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 December
and the Christmas holidays and festivities are upon us. Shopping for your
garden and the gardens of others is very rewarding. However, there is
always plenty to do in December. Decorating, composting and pruning as well as
shopping will fill this month's chores.
Indoor Plants
Lawns and Landscaping
Perennials, Annuals and Bulbs
Trees, Shrubs and Groundcovers
Miscellaneous Tools and Equipment
Indoor Plants
 | Remember that many plants you received as gifts are not meant to be
permanent house plants. They were raised in greenhouses and do not adapt
well in the home. Enjoy them as long as possible, but discard them when
they become unattractive. |
| To prolong the life of a flowering poinsettia, keep it moist and protect
it from being chilled or subjected to drafts. Keep it in full sunlight
between 65 and 72F. |
| If the buds drop and the stems shrivel on your Christmas cactus, look for
root injury cause by dry soil. |
| Brown leaf edges develop on some potted tropical plants when grown
indoors. To keep them looking their best, use sharp scissors and trim
away dried portions, following the natural shape of the leaves. |
| The Christmas cactus will be coming into bloom. Reduce watering to
prolong the blooming period. Keep in full sun at 70F. |
| Keep your flowering chrysanthemum blooming longer by keeping the plant out
of direct sunlight. Keep the soil slightly moist. Day temperatures
should be 68F, and night temperatures 40 to 55F. |
| Be sure to remove or punch holes in decorative foil around holiday plants,
or it will collect water and cause roots to die. |
| Rubber plants that have been over watered will have yellowing leaves with
dead spots on the edges. Make sure there is bottom drainage to remove
excess water. The plant may also need to be transplanted into a larger
pot. |
| Purchase amaryllis bulbs in decorative containers for your own enjoyment
or for gifts. Their expense is justified for they increase in beauty
year after year. |
| Always cut off the faded flowers of your amaryllis so no seeds form.
Producing seed robs the bulb of energy that should go to next year's growth. |
| Rotate house plants in dim locations to sunny spots to keep them in prime
condition. |
| Melted snow contains minerals and can be used instead of tap water for
winter watering of house plants. |
| Move gift plants with caution. Plants shocked by the cold may drop
their leaves in a few days. Wrap each plant in 8 to 10 layers of
newspaper stapled shut over the foliage. If it is freezing outside, warm
up the car before loading the plants. Cold temperatures for only a
minute can be detrimental. |
| Pots of narcissus started indoors now will still bring the fragrance of
spring before their outside cousins bloom. |
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Lawns and Landscaping
| Don't forget the spots outdoors where rain
doesn't reach. Check moisture around foundation plantings beneath a roof
overhang and water if necessary. |
| Do filling and grading around the yard.
The loose soil will settle during the cold months. |
| Minimize traffic on a frozen lawn to reduce
winter damage. |
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Perennials, Annuals and Bulbs
| If stored bulbs begin to shrivel, they are too
dry. Place them in a container with potting medium, peat moss, or
sawdust to stop the loss of water. |
| To avoid harming near-dormant plants during the
winter, do not fertilize, and reduce watering until growth resumes in the
spring. |
| A light covering of hay or leaves over
perennials inside the cold frame gives added protection from low temperatures
and bright sunlight. |
| Bulb forcing can be started as late as
mid-winter. Plant tulip bulbs with the tops just above the soil line and
the flat side of the bulb toward the side of the pot. Plant daffodils
with bulb tops even with the soil line. Hyacinth bulbs should be planted
with the tops just above the soil. Crocus bulbs should be planted about
1 inch below the soil line. |
| Use branches from discarded Christmas trees to
mulch beds of bulbs. |
| Winter protection for peonies is necessary only
the first winter to help prevent frost heaving. Mound soil over the new
plantings for several inches, or after the ground freezes hard, mulch with
evergreen boughs or straw. Don't use a material that will mat down, such
as leaves. |
| Check dahlia tubers and gladiolus corms in
storage. If they are sprouting, place them in a cooler spot. If
they show signs of shriveling, rewrap them in ventilated plastic bags.
