December Notes from the Studio

Garden tasks & growing flowers.

The human will to connect with the natural world runs strong especially at Christmas or midwinter. Bringing greenery into the home and hanging evergreen wreaths on our doors has been a tradition that can be traced back to the Romans, symbolising the cyclical nature of year, light at the darkest time, decorating with generous greenery. This year I am using pine branches, eucalyptus and conifer for a richly scented mix. These branches dry out in a few weeks, so I won’t bring them inside until a week before Christmas as is traditional in our home.¹

I’ve saved honesty paper pods on sun bleached stems for a little sparkle. I’m going to get some English mistletoe (look them up for postal delivery) because the berries look like pearls in amongst greenery and why not more kisses! I also cut a few stems off one of my favourite shrubs, Lonicera fragrantissima and sarcococca (christmas box) whose both scents are intoxicating.

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What to do in December

This is a great month to get out, whilst the weather is, usually, mild and a great counter to Christmas bustle and consumption.

1. Blackened Dahlias.

   Now that the frost must have blackened all our Dahlias (at last), it is time to lift them or turn a bucket of compost over the top to protect them over the winter. More about helping you decide what to do with yours here.

   

2. Planting Tulips

   Now we’ve had a good few frosts, tulips can be planted. I am especially mindful of the resource to grow bulbs, they are a luxury and I plant mindful of this. I am trying to increase the bulbs in the long border - these are not cut but admired since tulips grow on a single stem with their leaves so rarely grow back as strongly in following years. I loathe to grow them as an annual.

3. Planting Bare root and root balled trees, shrubs and roses.

   My top recommendation this month; order shrubs. What a lovely present they’d make too. Ordered now, they can be ‘heeled’ in the soil, or sand until you are ready to plant them (by March). I listed my 'Delightful Dozen Shrubs for the 12 Days of Christmas' here.

4. Planning

   (The) seed catalogues make us plan on a smaller scale. ‘Wouldn’t it be nice to grow such-and-such again next year?’ we think. And this is quickly followed by, ‘Where shall we plant it, and what will go well with it?’ Planning has many aspects and ramifications.

   Cuttings, A Year in the Garden with Christopher Lloyd.

   If you have time this month, think about your plans for next year. I suspect none of us will manage it, so instead do mine in January. You can join me then on my ‘Plan Your Flower Crops for 2025’ course. In December, I am dreaming about abundant combinations, collecting and cutting out images and beginning to think about what seeds I will be ordering next year to grow.

5. Sort out your seeds

   I love a good sort out. See what seeds I have still for next year and throwing away dried out or damp packets. When I say throw away, I mean throw them in the borders and see what comes up. Seed always does better when fresh but there might still be some viable.

6. Collecting leaves

   From lawns and over winter flowering plants. Add to the compost heap or if you are lucky enough to have lots, make some leaf mould in a wire cage or plastic bags. This is the gold that I love to use to make my own potting compost.

   

7. Raise potted plants off the ground.

   Anything that I haven’t managed to plant yet is lifted off the ground to make sure it doesn’t get water logged.

8. Prune Climbing Roses

   Take older stems back to 2/3rds their length and tie in long stems laterally. (Also cutting back, lightly, roses in the beds too).

   

9. Plant up last of bulbs to force indoors

   I’m bringing in pots of emerging bulb shoots for indoor flowering. Still plenty of time to pot your own narcissus paper whites, snowdrops, hyacinths and iris reticulata. Do some for tables outside and presents too. Pots of bulbs are so joyful. I like to use a mix of homemade compost and leaf mold for a rich moist medium yet free draining.

   

   Further reading for December

Consumption Checklist - A manifesto for spending

Aesthete Gift List - what gardeners really want for Christmas

And why I no longer mulch or weed winter beds.

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Harvesting

This month, the focus is well and truly on decorating the home in abundance rather than arranging in vases. For inspiration on what to use and ideas to do that, have a look at 'Decorating at Christmas; and how to do so when you don't have stately grounds to gather from’.

Shrubs - Ivy, pine, conifer, holly, larch, silver birch, hawthorn berries, rose hips, dogwood, eucalyptus, sage, rosemary, sarcoccoca,

Perennials - First Hellebores ‘winter bells’, cyclamen, and I am still cutting chrysanthemums from the tunnel. Last few weeks of those but they have been brilliant this year.

Dried - Honesty paper pods are my favourite with grasses (especially miscanthus and panicum ‘frosted explosion’), clematis ‘old man’s beard’ and teasels plus anything else you’ve managed to save.

1. I really dislike this 1st December Tree decoration and taking everything down on the 27th. I love that period after Christmas, those traditional 12 days and the grubby days of eating left overs, playing games and walking (or ideally gardening!) Christmas Day is the beginning of that celebration isn’t it? Not marking the end of the High Street celebration and therefore ours too.