Those of us who do not possess green fingers have long regarded gardening as a form of punishment, but now it’s official. Instead of the usual community service chores of scrubbing off graffiti or picking up litter, offenders have been creating raised flower beds at a community centre in Carmarthenshire to improve access for wheelchair users. The Ministry of Justice has trumpeted the success of the scheme in a news item headed ‘Offenders make a blooming difference’. Perhaps officials should be forced to plant a few shrubs themselves for that lamentable pun.