The constant gardener

Winter is a dormant time for plants, so snuggle down and enjoy some gardening inspo while planning for spring

- MARY LOVELL-SMITH

As the wet and cold and darkness set in, there’s time to snub your gumboots, ditch the hoe and turn on the telly for some armchair gardening. If such apparent idleness makes you uneasy, look upon it as research, finding inspiration and pleasure in the toils and imaginations of others. Tool sharpening and cleaning, or seed sorting while you watch may also assuage any guilt. Some suggestions: The Don is an erudite guide around greatness in the fabulous Monty Don’s Adriatic Gardens (Apple TV+). Though for more practical know-how, catch up with him in Gardeners’ World (YouTube.com). Seed: The Untold Story (seedthemovie.com) is an absorbing look at the role of seeds and the threat to biodiversity in food production – among other topics. Less provocative is Gardening With Soul (ondemand.nzfilm.co.nz) set over a year in a Wellington community garden and starring nonagenarian nun Sister Loyola. In the same vein as The Great British Bakeoff/Sewing Bee/Throw Down etc, is The Big Flower Fight (netflix.com) whose contestants vie for victory as they create massive floral sculptures.

How to buy roses