Keep raking up those leaves from the lawn and borders.
If it’s a mild winter, continue to cut the lawn if it’s growing, but raise the height of the mower blades.
From now until the end of March is the time to plant any bare rooted trees, shrubs and roses.
Check stored fruit, throw out any that are rotten.
Reduce watering on houseplants.
To keep your indoor hyacinths blooming longer, make sure they are kept in a cool, bright place. If they are kept too warm the leaves will elongate and the flowers will fade quickly.
Put bark chips around your hellebores to protect emerging blooms from rain splashes. Cut off any leaves with black spots on them to try and prevent the fungal disease spreading.
Earth up tall Brussel sprout stems to support them against winter winds. Cut back your asparagus ferns when they have turned yellow, and put a layer of well rotted compost on top of the crowns.
Lift and divide established clumps of rhubarb to renew the plant’s vigour. Sections taken from the outside of the plant are better than those from the centre.
Now is the perfect time to prune fruit trees to maintain an open, balanced structure and encourage quality fruit production. However plums, cherries and other stone fruits should not be pruned until the summer as winter pruning will make them susceptible to silver leaf fungus.
Prune vines, birch and acer by the end of the month to avoid bleeding.
Note: The editor of Chandler’s Ford Today has asked me for a list of gardening ideas for Christmas.
- Seed tin for storing seeds
- Kneeler
- Slate plant markers
- Personalised wooden crate planter
- Potting bench
- Bird feeders
- Bird box with camera in
- Hedgehog food
- Garden lanterns
- Radio for the garden
- Hand cream
- Leaf grabbers
- Brazier or fire pit
- Garden magazine subscription
- A trip to a garden with afternoon tea
Great blog post! And what a comprehensive list of Christmas gifts for gardeners. There’s something here for all budgets and different people. Thanks for sharing!