The relationship with my garden in December cools with the weather to one of mutual mistrust and even disdain. Often only loyalty to memories of seasons past and hope in what is to come keep the relationship ticking over. If any of the shards of autumn still cling at its outset, they are all discarded by the end. The days are absurdly short with the sun sinking down exactly in line with the wooden greenhouse on 21 December so that - if it is not too cloudy-it lights up with an orange flare as though with chilly flames. Areas that are sun-filled from April to October get no light at all and if I do not set out to take the dogs for their walk by 3.30pm, I will almost certainly come home in the dark.
This story is from the December 2023 edition of BBC Gardeners World.
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This story is from the December 2023 edition of BBC Gardeners World.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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We love July
July is an island floating between the joy of June and the slightly fatigued month of August. It's a grown-up month: the year has shrugged off its adolescent exuberances, the weather is (hopefully) warm enough for ice cream to be one of your five a day, the sea should be swimmable without (too much) danger of hypothermia and thoughts will be of holiday shenanigans and family barbecues. School's out this month, the next tranche of glorious summer colour is washing across our borders and it's my birthday. Lots of reasons to give three rousing cheers for July!
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