MzzB’s December Garden

SARCOCCA – WINTER BOX -SWEET SMELLING SHRUB

The Garden in December

Winter has really set in, the leaves have almost gone, the days are shorter, so perhaps now it is time to take stock of your garden. Look at its structure- is there anything that has outgrown it’s current place , do you have gaps, could you grow things that have interest in the winter?

Colourful winter stems of shrubs, seed heads, grasses will all add structure and colour in the winter. Then there are all those exciting shoots that have started to emerge- snowdrops and daffodils. Winter flowering shrubs with lovely scents, like winter flowering honeysuckle and sarcocca, great to have where you walk past to your door. Christmas is the time to scour the garden for non plastic christmas decorations, – fir cones, seed heads, dried grasses, wooden/cardboard stars. Make a door wreath from sprigs of conifer or evergreens and decorate with dried natural material,and berries.

Jobs for the December Garden

Order your seeds for next year- and remember that as a member of Tattenhall Gardening Society, or the Allotment Group, you get a very good discount from Dobies.

• .Think about the wildlife you want to encourage into the garden- hedgehogs need routes between gardens- so make a hedgehog size hole at the base of your fence into your neighbours garden (check they are ok with this!)
• ,Leave piles of twigs/logs etc for insects, toads,
• Plan to grow more wildlife friendly plants – flowers that are good for pollinators – single flowers not doubles.
• Make a pond – even a small one will attract all sorts of wildlife from frogs and toads to dragonflies
• .Encourage birds into your garden with bird feeders and they will hopefully return to eat the insect pests in the summer- make sure you wash them out regularly to prevent the spread of disease

• Ventilate the greenhouse on frost free days to keep grey mould at bay, and clear away dead or mouldy leaves.

• You can still plant trees and shrubs either container grown, or bare root.

• Don’t overwater your houseplants, they need less water at this time of year.

• In the veg garden, time to start winter pruning apple and pear trees.

• Cover parsley with a cloche for winter picking. and try sowing coriander and dill in seed trays under cover for picking as baby leaves.

• And enjoy those frosty mornings with the clear blue skies and sunshine, it makes up for all those grey days!!

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