George Wright

As a gardening fan, I watched the winter episode, the first in the series of programs that follow the seasons in the gardening year. Carol Klein is a very enthusiastic gardener and she was very eager to go out into her garden to get started on the new year as early as January and February. In fact, she talked about planting garlic as soon as the winter solstice arrives. She, however, starts her garlic in a greenhouse to give it a head start. Carol is also seen getting up in a ladder pruning large trees growing together as soon as the shoots appear. She takes the excess material and puts it into her compost. For those of us watching the program in Canada, we know winter in most of the country is too cold and the snow too deep to be climbing ladders. Those who are fortunate enough to have a greenhouse or sun room might be able to start shoots in advance of the growing season. Nevertheless, the program did show how gardeners in England could possibly spend even the darkest days of winter getting started on the gardening year; not just planning but actually getting out there. I am sure this is a fine example to many of us who are interested in making the most of nature's cycles and appreciating the opportunities they offer. I was impressed by some of the photography highlighting the winter garden and how it morphs from dormancy to a lush garden several months later. I appreciate watching the show, even in Canada, because it highlights how a gardening can be practised in a sustainable way respecting the natural cycles of the seasons. I look forward to viewing more episodes.

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