Procrastination can take many forms, not all of them negative. If there are several thousand things to be done before you feel you can tackle your garden, then let the first of them be reviving your metal-bladed garden tools.
You’ll need some wire wool, a metal file, a sharpening stone, a rag and oil (sunflower is fine). Wash and dry the tools, then, wearing gloves, rub away any rust with the wire wool. If you have an attachment for a hand drill that does this, so much the better.
With the blades facing away from you, use the file to sharpen the edges, letting the angle of the blade guide you. Apply the coarse side of the stone, using a circular motion, and watch your blade become shiny and ever more deadly. The same deal again with the finer side of the stone will leave you with a lovely clean, sharp edge.
Finally, anoint everything with a dash of oil and rub it down with a rag. This same oily rag can be kept with your tools in a plastic bag, ready for a quick rubdown after each use, for which you get extra points and a halo.
Now tell me you don’t feel like a spot of gardening...
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Wasabi, the pungent rhizome used to make the green paste that accompanies sushi, is notoriously difficult to grow here, but a Dorset-based company has been doing just that, and supplying restaurants over the past five years. Now it’s selling plug plants to grow at home in a damp, shady place. From £7.50 each; thewasabicompany.co.uk
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It’s Mother’s Day next Sunday, with celebratory events at many gardens. Among those offering free maternal entry are:
■ National Botanic Garden of Wales, in Carmarthenshire (gardenofwales.org.uk)
■ Trentham Gardens, in Staffordshire (trentham.co.uk)
■ Savill Garden, in Windsor Great Park (theroyallandscape.org.uk)