Some seeds, like sweet peas, must be nicked or scratched to help them germinate. That’s called scarification. Other seeds need to be subjected to long periods of cold; even frozen. Stratified, in horticultural terms. For others, fire is as necessary to the seed as food and water will be later to the growing plant. Perhaps someone can tell me the word for that.

Right now, I’m feeling a little nicked and scratched; perhaps somewhere between ice and fire. Like those warm October days last year that straddled summer and fall, or 2015’s never-ending winter-cum-spring, I feel poised between two states, neither one nor the other.

A well-planned garden will withstand a certain amount of neglect. Mine, while a little overgrown, still gets positive comments from passing neighbours. Even when all I see are the weeds, the plants that need hacking back and the ‘Autumn Joy’ sedum planted in the wrong spot.

But what about the gardener? At the moment, I’m focussing on the benefits of being scratched and dented. Muscles tear with exercise and heal stronger; tree trunks gain strength from buffeting winds.

And spring does come again, all present evidence to the contrary. What life lessons have you learned from your garden? Spread a few seeds here…