Bulbs for Christmas presents

Autumn is the time to plant bulbs, and children love to help. Unlike seeds which spill or blow away, bulbs are easy for chubby little hands to deal with. A flower pot planted with bulbs makes a good Christmas present for children to give Mum or Dad. Take them to the local garden shop to choose the bulbs, or help them choose from a catalogue or online. A pot planted up with tulips at a lower level and crocuses or scillas above will give pleasure over a long season. The donor could customize the pot with poster paints or stick-on decorations.

Collecting seeds in the garden

At this time of year there are plenty of seeds to be gathered in the garden. A five-minute trawl of our garden has just yielded seeds of Morning Glory, Honesty, Viola, Welsh Poppy, Columbine, Love-in-the-Mist and Pot Marigold. Plus a few baby spiders. Slowly dried (the seeds not the spiders) and put into small envelopes labeled with a picture of the contents cut out from an old catalogue, these too make good presents for children to give.