By Isle of Wight Observer
Seasons’ Greetings to you all. We are now into the season of winter, when gardens would, in the past, have remained dormant for a period, with little signs of emerging life.
However, with increasingly mild weather conditions, many plants are continuing to grow. This is most noticeable in our lawns, which continue to need cutting, made difficult in the wet and soggy conditions.
I thought I’d take this opportunity to look back at 2025. The year started off quite damp and overcast. Not particularly cold, but little in the way of sunshine. We then headed into a drought which started in March and lasted several months.
Despite the drought our Island flower shows were filled with wonderful exhibits and was, without doubt, the best year for some time.
Hopefully this will inspire many of you to take part in 2026.
The Island is becoming a little short on judges, and this is something that the societies are aware of. With that in mind, a series of events is being organised to help train up a new batch of judges, to help ease the strain on the few. For more information, please contact myself, darreneverest@ymail.com
With spring not too far away now, we can all see the first signs of daffodil leaves and other spring flowers emerging from the ground.
Some early varieties of daffodils are already in bloom.
As we head into the new year, it will be time to start sowing seeds including geraniums, marigolds, antirrhinum, begonias, sweet peas, broad beans, onions, and tomatoes.
It’s amazing how much pleasure growing from seed gives, compared to buying ready-made plants, so if you have the opportunity then have a go. Watching a tiny seed grow into a thriving plant is a truly magical process.
Let’s all look at making 2026 a wonderful year for our gardens and supporting horticulture across the Island, from our flower shows, open gardens, specialist growers, and nurseries and garden centres.
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, and look forward to writing for you again in 2026.