Gardening Advice and Helpful Tips
Your gardening advice for December.
Will Clark
Plant Area Manager
Will Clark shares his top ten festive gardening tips for December.
1. Home-grown wreath
Get into the festive spirit by making your own wreath from holly, ivy, spruce, pine and stems of willow and dogwood, Cotoneaster and Hellebores. You can use a ready-made wreath base or make your own from willow branches or metal wire. The more rustic the better to achieve that homemade look!
2. Sprouts out
You can harvest lots of veg for Christmas lunch, including parsnips, leeks and winter cabbages, all of which can be left in the ground until you need them for the freshest flavour. Harvest Brussels sprouts when they are around one inch in diameter, before they ‘blow open’. Pick them from the base of the plant up, twisting them away from the plant.
3. Helping hand
The cold winter months can be a challenging time for our feathered friends. If you only do one thing this month, my top tip is to hang out a bird feeder. Fat-rich foods such as peanuts, suet products, sunflower hearts and even fruits will all be gratefully received. Keep a bird bath topped up with water too as birds need to drink and bathe every day.
4. Tree tips
If you buy your Christmas tree early, leave outside in a bucket of water and only bring inside when you’re ready to decorate. Take an inch off the bottom of the tree with a saw before you bring in, a bit like you do with freshly cut flowers. Don’t position your tree next to a fire or radiator as the needles will drop quicker. I always recommend a stand that holds water and top it up every day.
6. Green Christmas
There are plenty of options to recycle your Christmas tree. Here at Barton Grange, you can leave your used trees and we will transport them to the Fylde Sand Dunes project to help provide an improved flood defence which benefits the local community and wildlife.
7. Winter pruning
It’s time to get the secateurs out for one final cut. Grapevines, autumn-fruiting raspberries, apple and pear trees, wisteria and Japanese maples are just some of the plants that benefit from a good winter prune. Try shredding the cuttings rather than burning them as not only is this better for the environment, but they also make a fantastic mulch that can be added to compost.
8. Clean sweep
Keep sweeping up leaves from your lawn, borders and paths with a rake or stiff brush. Remember to keep the greenhouse and shed gutters free or leaves and debris too.
9. Snow patrol
If we actually have a ‘White Christmas’ remember to shake snow off trees and shrubs as the weight of snow can damage branches and stems. Don’t worry about snow on low plants because it protects them against hard frosts.
9. Mind the gap
Check newly planted trees and shrubs to see if they have been loosened by winds or lifted by frost. If this happens, gaps form around the roots causing them to dry out. If you see a crack around the plant, firm in again gently with your feet.
10. Spring goals
Now is the time to start planning for next year’s garden. Carefully plan your vegetable crop rotation to avoid a build-up of pests and diseases. Write up a list of fresh ideas for your borders and enjoy dreaming of next spring!
Feature plant: Helleborus Niger
Commonly known as the Christmas rose, this gorgeous evergreen perennial bears beautiful white flowers throughout the winter months into early spring. It’s perfect for growing at the front of a partially shaded border and makes an excellent cut flower – simply float the blooms in a bowl of water to display them.
More Advice?
Ruth McNamee
Greenhouse Senior
October on the Veg Plot...
October is a great month to get ahead in the veg patch, writes Ruth McNamee.
Choose a sunny sheltered spot to sow broad beans. The variety Aquadulce Claudia does well from autumn sowing. Sow a double row with seeds 20cm apart. These plants should germinate, stand over winter and quickly establish when the weather warms. The crop can be enjoyed a couple of weeks earlier than spring sown seeds.
You can start to plant out garlic this month 15cm apart in rows 30cm apart. This can be left to next month if preferred. And there is still time to plant out overwintering onions. Make a shallow drill and place the sets pointy end up 15cms apart in rows 30cms apart. Onions are ready to harvest early next summer. Try onion and garlic in big pots and keep in a sheltered spot for the best results.
October is a great month to get your permanent planting done. It’s a good time to establish your fruit and asparagus beds while the soil is still warm from the summer heat. Rhubarb and asparagus crowns will now be available in the garden centre. Prepare the beds by removing all weeds. These crops will be in these beds for many years so it helps to give them a good start.
May is the month where strawberries flower so mulch plants with straw.
Prune early flowering shrubs such as the Forsynthia and Weigela.
Direct sow basil next to tomato seedlings to help draw white fly away.
Veg seeds that can be sown outdoors include courgette, beetroot and sprouts.
Lift and divide your spring bulbs and plant where you want for next year.
Check all foliage for lily beetle and greenfly and dispose of any found.
Gardening Jobs for January
Buy seeds to be sown in January or February.
Buy seed potatoes, onion sets and garlic.
Appraise the garden for form and structure, and plan alterations and additions.
Plant window boxes and containers for seasonal colour.
Protect vulnerable plants from frost and wind damage.
Firm in any autumn-planted shrubs and border plants lifted by frost.
Knock snow off branches, especially on conifers and hedges, if they are bending under the weight.
Check stakes and ties on newly planted trees.
Remember the birds in the garden and put out food for them, especially when it’s frosty.
