December

If you haven’t bought your Christmas tree yet and are pondering on whether to buy a living (potted) or cut real tree, it might help you to know the following. ‘Cut’ Christmas trees are a farmed product, ie they are cultivated in order to be cut and sold; they are generally recycled by shredding them into mulch. Living trees in pots usually languish at the bottom of their owners’ garden, dieing a slow, un-watered death because the majority of gardens are too small for them to be planted. Therefore, environmentally speaking, a cut tree is better than a living tree, if only because it is renewable resource and can be recycled. (We’re not comparing with artificial trees here as that’s a very long essay!)

Read our seasonal tips below and remember to leave time for eating mince pies…                                                                                     

December

·    This month is good time to give the mower a clean, getting all the old caked grass off and oiling metal parts. If it needs repair, get it done now, while the service firms are quiet.

·    Poinsettias are a Christmas favourite, but avoid over watering by giving it little and often into the saucer. Keep them out of cold draughts.

·    Winter pruning of apples and pears can continue this month, so long as it’s not too frosty. If you ‘re not sure if you’re cutting off next season’s fruiting buds, look it up or call us in to do the task for you.

·    To stop weeds next season amongst raspberries and strawberries, apply a heavy mulch - a thick layer of newspaper works well - as soon as the plants are leafless.

·    Planting bare root trees, fruit bushes and roses continues to be a good task to do this month, as long as the ground isn’t hard with frost. A newspaper or compost mulch will help protect more shallow rooted shrubs.

·    If you haven’t done so yet, protect your more tender plants in clay pots from frost by wrapping the pots around with bubble wrap and covering the plants with fleece. Make a group of them together in a sheltered corner and check regularly.

·    If you’re looking for some scented shrubs to have near your front door, for example, Viburnum farrerei, Witch hazel (Hamamelis), Christmas Box (Sarcocca), it’s best to buy them in flower so you can be sure that the individual plant is scented as some aren’t.

·    Seed catalogues are out now. Time to choose what you want to grow next season! Garden centres stock a broad range, but nowhere near as many species or varieties as the catalogues can offer. So much is available as mini-plants now that you may wish to see what is available there too, before you plan your summer colour.