Taking care of the garden is a year-round job, as plants and flowers require constant attention to ensure they look their best. As a result, this means constant planning is needed to make sure no part of the space is being neglected and even though Christmas and New Year celebrations are nearly upon us, finding some time to devote to your garden is important.
Everyone dreams of waking up on Christmas morning to a layer of snow, but the reality is the country will be hit with a steady barrage of wind and rain rather than a flurry of the white stuff, so you may have to take the weather into consideration when deciding whether to venture outside and get a few jobs done, but there are still things you can do if the weather is too bad to bear.
Jobs to do indoors
If you have a metal shed for the garden or somewhere else you can take shelter, then you can take advantage of some dry space to clean out any flower pots and seed trays that were used earlier in the year. It’s also worth using a kit to test the pH of your soil, as too much acid or alkaline needs to be corrected before planting begins in earnest next year.
For those of you who own a greenhouse, use this time to pick off any dead flowers or leaves and also check heaters – if you have them – are working correctly, as a drop in temperature would prove disastrous for anything you are growing indoors during the winter. At the same time, give your greenhouse and shed a bit of a tidy up – you’ll be amazed how much easier it is to find a particular item when you need it next year if everything is in order.
Venturing outside
Of course, sooner or later you will have to wrap up warm and brave the December weather to perform some vital tasks. If you can, try and clean the dead leaves from your greenhouse’s gutters – you don’t want to have to worry about a blockage in the event of a heavy downpour – as well as trim back any climbing plants that are getting close to your home’s gutters and windows.
In terms of caring for your shrubs and flowers, pruning is the order of the day in December. Use the time to trim back overgrown honeysuckle if you have any and, while you have got the secateurs out, take the opportunity to keep any other unruly plants, such as bushes, in check.
Planting is still possible
Planting any flowers outdoors during December is generally not a wise move, but this doesn’t mean you can’t give your green fingers a job to do. If you were planning on introducing any bare rooted trees or shrubs, then now is the time to do so. If you have any vacant space that is not yet in use, try and loosen the earth with a garden fork and mix in some compost, as this will save you a job early next year.
Of course, there is no reason why you can’t continue planting indoors. Try picking up some cacti seeds and sowing them in small pots for growing in your home over the coming months. In the unlikely event we are blessed with a dry summer, you can even try and move them outdoors when the temperature begins to climb.