The orange bowl was left for the birds, full of water with a cork in it to stop it from freezing.

Snow-capped bird feeder.

Viburnum.

Planted at the weekend and in the mini greenhouse (which is quite warm despite the cold weather). These are Swan Lake (white), Beaujolais (maroon), Cupani (purple and blue) and Black Knight (maroon). Still to do: Lovejoy (dark red), Hero (dark blue), Blackberry (maroon). I may have gone a bit overboard on the maroon. Yes, those are toilet roll insides and Chinese takeaway boxes.

A beautiful bright sparkly day; cold and frosty, and the bird bath was frozen solid. Green shoots are beginning to sprout up from the narcissus bulbs I planted in the autumn and the first crocuses are out. Both camellias are covered in fat green buds. I need to clear the last few leaves from the beds and cut back some of the dying annuals from last year.

Christmas wreath made with things from the garden: clematis, leylandii, ivy, gold pine cones and quinces. I will take this down today.

It was pouring with rain when I took these – about two thirty in the afternoon, but it was very dark. That seems to make the greens really deep and vivid. Very mild for January. The black bags next to the shed are full of leaves; when I’ve finished gathering up the leaves I’m going to seal them up and hopefully they will turn into leafmould.