are to reduce inputs and outputs - water, fertilizer, compost, plastic, pesticides and increase bio-diversity - grow more, encourage wildlife, be less tidy.

1 - Get a water butt

I know, this isn’t going to eliminate the need for running a hose in your garden, especially given how hot recent summers have been here in London. But, 350 litres of water, filled several times by torrential downpours, will make a difference. And they’re not all unattractive and they are also pretty easy to install.

Green up your garden Arthur Road Landscapes.jpg

2 - Make your own fertilizer

You’ve seen this plenty of times on Gardener’s World - steep comfrey leaves in water for a few weeks. You know it’s done when the smell gets really bad, then water your tomatoes and flowers with it. And get or make a compost bin.

3 - Mulch

What to do with all those autumn leaves? Collect them and store them in bags with a few holes, or wire cages. The resulting compost can be spread on your flowerbeds in spring. This helps keep down weeds, improves the texture of your soil (especially clay) and reduces the need for watering.

4 - Recyclable plant pots

As you probably know black plastic plant pots can’t be recycled. It’s something to do with the black colouring. But many nurseries are moving to using taupe-coloured pots which can be recycled kerb-side. You can also buy plants in compostable pots. If you’ve got a choice make the right one. And if you haven’t then try and re-use your black plastic pots rather than chucking them away.

5 - Natural pesticides and herbicides

It’s easier to work with nature rather than fight it. Encouraging birds, hedgehogs, frogs and toads will help with insect control. Weeds in your patio means it needs re-pointing not weedkiller. And weeding your flowerbeds is good for you. It doesn’t matter if you don’t get them all. Use companion planting to help keep pests off your veg and if things are really bad try using nematodes to get rid of persistent pests like vine-weevil. Pheromone traps are good for preventing the box tree moth from breeding.

6 - Grow more

If your garden is a desert of plastic grass or concrete or even strictly-mown lawn then any plants will make a difference. It doesn’t really matter what you plant - most flowers will attract pollinators. Almost all trees are hosts to many beneficial insects and birds, produce flowers and often some sort of edible fruit and leaves for mulch. They provide shade which helps reduce evaporation and heat, and many trees help reduce airborne pollution. Growing your own fruit and veg is healthy, tastes great and saves you money. All plants lock up carbon. Trees lock up the most and for the longest.

7 - Encourage wildlife

Feed the birds, consistently, all through the winter. And plant things they will like - trees and plants to attract insects. Install a bird bath or mini pond - an upturned dustbin lid will do. Birds will use it to drink and wash, even insects need to drink, frogs may spawn in it and hedgehogs, bats and voles will enjoy it too. Install bird boxes and insect hotels. As long as they’re in the right spot they will get used.

8 - Be untidy

The easiest thing of all. Keep a corner of your garden untouched. Let the weeds grow, leave it undisturbed. Many mammals and invertebrates will make it home. Others will forage for food and nesting material. Don’t be in a rush to tidy up your the rest of your garden in the autumn. Leave flowers and grasses standing until the spring - seedheads provide food, dead foliage is used for nesting, standing stems create a micro-climate out of the worst of the winter weather.

Do one thing.