Online Gardening Calendar

December

Wrap up warmly and try a few essential jobs such as tidying away the last of the leaves, or pruning back wayward trees. Not only will you feel better, but you garden will also be kept up to scratch.
Choose a fabulous Nordman Christmas tree from North Wales Garden World and enjoy that special Christmas.

Fruit

Carry on planting and pruning, cutting back newly planted raspberries, gooseberries, apples and pears. Cover fruit bushes and small trees with a cage to prevent birds picking at the tempting fruit buds.

Trees and Shrubs

Prune trees and deciduous shrubs where necessary in mild spells, and gather holly and ivy to decorate you home during the festive season. Firm back any newly planted trees, and check that stakes are keeping weaker trees in check.

Vegetables

Weather permitting, dig or fork over empty ground, adding manure or compost. Plan out next seasons crop rotation, make a list of vegetables you want to grow. Check your stored onions and potatoes for disease, and discard if necessary.

Flowers

Firm back plants lifted from the ground by frost. Plant new herbaceous perennials during mild weather. Dead head flowering winter pansies to encourage healthy blooms throughout winter.

Lawns

Rake up the remaining leaves from your lawn. Try producing your own leaf mould place the damp leaves in bin liners, tie the top, pierce and leave in a cool, dry place. I a year or so, the moul should have broken down into rich mixture, perfect for spreading on boarders.

Pots

Brighten your home with some potted plants such as hyacinths, narcissi or Christmas poinsettias.

Ponds

Protect your fish by placing a large black plastic flowerpot on its side at the deepest point in the middle of the pond. This gives somewhere to escape from predators now that the covering of water plants have gone.