In Your Garden

December

Ensure your cut Christmas tree is happy! Saw off the bottom 5 to 10 cm of your tree trunk, then place in a reservoir stand. Keep it away from hot radiators and top up the water reservoir regularly.

Pot up Amaryllis bulbs and place in a sunny spot indoors to encourage flower in the New Year. Keep 2/3 of the bulb above the soil and increase watering as leaves grow.

Protect plants from winter weather. Stake plants that are vulnerable to strong winds and cover roots of tender plants with dry, biodegradable mulch. Wrap sensitive, soft growth in biodegradable fleece.

Check your stored bulbs, corms and tubers for rot or disease. Remove and dispose of those that are affected.

If needed, prune Acers and Birches before the end of the year, to avoid sap bleeding. Remove dead, diseased, or damaged wood and crossing branches that are rubbing together.

Sow seeds now as freezing winter weather helps break dormancy. Spread thinly in pots of damp, gritty, compost, covering as recommended. Place outside, with a transparent lid to protect from wet.

Prune climbing roses.

Keep hellebores healthy by removing any leaves suffering from leaf spot. Mulch around the base, ensuring good air circulation around the plants.

Take hardwood cuttings. Deciduous shrubs such as Philadelphus, Weigela, Forsythia and  Hydrangea. Keep the cuttings in a sheltered spot until next autumn.

The RHS recommends making a toad home! They suggest you upturn a large plant pot and put in a shady spot where the ground is soft, and half fill it with soil, moss and leaves. Prop up one edge to provide enough space for a toad to crawl under.

Help fish and pond-life by ensuring ponds don’t freeze over completely. Prevent this by floating a small ball on the ponds surface. Never crack the ice, as the shock can harm fish.

Leave compost heaps alone in cold conditions. Otherwise, you may disturb hibernating grass, snakes, slow worms, frogs, and hedgehogs. Wait until the spring to turn compost, when those winter residents will have moved off.

Provide water for wildlife. Put a shallow shallow saucer on the ground or slightly raised above it. This will give birds another animal somewhere to drink. Defrost with warm water in freezing conditions.