Here are your list of Garden To-Dos for December :
- Outdoor Pots : A cold spell is due this month so protect your potted plants by raising them up off the ground to protect from ground frost. Bring them close to your house or walls in groups to give them some shelter from the elements and to create a micro climate of pots next to a warn wall. Anything really tender might need wrapping in breathable fleece or by being moved into a greenhouse or shed.
- Leaf clearing : Leaves should be cleared from lawns and from around smaller leafed plants like alpines .. they need some room to breathe and more importantly for air to ventilate their own stems and leaves. Create leaf piles in the backs of beds or in untidy corners for insects to over winter in.
- Planting : Continue planting trees and shrubs throughout the winter avoiding really water logged or frozen soil. This is the time to plant bare root plants such as Roses, which are really good value for money. Cold winds and frost can loosen the soil around recently planted trees and shrubs .. so keep an eye on anything you’ve planted and firm down the soil if required.
- Pruning and Tying in : Most deciduous trees and shrubs, including Roses can be pruned over the Winter and its easier to see what you’re doing when there are no leaves on. Make sure any climbers are tied in securely to their supports to avoid any damage over the Winter.
- Harvest : Its time to lift any parsnips and root crops you have left in the ground. After the first frost is the foilk lore for parsnips so their starch turns to sugar and makes them nice and sweet! Even better roasted in the oven and drizzled in honey for the last 15 minutes!
Let me know how you get on, and if you have any questions email me renee@thegirlwhogardens.co.uk.
Or book a Garden Hoedown for an hour of one to one garden therapy and you’ll come away with a personalised action plan to get the most out of your garden!