Gardening is probably not the first thing you think of in December. With all the holidays and bad weather, you won't always have the time or inclination to go outside. However, you'd be surprised what you can still do and how much there is to discover in the garden. In any case, it's good for your health to go outside and do some gardening, so dress warmly and make some time this month to get out in your garden.
Garden tasks
When the weather permits, all sorts of jobs can still be done in the garden. Now is the time to prune deciduous trees and shrubs if you haven't already. Because there are few leaves, you can clearly see where to remove branches. Also, remove all diseased and/or rotten branches. Make sure not to put diseased branches on the compost heap, but in the organic waste bin. Otherwise, the disease will spread throughout the garden when you use the compost.
Plans for next year
On days when the weather is too bad, it's a good time to make plans for next year. Where did you feel something was missing in the garden, or in which season was there little color? Write down these kinds of things throughout the year and then consult them when you start making new plans. There are many fun and informative books about gardening, containing practical tips such as when different plants and flowers provide color in the garden. A accessible and practical book we recommend is 'A Year in the Garden' by Ian Spence. There are also many nurseries and seed companies with online catalogs, which are always a joy to scroll through and dream of beautiful plants and flowers. This way, you can easily gather inspiration for your own garden.
Maintain your perennials
It is advisable to cut off the dead leaves of perennials. Especially when you see that it is very wet and starting to rot, it is recommended to remove this already in winter. The rotting leaves can cause the core of the perennial to rot as well. Thicker stems with seed pods or plumes from plants like astilbe can be left alone and can create a beautiful sight in the garden when frosted. Speaking of frost, it is wise to cover frost-sensitive perennials in the border or wrap potted plants to protect them from frost. If you have a cold greenhouse, you can also place the pots in there. Dutch winters are often not as severe anymore, so a cold greenhouse can certainly suffice. Covering perennials in the border can simply be done with straw or dry leaves and held in place with netting.
If the ground is not frozen, you can still dig up and divide perennials, as we also mentioned in the blog about gardening in November. In addition to dividing, it is also possible to take root cuttings from perennials. This is a bit more complicated and certainly requires more patience. It will also not work with all perennials. Definitely try it with perennials with long fleshy roots, such as Japanese anemones. This method of propagation is also possible with plants with thinner roots, such as Phlox. Soon we will share a video on our social media channels showing how we propagate Phlox.
