The New Year's arrived with a proper bite to it.

Across much of the UK, an Arctic blast has brought snow, ice and freezing temperatures.

Conditions that make stepping into the garden feel far less inviting,

and in some cases, downright impossible as the soil freezes solid beneath our feet.

And with Storm Goretti looming this weekend, bringing the threat of heavy rain, snow and blustery winds, it feels like the perfect moment to retreat indoors, put the kettle on,

and let the garden live in our imaginations for a while.

First up, Nick Turrell's back with another installment of his fascinating series on the live in our imaginations for a while.

First up, Nick Turrell's back with another installment of his fascinating series on the plants that have shaped human history. So far, he's taken us through the remarkable stories of particular

climbers, grasses and trees that have quietly and sometimes dramatically changed the course of

our lives. Stay tuned to find out which influential

plants he's bringing along this week. Then we're tackling one of those classic January

dilemmas. What to do with your old Christmas tree? Guy Barta joins us with some clever and

creative ideas on how you can give your tree a useful second life in how the festive season has come to an end.

And finally, if you're in need of a little winter inspiration, I've been catching up with my colleague Prue Murray to take a virtual wander through some of the

240 RHS partner gardens that you can visit throughout the year, perfect for getting a dose of garden joy without getting your hands dirty.

All this coming up on Gardening with the RHS with me, Gareth Richards.

Now, if you've been following Nick Torrell's countdown with the most influential plants in human history,

you'll know that this series has been full of surprises.

So far, we've heard

about barley, which helped give rise to beer, whiskey and entire economies, and hops, the

climbing cousin of cannabis that transformed unstable ale into preservable beer, shaping both brewing

and even architecture across parts of the UK. We've also explored mulberries, eucalyptus and willows, and through Nick's stories,

...