It’s that time of year, mince pies, mulled wine, log fires, fairy lights. It’s official I really am like a big kid when it comes to Christmas and now I have two little kids of my own I love it even more! There are still things to be done in the garden but not all that much. Instead I like to spend time bringing the garden into the house by going to town with the decorations using all those wonderful evergreens…. holly, ivy, Euonymus, Elaeagnus, Prunus lusitanica, pine, bay…. the list goes on. For those brave enough to battle the elements then here are some jobs to be getting on with.
- Continue to rake up the last of the leaves off your lawn and shake any off evergreen shrubs. Don’t worry about the ones in the borders as these will breakdown and get worked into the soil, they also provide somewhere for insects and the like to take cover.
- Keep those bird feeders topped up and make sure there is fresh clean water available that hasn’t frozen over.
- As soon as the leaves have fallen you can prune apples, pears, currants and autumn raspberries.
- Prune back vines to 1 or 2 buds on this years growth.
- Keep a frost watch on your greenhouse and if need be provide heat for those tender plants you are storing in there.
- I use a lot of fresh herbs when I’m cooking so I always bring a pot of chives and mint inside to keep me supplied during the winter months.
- Order seed catalogues so that you can peruse them over the festive period with a mince pie in hand!
- If you want to get warm outside now is a good time to get digging, turning heavy soil and leaving the winter frosts to do their job breaking it down. Also it’s a good time to add organic matter and leave the worms to work this in over the winter.
- It’s still a good time for planting and transplanting but make sure the ground isn’t frozen.
- Continue increasing numbers by taking root cuttings and hardwood cuttings.
