Last updated in 2021 .
It ’s hard to conceive we have already hit December , especially give how small snow and cold those of us in the southern half of Minnesota have encounter . As I write this , the gamy today is predicted to hit 50 level . December is one of the quietest month for northern gardeners , but there are still a few things to keep plant people busy . Here are five garden chores for December :
arrange out some holiday verdure . If you have not already , conceive set out a pot of greens , pine strobilus , violent branchlet dogwood tree or whatever else suit your fancy to add a little sunniness to the neighborhood . Short on funds : Try scavenging from your cubic yard for greensand dried flowers . brusque on time : OurDiscount Partnerscreate stunning holiday containers , windowboxes and more . Contact one near you for a beautiful porch pot . While you are at it , how about buying apoinsettiaor a big , beautifulamaryllisto rosiness around the New Year .
Photo credit: Istockphotograpy
purchase seeds . await a moment ! Is n’t this a January chore ? It can be , but since the head start of the pandemic there have been intermittent ejaculate shortage . We ’re promising that wo n’t be the case in 2022 . But , if you have a particular tomato you love to rise or an yearbook that is top on your list , look at buying your seeds a bit to begin with than common and adding seeded player buying to your garden chores for December .
Plan next year ’s garden . We do n’t have any nose candy at the moment , so take some time and walk around your yard thinking about what you require to do next year . Take a few measuring and photos , if your renovation program are big . This is a great time for dreaming , and if you have big ideas and are n’t sure how to enforce them , view make theSustainable Landscape Design Basicsclass that MSHS is offering in March ( the January socio-economic class is already sell out ! ) This class is taught by Julie Weisenhorn and Jim Calkins , two uracil of M pros , and covers all you need to hump about create a sustainable intention . You ’ll even have a opportunity to get feedback on your own design for a pack of cards , front first appearance or other low garden space .
Keep an eye on your houseplants . With the heat blazing and dry house air abundant , your houseplant may feel stressed . Do n’t exaggerate the watering and avoid fertilizing most houseplant in wintertime , but check the leave and branches for signs ofscale , jot or other pests and disease . If you discern something suspicious , put the flora in quarantine , and research the best methods for plow with the pest or disease . Thisuniversity websitehas lots of entropy on houseplant disease and pests . run to houseplants will be one of your most of import garden chores for December and the rest of winter .
Stock up on your wintertime garden reading . It could be a tenacious winter , so now is a bang-up sentence to sprout up on some books to delight during the down metre . A few we have been reading and enjoying lately includeDigging and Delighted : How to Live Your good Gardening Lifeby Carol Michel , a humourous , heart - warming and fair usher to gardening;Winterland : make a Beautiful Garden for Every Seasonby Maine - based garden designer Cathy Rees ; or really compass into a misunderstood pollinator with Heather Holm ’s record , Wasps : Their Biology , Diversity and Role as Beneficial Insects and Native Plant Pollinators . If you may wait until March to get it , you may pre - orderNorthern Gardenercontributor Meg Cowden ’s forth - come playscript on getting the most from your vegetable garden through succession planting . The book is titledPlant Grow Harvest Repeat : raise a Bounty of Vegetable , Fruits and Flowers by Mastering the Art of Succession Planting .
One last garden chore for December is to rest and relax . One of the joys of our northern climate is that the atmospheric condition gives us permission to slow down . relish that endowment .
For garden tipsand to receiveNorthern Gardenermagazine in your mailbox , get together the Hort Society today !
Learn more inNorthern Gardener®magazine…
Four seasonal issues full of growing tip and featured gardens — written and edited by local northern gardening pros just for you .
