December might seem like a curious time of year to be gardening, when the ground is solid and hard, and nature is in the middle of hibernating.
However, there is still work to be done, with gardening experts around the UK suggesting ways British gardeners can keep themselves busy.
One of those is Pollyanna Wilkinson who suggests that gardeners should be looking ahead to the upcoming seasons and preparing for those.
Pollyanna said there is one job gardeners can crack on with – despite the fact they may feel it’s too late – planting spring bulbs, including tulips.
Writing in The Times, she said: “It’s not too late to plant spring bulbs. If you haven’t got round to planting your bulbs yet, or just have a few left over, you can still plant them now as long as the soil isn’t frozen or waterlogged.
“I rarely bother planting bulbs until December anyway, as tulips do best if you put them in the ground when it’s colder to avoid the risk of tulip fire (a fungal disease that causes leaves and flowers to look scorched).
“There’s still time to plant alliums, camassias, snake’s head fritillaries and winter wildflower too.”
Pollyanna isn’t the only gardening expert to recommend doing some jobs in December, with fellow planting legend Monty Don also chipping in with his thoughts on this time of year.
Speaking on the BBC Gardeners’ World Podcast, he discussed what he gets up to during his winter shutdown when he doesn’t have to worry about filming.
Discussing his pause point, he said: “It doesn’t get light until 8 o’clock and it’s dark by half past four….Basically there’s not much you can do after four o’clock in the afternoon.
“So the days are short, the weather is bad. It doesn’t make any sense to struggle on our very heavy soil making a mess and compacting the soil and making it worse. So for purely horticultural practicality, less is often more.
“There’s very little that you need to do in December you can’t catch up on in January or even February that, if you’re organised, you couldn’t have done in November.”
Monty has also discussed how December can be a low time not just for his garden, but for himself, as he talked about his experience living with Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Opening up to Gardeners’ World Magazine, he added: “December can be a low time of year for me psychologically, as I am prone to seasonal affective disorder, but my spirits always rise when we get to Boxing Day.
“Even if it’s filthy weather, I always do some gardening – I go to the potting shed and sow some tomatoes, chillies and onions. It gives me the sense that we are working towards spring.”
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