Let’s hope you all had a quiet but enjoyable Christmas, despite all the current circumstances and restrictions. From my point of view, it all seemed to come and go quite quickly in the end.

Inevitably, I received some lovely gardening gifts. One of which was a beautiful wild plum tree from my mother. The card attached to it read: “In ancient mythology the wild plum is a sacred tree which symbolises hope and happiness.” How true those words are in the current climate, so I am hoping they are accurate. Only time will tell.

This deciduous tree naturally transforms with every season, in spring an abundance of pale pink flowers blossom with a sweet scent. Its purple plums ripen in late summer and can be eaten straight from the tree, I daresay I will have to wait a few years before I can enjoy the fruit, before the leaves change colour and fall. The plum tree remains bare all winter until the warmth of spring encourages new buds to blossom.

It arrived in an organic pot and is ready to be planted outside.

I’ve decided to place it in a large container initially, on the patio at the back of the house. The instructions say it is important not to overwater and it needs a sunny spot and can be pruned every autumn if needed. It should reach a height of three metres in five to ten years if allowed to grow naturally.

Fingers crossed it does well and another plant in the garden that is associated with friends and family.

So, are you planning to make any gardening New Year resolutions? Without doubt, mine has to be that I will give the garden a thorough cleaning with my new heavy-duty pressure cleaner.

Last year due to my torn Achilles tendon I was unable to do anything like that in the garden so it is really looking a bit grubby now.

It is always a big job I never look forward to. It tends to take a few days in total to work my way down the garden from the back fence the end of the front drive. Hopefully, this new piece of kit should make the task more efficient and, hopefully, much quicker.

I bought three, small potted, 18 inch Christmas trees to have in the house over the festive period.

I have now got them outside in small terracotta pots to grow on in the garden. They don’t seem to be any the worse for wear after being inside for over a month. I was careful to water and mist them to try to ensure they survived OK.

Read more of Geoff’s garden at www.driftwoodbysea.co.uk