As the new year gets under way and we’re looking out of the window on a dull, empty garden, should we think of turning a new leaf and making changes to really get what we want from it?

My heid’s birling. Over the holidays, Jane and I ploughed through lots of old photos to compile an album, starting with the picturesque but badly run-down cottage in a bare bit of field we bought after abandoning secure jobs in Edinburgh. We’ve ended up with an equally attractive but well-equipped house in a productive and environmentally-friendly smallholding.

A dunt at the side of a small country lane has been replaced by a fairly spacious drive-in, with a large wood shed, workshop and patio. A rectangular patch of bare ground at the front of the house now boasts a potager, herb garden and flower and fruit beds. And a large kitchen garden and orchard have been carved out of a bit of field. We can enjoy leisurely walks through wild areas and along the side of a burn. Wow!

But along the way, we’ve had sand pits, slides and climbing frames and a garden taking many forms depending on what we wanted and could afford. We once grew Christmas trees for the market in our present wild area, and in the very early days our small band of ducks and geese wandered freely wherever the spirit moved them. Why am I telling you this? It’s all too easy to carry on as usual unless changing circumstances force your hand, but why not get ahead of the game and make the garden what you now want?

Any new plans depend on your attitude to the environment, your age, time for gardening and your bank balance.

As I’ve said many times in this column, your garden can be environmentally-friendly, whatever its size. You can have healthy soil, some insect-friendly plants and cosy neuks for wildlife anywhere. You’d think you need a large area to have any impact, but a block of small gardens can be equally effective.

Your age trumps all. When young, we lead busy lives but still have enough in the tank to get a lot done quickly. My son takes digging up a lawn and planting veg beds in his stride, despite his gruelling workload running a university department. He finds gentle watering and pottering at the end of the day puts everything in perspective. But we all use our energies differently. If you can’t spend much time in the garden, be realistic and choose perennials. And small fruit trees and bushes and herbs need little attention. Go for the lazy option, choosing a small lawn for the deckchair rather than a less environmentally-friendly slabbed area.

Children often feature during the next ageing phase. They don’t mix well with flower borders and a hard-wearing lawn may be needed. But harness their natural curiosity and you’ll quickly make gardeners and naturalists of them.

For the next few decades, you’ll be free to garden your way and, later on, when retired but still healthy you will have all the time in the world for gardening. This is just as well because you need more time to achieve less.

But ageing is an attitude of mind. I’ve met far too many 60- and 70-year-olds who prepare for their antiquity by slabbing the lawn and surrounding it with heavily mulched shrubs. By all means, gradually cut back, but avoid being too “sensible”. Gardening is good for you, whatever your age. The bank balance is also pivotal. You can spend a fortune on garden makeovers, buying state-of-the-art aids and gadgets and large, well-manicured plants, but you’ll get a long way on a shoestring. Jane and I achieved a lot by hard graft and recycling everything till it fell apart.