Things to do in December
Friday, December 7th, 2007
Winter may be well and truly on its way but that doesn’t mean you have to retreat completely indoors.
Make the most of the sunny days to do these seasonal gardening tasks and you’ll reap the benefits in spring, as well as feeling much better for the fresh air and exercise:
- Wrap up those tender plants - in fact, stop reading this and go and do it right now. You’ll only regret it if there’s a sudden frost. The ubiquitous horticultural fleece is a popular choice, but straw and chipped bark are also useful materials. Here’s a great Gardeners World guide to the subject.
- Never underestimate the beneficial effects of digging! Either for you or for your soil. Wait for a nice sunny day when it’s not been too wet recently, get out there and get stuck in. You’ll appreciate it in spring, when your soil’s in fine condition for planting.
- Look after your fences, shed and trellises. Renew any wood treatment that is appropriate.
- Have a look around for any perennials that are getting a bit big and unwieldy. Time to split them! Use a nice, sharp spade for the job and use the resulting spare plants to restock your garden - or to hand round as timely gifts to friends and relatives.
- It’s also a good time to move any shrubs that have been nagging at you this year. Try to leave the rootball as intact and undamaged as you can to give them the best chance in their new location. If the weather conditions remain dry, continue planting evergreen shrubs, conifers and hedging. You can even continue planting as long as the weather doesnt’ turn too wet. Preparation is everything, and you should give them a really good start in life with plenty of compost - but don’t over-water at this time of year.
- Rake the lawn - but treat it gently if there has been heavy rain recently. Make sure your patio, balcony or paths aren’t disappearing under mounds of old leaves and soil. Collect up any leaves and store them for rotting down, but best to do this separately from the main compost heap, as they take longer. The resulting mulch will be a wonderful treat for your beds a year or two down the line.
- Prune down those big feature roses. Your aim is to stop wind damaging them, so don’t be afraid, take off about half their height. Read this helpful pruning guide from Harkness Roses.
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Tags: december, Seasonal to-dos, winter gardening