I ordered some tulips for a client last week – late in the season, admittedly, but not ‘too’ late. Most bulbs can go in the ground at most times of the year and will ‘sort themselves out’ but you can definitely plant spring flowering bulbs as late as the end of December as long as the ground isn’t frozen or waterlogged. The tulip bulbs that arrived last week had started to sprout and I had to be careful not to damage the growing tips when I planted them but the savings made it all worthwhile. There are huge discounts to be had at the moment. Farmer Gracy are supplying bulbs at up to 65 per cent off until stock runs out. www.farmergracy.co.uk They also have some beautiful ‘Deluxe’ varieties of tulips, narcissi and alliums as well as other bulbs and some beautiful ‘mixes’ to choose from. Just get them in the ground or pots as soon as you can.

I have never understood the enthusiasm for 'Elf on the Shelf', so did a bit of research. It seems as though it started as a Christmas tradition where parents placed an elf on a shelf as a sort of threat to their kids, by saying the doll could see everything they did, and therefore encouraging good behaviour in the run up to Christmas. From what I can gather, it has backfired a bit with a lost of stressed parents and grandparents now feeling obligated to keep up with this ever-growing trend. There are apparently also ‘new’ options including, Shrek on the Deck, Gnome on a Stone, Fairy in the Tree, Grouch on the Couch, Bear on a Chair and one frazzled mum told me she has opted ‘Shiraz on the Shelf’ this year.

I think at the cottage, Yogi has opted for ‘mud on the rug’.

And mud is very much a current theme, as we are still gardening. There is always something to do, although when people ask, ‘What do you do outdoors at this time of year?’ I usually reply ‘Get wet and cold’. Of course my beloved dry stone walling can be done in any weather, as long as I can get to the site and the stones aren’t frozen or covered in snow.

There are a few tricks that help at this time of year – always keep a couple of dry pairs of gloves with you. Putting wet, cold gloves on after break or lunch is abject misery. A hand-warmer is essential at this time of year, as are good waterproofs and thermals. Wearing a woolly hat under a hood will help too.

Every gardener, tree surgeon, and landscaper will have their favourite waterproofs and all at various prices, but I have found the basic Fort Airflex waterproofs as good as anything four or five times their price. They are the basic ‘farmers’ waterproofs and won’t win any fashion-based awards but they are effective and in the harshest of conditions you can wear another waterproof under them. When I did my walling exam one of the other lads, who walled in north Wales every single day, had three coats on as layers. And that was over two fleeces and a thermal base layer. There is a saying that, ‘There is no such thing as bad weather, just the wrong clothing’, but I think that could be altered to ‘not enough clothing’.

Oh and don’t forget, as we near ‘the big day’, that local garden centres are great places to do your Christmas shopping, lots of parking, a place to have a coffee or a bite to eat, great staff, friendly service and always something for everyone.