Do you eagerly wait for the first snowdrop as a sign of spring? Do you watch out for other signs that foretell the future in the garden? Masses of red holly berries are said to predict a severe winter. But is this a sign of hope? What other signs are there?

We all look for signs of better times to come. Whatever the creed, rule, or code of behaviour by which we live, a sign of hope is looked for and rejoiced in when found.

Regular readers might recall my story about a beautiful Iris unguiqularis that unfolded its petals on Christmas morning beside the path to my door.

This year a special surprise arrived slightly early. Just before Christmas, a small sprig of the snowy white, pink tinged, wonderfully scented flowers of Viburnum farreri greeted me. The shrub is one I have grown from a cutting and it is flowering for the first time. The cutting came from a tree-like viburnum, unfortunately poisoned by a leak from an old gas pipe - a pipe that has long since been repaired.

A hopeful sign

Did I tell you about the time I was bravely standing in for a teacher at the local school? Technical Drawing is not my subject but, due to general staff illness, I found myself facing a class of unruly fourteen-year-old boys - obviously bored with the set work, they began to throw paper darts. But, because a boy from the local Barnardo’s home became transfixed by my Christmas stories about plants, the students that did enjoy technical drawing were able to get on quietly with their work. Determined to hear more, that one boy probably prevented me from being nailed to the wooden blackboard by a compass!

Christmas rose story

Here is a story about the Christmas rose (Helleborus niger) that was said to grow near the stable in Bethlehem. Apparently, according to the legend, a young girl visited the crib and wept because she didn’t have a gift. An angel appeared and indicated a white rose growing in the snow, where her tears had fallen. The flowers were gathered and given to the Christ child.

Christmas roses (H. niger) can be grown from seed. White, cup-shaped flowers open on 12in, usually evergreen, fully hardy plants, in mid-winter. They look good growing with snowdrops under shrubs.

Hope for birds

To us, a heavy crop of holly berries might seem like a mixed blessing: a twig for the pudding – but also reputed to be a sign that a fierce winter is coming. Crimson berries are decorative, but the thought of being iced up during freezing cold days is not so pleasant. But could a good crop of holly berries be a sign to birds that they will have a plentiful food supply during winter? - although the berries have gone already from the hedges in some areas.

Help feed the birds

Thompson & Morgan have published an attractive Bird Care Collection pamphlet, which comes gratis with the free 2003 Thompson & Morgan Seed Catalogue. I particularly liked the bird tables and feeding boards. Unusual items include Squirrel feeders and Coleus canina, which produces an aroma that cats can’t stand – hence keeping them away from the garden. It is only smelt by humans when the leaves are brushed.