Gardening in December

Flowers and Shrubs
Hardwood cuttings of shrubs such as dogwood (cornus), hydrangea and forsythia can be taken during December if you wish to increase your stock.  Choose strong, young stems and create cuttings about 8in (20cm) long, making a clean cut with secateurs just below a bud.  These can then be planted in pots of compost and left somewhere out of the way in the garden.  The young plants will be rather slow to root, but by early next autumn they should have made sufficient root to be planted out to their permanent positions.  The same technique can also be used on roses and soft fruit bushes.

Honeysuckles can now be cut down almost to ground level to encourage new growth from the base of the plant.  It is a good idea to cut back old growth on ornamental grasses because as winter advances it tends to look increasingly unattractive.  Take care when handling some species, such as pampas grass (cortaderia), which have blade-like leaves – wear thick gardening gloves to be on the safe side.

There is still just about time early in the month to squeeze in a late planting of tulip bulbs.  Do not be frightened to plant them deeply (up to 6in/15cm), as this gives them a better chance of becoming well established and flowering for several years.

Let’s hope we are not in for an early winter, as we were last December, but if snow falls brush it off evergreen shrubs and conifers before it has chance to freeze on them.  If it is left there is a danger it will cause branches to break off.

If you wish to keep your pelargoniums (geraniums) through the winter to bloom again next year, keep them in a frost-free conservatory or greenhouse, watering only sparingly as they become dormant.  It is also possible to take cuttings of these to provide more plants for next summer.

Check stored gladiolus corms and dahlia tubers for their soundness.  Discard any which show signs of disease.

Remember to place your seed order for early-sow bedding plants such as geranium, petunia and lobelia.  Don’t forget also that many perennial flowers will bloom in their first year if seed is sown early enough – usually in February

Fruit and Vegetables
If you have not already done so, cut back stems of asparagus and Jerusalem artichokes to leave the way clear for new growth of these perennial vegetables next spring.  Where pigeons are a pest on winter greens such as savoys and kale net the plants with fine mesh or fleece, securing the cover so it cannot blow away in strong winds. Remove all plant debris, such as fallen brassica leaves, foliage from parsnips or tops of leek from the garden to help prevent the build-up of pests and diseases.  All plant material can be added to the compost heap.

Garlic, over-wintering onions and shallots can be planted if conditions remain reasonably mild – the sooner this is done the better.  Alternatively, plant garlic cloves in modules and over-winter them in the greenhouse before planting out to their cropping positions next spring.

Check stored fruit, onions and potatoes to ensure they are still in good condition.  Remove any which show signs of bruising or rotting.

Have you placed your seed order?  Make sure you have your requirements of onion, tomato, aubergine and pepper for January and February sowing in gentle warmth.

Continue winter digging the vegetable plot or allotment, leaving large clods to be broken down by frost and rain action.