Gardening expert Pollyanna Wilkinson has shared her advice on what gardeners should be doing before December ends – and it’s not what you might expect
A gardener has recommended planting spring bulbs in December (stock)(Image: Getty)
December might seem an odd time to be pottering about in the garden, with the earth frozen solid and nature having its annual nap.
But there’s still plenty to do, according to green-fingered gurus across the UK who have got a few ideas on how Brits can keep busy in their backyards.
One such expert is Pollyanna Wilkinson, who advises that now’s the time for gardeners to cast their eyes forward to the coming seasons and get prepped.
Pollyanna has one task she reckons gardeners can get stuck into right away – even if they think it’s past its sell-by date – planting spring bulbs, tulips included.
There are still plenty of jobs gardeners can do in the winter (stock)(Image: Alex Walker via Getty Images)
Penning her thoughts in The Times, she advised: “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 alone in recommending some December digging, with gardening guru Monty Don also sharing his two cents on this frosty period.
On the BBC Gardeners’ World Podcast, he chatted about his own winter routine when he’s off-camera and free from filming duties.
Planting bulbs is one job gardeners can crack on with before the year is out (stock)(Image: Getty)
Explaining his reasoning for stepping back, he revealed: “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 opened up about how December brings challenges not only to his allotment, but to his mental wellbeing, as he spoke candidly about battling Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Speaking frankly to Gardeners’ World Magazine, he confessed: “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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