Thank you to those who entered our Twelve Days of Christmas competition where we invited you to create your own version of the famous Christmas Carol. We had some really fun entries and people got into the Christmas gardening spirit, so much so it was difficult to chose a winner.

However, we finally plumped for Judith Williams's version for the amount of thought that went into it and the clever use of Latin names that matched also the song (which contained a fair number of puns based on names of fruit trees. She deservedly wins 20% off her next order for her witty and sophisticated interpretation.

On the First Day of Christmas My True Love Brought to me.....
A Williams Bon Chretien PEAR TREE*

We felt this particularly clever as not only does it rhyme, but it is an early fruiting variety**

On the Second Day of Christmas....
Two Davidia Involucrata (DOVE)

Again a witty choice as these are also known as the handkerchief tree, ghost or dove tree, because it produces wonderful white flowers that resemble doves. It's also one of our favourite trees.

On the Third Day of Christmas...
Three Malus HupeHENsis.

Geddit! It's one of the first trees to produce blossom in spring and has wonderful cherry-red fruits in the Autumn. Another fine choice.

On the Fourth Day of Christmas...
Four COLorata Birds

Birds would definitely call for a Colorata tree as it produces a black fruit in autumn which birds love.

On the Fifth Day of Christmas..
Five KesselRINGii

Great rhyme and a wonderfully showy shrub to bring stems from into the house for flower arrangements.

On the Sixth Day of Christmas...
Six Birch HimaLAYans

Witty, appropriate to the carol and fun. With their bark and polished stems, these ornamental trees make a beautiful display in winter.

On the Seventh Day of Christmas...
Seven SWAN a lakeING

This made us chuckle. See if you can interpret this. It took us a little while to understand the reference!

On the Eight Day of Christmas...
Eight MAIDens blushING

Well, we do sell Maiden Fruit Trees! And Maidings (see capital letters) is another way to spell Maidens according to ancient lore.

On the Ninth Day of Christmas...
Nine LADY hillingdons

This refers to a lovely golden yellow rose named after Lady Hillingdon in 1910. Incidentally, she is said to be the first person to have used the phrase: "Lie back and Think of England"!

On the Tenth Day of Christmas
Ten LORDS a Lambourne

This refers after an apple tree which would be cropping around the 10th month of the year. Clever!

On the Eleventh Day of Christmas
Eleven PIPPins PIPPING

Pippins are one of the UK's most yummy flavoured apples. By using this as Day 11 it makes it seem jolly and fun which is just as the 11th day should be.

On the Twelth Day of Christmas
Twelve DRUMmondii DRUMmondiING

There's a fabulous Acer named Drummondii. What a wonderful plant to select as the final Christmas Carol flourish.

* Please note that the caps are Judith Williams' way of emphasing the appropriateness of the plants she has chosen to the song.
** Words written in italics refer to our interpretation of the lines she has selected.