Things to do in your garden in December

A "to-do" list of jobs to do in your garden this month.

Although things to do in the garden quieten down a bit in December, there’s still a few things that need taking care of. The winter frosts look quite beautiful on your sleepy garden as the days become shorter, so make time to walk around and enjoy it. Get your FREE December checklist here*.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Take a look below at some of the main jobs I think are worth doing in your garden this December:

• Top-dress pots –

Add a layer of grit, clay pebbles or crushed shells to the top of your pots of alpine and succulent plants. This will prevent their leaves sitting on the wet soil, and it looks attractive too.

• Continue mulching the borders –

This keeps weeds at bay and retains the soil in very heavy rainfall.

•  Plant bare-root shrubs –

If the ground is not too wet or frozen, you can plant roses, hedging and trees. Don’t do this if it is too cold.

•  Keep weeding –

Stay on top of perennial and annual weeds.

• Protect terracotta pots -

Bring them inside or insulate with bubble wrap, to stop the frost from causing them to crack.

• Plant sweet-scented shrubs –

Plant shrubs such as Daphne and Chimonanthus in pots near to the house – that way you will enjoy their fragrance each time you come and go.

• Check bulbs in storage –

Regularly check to see that stored corms and bulbs are staying dry and not rotting.

• Greenhouse jobs to do – 

• Remove faded leaves and flowers from plants that are over-wintering under protection.

• Monitor temperatures using a maximum-minimum thermometer.

• Check for glasshouse pests such as red spider mite. Remove by hand or treat as necessary.

• Keep watering to a minimum to reduce diseases present.

• Maintain houseplants – 

Make sure houseplants receive an adequate amount of light by moving them to a sunny windowsill.

• Project work –

It’s a great time of year to carry out repairs to garden structures and fences, and start planning your hard-landscaping.