December Planting
Planting - Winter is a very good time for planting many trees and shrubs as they are dormant now and so less likely to be stressed during planting. Don’t plant if the soil is frozen or waterlogged as this will be very difficult and cause untold damage to tree roots. Use a quality compost and mix this into the soil in the planting hole before planting.
Take a look around the garden and locate areas that are bare of winter interest and colour. There are many shrubs that perform during the depths of winter that can be planted now. For plenty of ideas visit your local garden centre or plant nursery where you will find displays of seasonal plants that are looking great now.
Plant up a container or two of winter interest plants to bring colour to the patio and garden, place them in a prominent spot to ensure you can see them from a window or put by the front door to welcome your visitors.
Mulching - After heavy winter rain, top up mulches around the base of your trees and shrubs. Don’t add fertiliser or plant food at this time of year as it could promote early growth that would be affected by frost and freezing winds.
For areas where you are applying a fresh mulch, remove all perennial weeds and clear away any garden debris so that the mulch protects the surface of the soil. Garden mulches help to suppress garden weeds, improve and retain soil moisture and will also insulate plant roots against extreme cold or heat.
Mulch around cane fruit with a rich soil conditioner or a well rotted compost.
Mulch over the roots of containerised plants to protect the root ball from extreme cold. Wrap the sides of the pots with bubble wrap to add further protection to the pot and your plants.
Weeding – Keep your flowerbeds and borders free of weeds. Every perennial weed removed now will save you hours of work in the spring and help you prepare the soil for spring planting.
Soil preparation - Dig over any bare soil in the garden, when the ground is not frozen or waterlogged. This allows the frost to break up thick clods and also to expose garden pests to the birds. Dig in plenty of Farmyard Manure or Soil Conditioner to improve the structure of the soil ready for planting.
Fruit - In the fruit garden it’s a good time to winter prune tree fruit. Remove any dead, diseased or crowded stems and branches. Pay particular attention to the centre of the tree which can become tangled and overgrown. The outer stems and branches should be simply trimmed, if necessary, to keep the tree in shape.
Vegetables - Look out for seed potatoes in the garden centre and choose a few tubers of varieties that you want to grow. Last season seed potatoes sold out in most places, so buy them early to get the best choice. Take them out of their bags and spread them out on a tray, placed in a light, frost-free place to sprout. It’s essential to protect them from frost, but don’t keep them too warm or the sprouts will grow long and be brittle. A cool greenhouse is ideal.
In the vegetable garden continue harvesting winter crops such as leeks, sprouts and cabbages.