Moldy or damaged roots must be removed and discarded. Molding indicates
over-moist conditions. Move healthy bulbs to a location with better
ventilation, and set in dry peat moss. |
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Trees, Shrubs and Groundcovers
| Wreaths made from from cut greenery will last
much longer if kept cold, so plan to use them outdoors. Bring them
inside for short periods on special occasions. |
| When choosing a Christmas tree, be sure it is
not too large for the room. Take a tape measure or folding ruler with
you so you'll have less trimming to do once you get the tree home. |
| Never allow the reservoir of your Christmas tree
holder to go dry as an air lock can form in the trunk that can keep the tree
from absorbing water again. |
| Branches of evergreen rhododendrons last for
months in vases if never allowed to run out of clean water. |
| If possible, bring the Christmas tree into a
partially heated area the night before decorating. This will help it
adjust gradually to the warmer temperatures in your home. Its branches
will relax a little, allowing for picking the "best" side. |
| Christmas trees absorb between 2 pints and 1
gallon of water per day, so a tree stand that holds at least 1 gallon of water
is recommended. Check water level daily. |
| Unsheared Christmas trees are less expensive and
leave more room for decorations. |
| If your Christmas tree drops a number of brown
needles right after you bring it inside, not to worry. Conifers normally
drop their 3- to 5 year-old needles throughout the winter. |
| For well-developed fruit on your holly trees,
there must be a male tree to pollinate the female trees. |
| Thoroughly mulch azaleas, rhododendrons,
camellias, and laurel after the ground freezes. They prefer acidic
materials, such as oak leaves and pine needles, but any mixed, dry leaves will
do if oak and pine are not available. |
| When cutting evergreens for Christmas
decorations, use care to prevent harming plants. Distribute pruning over
the entire plants. Limit cutting to mild shaping and thinning. Do
not trim boxwoods when the temperature is below 40F. |
| If an ice storm damages your trees, prune the
broken branches. If left alone, in most cases the wood fiber will not
grow back, and the branch will die. |
| Remove snow from evergreen shrubs to prevent
suffocation and breaking. |
| Plan a visit to public garden or nursery where
you can observe trees and shrubs in their winter phase. |
| Assess the energy efficiency of your landscape.
Do you have evergreen trees or shrubs blocking a window where the sun's warmth
would be welcome? Consider replacing them with deciduous plants that
would let sun in during winter, but cast cooling shade in summer. |
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Miscellaneous
| Snow is a mixed blessing in the garden.
Freshly fallen snow is an excellent insulator. Its millions of tiny air
pockets hold warmth in the soil around snow-covered plants. When frigid
weather comes after a heavy snowfall, the snow cover may save many plants of
borderline hardiness. |
| For Christmas or as a housewarming gift, give a
garden or landscape book to a friend. |
| Save cardboard cylinders from holiday wrapping
paper for making biodegradable, cut worm collars. Cut cylinders into
3-inch tubes to fit over transplants. |
| To discourage insects from hatching when nuts,
cones, and seed pods are brought indoors for holiday arrangements, place them
in the oven on the low setting for an hour. |
| After Christmas, your tree can be moved outside
and redecorated for the birds. Anchor the tree in a bucket of damp sand.
Leave on strings of popcorn and cranberries, and add strings of peanuts (in
the shell). Apples, oranges, leftover breads and cakes, even peanut
butter cookies can be hung on the boughs, but don't use any foods containing
chocolate as it is poisonous to some small animals. For best results,
push the edible ornaments well into the tree. Things that swing might
scare birds. |
| Be careful when using deicing salts. Salt
is toxic to many flowers, trees, shrubs, and lawn grasses. Sand,
sawdust, or a combination work well for deicing and will not injure plants. |
| Start conditioning seeds that require
stratification, such as many of the woody ornamentals. Plant them in a
cold frame or put them in the refrigerator or freezer for the required amount
of time. |
| Use hair spray to keep seed heads and dried
flowers intact. |
| Keep mistletoe out of the reach of children and
pets as the berries are poisonous. |
| When decorating for the holidays, be sure you do
not place fresh, needled evergreens directly on finished furniture or a
mantelpiece; use felt or a tablecloth under them. Sap from branches may
take the finish off wooden surfaces. |
| To make your long winter evenings by the fire
more enjoyable, burn aromatic woods, such as cherry, apple, and pine. |
| Start reviewing and expanding your garden notes
to help with next year's plants. |
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Tools and Equipment
| Try coating your snow shovel with a "no-stick"
cooking spray; the snow slides right off. Recoat as needed. |
| Don't store your lawn seeder/fertilizer.
Use it to spread sand or sawdust on drives and walkways. |
| Drain the fuel tank and run the lawn mower or
tiller engine dry before putting the machine away for the winter. |
| Check belts and spark plugs and buy
replacements, change the oil, sharpen the blades or tines, and clean off dirt
and plant debris so equipment will be ready to go when you need it next
spring. |
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"Gardening
is a matter of your enthusiasm holding up until your back gets used to it."