TOP tips, gardening news, Plant of the Week and a winter tool pack competition.
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TOP TIP: IF you have no wreath for your front door yet, why not make one yourself with some cuttings from your garden or a walk in the woods?
Or you could ask your neighbours if they have any going spare.
You can buy frames from various online sellers.
Or flexible branches such as willow, dogwood and hazel can be fashioned into hoops.
Holly, ivy and eucalyptus make a great base of foliage – especially if they’ve still got berries on them.
The easiest way is to gather them into small pretty bunches and use garden wire to overlap each posy on the frame.
Then pine cones, seed heads, rose hips and teasels are great for a bit of interest and colour.
Add a bit of scent with bay cuttings.
You can also slice oranges and cook them in the oven – although that does take hours.
And the best thing is, if it doesn’t look great first time round, you can unpick and redo it. Or just whack a bit of tinsel in to cover the bald spots.
Good luck.
NEWS: WHEN spring arrives next year, a memorial garden in honour of Queen Elizabeth II will be open to the public.
The two-acre site, in London’s Regent’s Park, is a climate-resilient, biodiverse space with meadows, woodland planting, nectar-rich species and a wildlife pond.
There are big plans for a huge wildflower meadow in the northern section – to support pollinators and come alive with bees and butterflies each summer. But they need your help to fund it.
Sir Loyd Grossman, chairman of the Royal Parks, told Sun Gardening: “This garden will honour her late Majesty while creating a haven for wildlife in our changing climate. You can help to make it happen.
“We need to raise £22,965 to create the wildflower meadow – a space that will support vital pollinators and provide a place for quiet reflection.
“Sun readers can fund a square metre for £22 and be part of bringing this tribute to life.
“As a charity, 85p in every £1 we raise comes from donations. With your support, we’ll create a space alive with bees and butterflies each summer, for generations to come.”
To find out more visit royalparks.org.uk/meadow.
TOP TIP: STUCK for a last-minute Christmas gift for the family? The Little Growers Cookbook, by Julia Parker has more than 60 simple and sustainable gardening activities, recipes and weekend fun for every season.
Tempt those kids away from their screens and out into the green for some creative family time. Available from Amazon now.
NEWS: SONGBIRD Survival’s National Robin Day is taking place tomorrow.
The charity is urging the country’s bird lovers to make sure they leave enough food and water out for Robins over the festive period.
For top tips, kids activities, and a chance to enter the Ruby Robin Award, visit songbird-survival.org.uk.
THIS WEEK’S JOB: CHECK on dahlia tubers, if you lifted them, to ensure they’re not rotting. If you’ve kept them in the ground, top up the mulch as temperatures drop. Lift your last leeks.
WIN! GET garden-ready with a fabulous winter tool pack from Webb, worth over £260. The bundle includes a Webb Eco Cordless Pruning Saw, 20V 100mph Cordless Axial Blower and 90-litre garden wheelbarrow.
To enter, visit thesun.co.uk/WINTERWEBB or write to: Sun Gardening Winter Webb competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, and email or phone number. UK residents 18+ only. Entries close 11.59pm. January 3, 2026. T&Cs apply.
PLANT OF THE WEEK: NANDINA domestica Fire Power is a welcome addition to any winter garden. During the cooler season, its leaves turn red and it needs very little maintenance.
For 20 per cent OFF Nandina domestica, see thompson-morgan.com/sunoffers. T&Cs apply
