THERE seems to be have been an infectious festive atmosphere in the air at Natures World this week.

Like many charitable organisations, we have to try to put on a good show using as small a budget as possible.

We rely heavily on donations, gifts and gestures of goodwill to keep us going. In the garden department, however, we (myself and my fellow supervisor, Rebecca) have very little to do with the financial running of the site. We thrive on the progress and development of our trainees. I guess it's the good old adage that we do the job for the love and not the money.

Last week we were besieged by a delegation of our trainees complaining that the rest cabin wasn't festive enough. Fair enough, they do undertake the bulk of the upkeep and maintenance work on site, which is important to the visitor side of the centre, and they receive no payment for their efforts.

Consequently, we felt challenged to create something Christmassy by the end of the day, and were allocated a budget of less than £10. It is astounding how quickly it all came together, though. A colleague had bought a new artificial tree a few days previously and donated the old one to us.

It was a six footer and still in good condition. Someone else had a spare string of lights. They were a little old fashioned, but still worked and most importantly, were still safe.

Next we dashed into Middlesbrough to pay a visit to the Play and Educational Resource Centre (PERCY). This is large warehouse on the riverside industrial park, which collects unused and leftover materials and objects from major manufacturers and passes them onto organisations that can make use of them.

The stock is constantly changing and you have to have a pretty whacky or creative mind to see what can be done with what's there.

We hit it lucky. There were a few bucket loads of large, red, plastic baubles and bagfuls of tinsel scraps. We also grabbed several handfuls of small, round, green and red foam balls, and some large chunks of scented wax in a variety of colours.

Back at base, we stripped down some old electrical cabling and used the wire to hang the baubles to the tree. We invisibly joined together the scraps of tinsel with sticky tape and hung them on the tree and up in the cabin.

The small foam balls were strung onto lengths of cotton and suspended from the corners of the room. The wax was melted down in an old dog food tin and poured into small pop bottles, with tarred string hung down the centre. Once set, the plastic was peeled away and we were left with a series of lovely fragrant candles.

Finally, a box load of packing beads were scooped around the base of the Christmas tree to hide the legs and resemble newly lain snow.

Ourselves and the trainees were quite proud of our endeavours. We had successfully proved that you needn't spend a fortune on making Christmas sparkle. All you need is just a little bit of imagination and a sense of fun.

JOBS TO BE DOING IN THE GARDEN TODAY

Attend to the worm casts

Worm casts on the lawn can be quite annoying for some people. They are very beneficial creatures as they help to aerate the soil and break down detritus.

The simplest way of dealing with the leftover casts is to wait for a dry day and brush them away, or into the grass.

Chemical applications can be made, but this will kill the worms, leaving a compact soil which is likely to result in an increase in moss and weeds.

Take cuttings of soft fruit

Nine to 12 inch cuttings from black, white and red currant bushes as wellas gooseberries can be taken now and pushed straight into the soil. They will take by spring and may even produce a few fruit by the end of next year.

Prune vines

It is necessary to prune grape vines at this time of year, as the branches do not bleed as much sap. The side shoots on last year's growth should be cut back to one or two buds at the base.

Gardener's Questions

Mr Braithwaite from Northallerton wants to plant some bamboo in his garden but is worried that the plant may take over the garden. He wants to know what would be the best way of growing it.

Bamboos always come with an air of tranquillity, and add height, sound and texture to the garden. There are so many varieties that it is hard to generalise. The phyllostachys tend to be bushier and prettier and come in colours ranging from gold through to black. Although they may reach a height of 25ft, they can be controlled by regularly topping and trimming.

However, in order to ensure that it doesn't make inroads into the rest of the garden, it might be safer to plant it in a container such as a bucket and then sink it into the soil.

Alternatively, you can make a big show of it in its own raised bed.

POST SCRIPT

Brigid presents 'Ask about Gardening', a live and interactive horticultural show, every Sunday lunchtime from 12-2pm on BBC Radio Cleveland, 95FM.

Published: 20/12/2003