We've agreed on the same, although I have dropped hints about Habenaria medusae tubers...............
I did catch Her Ladyship going through my Chiltern Seeds bookmarks the other day though, which is a bit of a bind as I was putting an order in this week!

Glendoick Gardens (probably the UK leading rhododendron specialists), near Perth, have a special offer on rhododendrons until 1 January. Our son has bought us the "Three rare, or newly introduced species" collection for Christmas.

Will not get any gardening related presents

I and OH don't do Christmas presents

I have just ordered a load of bulbs from South Africa they will not arrive until mid Jan but that’s my Christmas present.

I love everything about Christmas such a lovely family time. I am just hoping for a surprise or two this year - may be some securters?

Another New Year, another new garden for me...I've already had my present - William, who's going to do all the really hard work for me, this time!

Habenaria medusae looks interesting Meanie. I hope you get some - and NO overlaps in the seed orders. That's where the gift vouchers score - you do the choosing.

Your Christmas Rhodos look lovely Bulbaholic - the colour of the pictured R. ochraceum is a real deep blood red. I hope the others are as lovely - I'm sure they will be.

Each to their own, Jiffy. We try not to go mad with the Christmas pressies, and some of the presents I'm giving this year will be Kiva gift vouchers. Kiva is an organisation at www.kiva.org where people in the first world lend money in $25 chunks to people in the third world. So my lucky family will have the pleasure of chosing which Philippino fisherwoman, or Bolivian tailor, or Lebanese taxi driver to lend their present to. They will be able to get their (was my) money out at the end of the term of the loan, but I hope they'll chose to reloan it to another needy business person in another poverty-stricken country.

Steveg, I hope your SA bulbs flourish - and that you remember to lift them next autumn, as I'm guessing that they're not hardy enough for this country's winter.

Drc, I hope you get your secateurs. And I think you deserve more - I hope you have a lovely family time. We've got 2 of our 4 kids coming. One lives with us anyway and we've just come back from a visit to see the youngest in Vietnam where he's working.
Do you know about the superstition where you have to buy the present from the giver if the present is a sharp object? So if you want to give someone a knife, or a pair of scissors, or a pair of secateurs the recipient has to give you a small coin for the gift. It's to prevent your friendship from being "severed". I don't know where this tradition comes from, but my father was Polish - perhaps that's where it originates?

Lucky you Karenfrance! I've just read your profile. Is William a gardener in Nigeria? That will be an interesting challenge, growing things in such a different climate. Good luck with the project.

Happy Christmas and thanks for your answers.

A catapult (not sure how to spell that), and a box of dried peas, to ward off the Parakeets.

LOL Ginellie! It sounds like a new sport :-) My brother lives in a house with a railway line down one side of it and a canal at the bottom. He has an air rifle to keep the number of rats down.

Ginellie - ball bearings are much more lethal!!

Beattie - the H.medusea seems to be rarer than rocking horse poo, so I'm not hopeful........
I've put off ordering my seeds until after christmas.

I'd like that life-size cardboard cut out of Alan Titchmarsh they've had in B & Q for a while......ahhhh, Alan x

my own mistletoe plants .

Greenfingers, do you know anyone who works in B&Q? Or you could just ask to see the manager and request it when they don't want it any more. Might work......

Noseypotter, I think you're making arrangements to have your own mistletoe plants in a year or so. :-) I hope you manage to get them to "take".

me to beattie ill keep you posted in about 3 years at a guess lol x.