Get set for CHANGE

Winter is the perfect time to plan changes in your garden - Alan Titchmarsh looks at how to work out what to do and when, as he prepares for big changes himself

- Alan Titchmarsh

There is no doubt that 2026 will be different. As the year ends in the garden that I've created and tended over the past 23 years, a new challenge is waiting in the wings. We are moving from the chalk downland of Hampshire to Surrey, just a few miles away. A new house, a new garden and new earth: acidic, free-draining, sandy soil.

I have to confess that my excitement is tempered with nervousness. The excitement comes from the fact that for the first time since I left Yorkshire, I'll be able to grow rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas, pieris and other lime-haters in the ground rather than in tubs. And the nervousness? Well, uprooting ourselves after such a long time certainly gives rise to a little apprehension.

But whether you're sticking with the garden you know and love, or moving on to pastures new, some 'taking stock' at this time of year is essential. It will fire your enthusiasm, hopefully avoid costly mistakes and help you make the most of the refreshing challenges that a new year brings. A good coat of looking at - that's what my dad used to call it when you're sizing something up with a view to making changes.

What to change?

Get out into the garden on bright days, enjoy the fresh air and look around you. When many of your trees and shrubs are bare, it's often easier to see what's not working in terms of design. Think back to the summer too. Did you have enough places to sit - were they in the right spot in terms of sun or shade? The winter months are a great time to attend to hard landscaping, provided your garden is neither a sea of mud or frozen solid, when concrete and mortar won't 'go off' properly.