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Lesson learned from summer gardening - do not attempt to remove hedge with a shovel in the middle of the hottest day of the year with no protection from the sun. It took me days to recover. There will be no such attempts at martyrdom this coming Anniversary Weekend as the recent run of golden weather comes to an end and my garden gets some much needed rain.

Christmas is almost here and a welcome end to what has been a very hard year for most of us. So it’s important to use this holiday well and celebrate what we have in the here and now! Right now it's summer and all the glorious things that it brings. Long hot days, luscious summer fruit and a rest from the hustle and bustle of modern life.

I had expected this newsletter to announce the much-anticipated arrival of summer bulbs - unfortunately it seems I missed the ordering window - which is two or so months before you plant them. That’s how the bulb buying season works apparently. However, that means that it's not too long before I need to order next year’s spring bulbs in January. I will keep you updated on when they will be ready to order.

The Niwa scientists have announced that we are in the midst of a marine heatwave. A warm sea so early is a portent of a hot summer. How hot is anyone's guess but forewarned is forearmed.

I notice the change of season not by the thermometer but by light and air. I know spring is here when the sunlight is clearer, like looking out a freshly cleaned window; and the air is warmer but still fresh. This week, up here in the north I think spring arrived. And with the arrival of spring there is a whole new list of garden jobs!