Norfolk School of Gardening: Jobs to do over Christmas

By the time you read this you may well have had enough mince pies, festive leftovers and Christmas television.

As usual at this time of year, however, we have a short list of jobs you can be getting on with if you feel the need to get off the sofa and get some fresh air in the coming days.

Abelia x grandiflora in flower in December (Image: Norfolk School of Gardening)

Christmas Day was the first of the Twelve Days of Christmas, so if you haven’t ventured outside yet, you already have some catching up to do.

The First Day of Christmas: Tidy with restraint

Begin by removing collapsed annuals, rotting stems and any diseased material that could harbour problems for next year.

At the same time, resist the temptation to be too thorough. Seedheads, hollow stems and fallen leaves provide valuable winter shelter for insects and food for birds.

A winter garden should look lived-in and layered, not stripped bare and over-managed.

Viscum album mistletoe (Image: Norfolk School of Gardening)

The Second Day of Christmas: Check winter protection
Wind and heavy rain can loosen fleece, straw and cloches, leaving tender plants exposed just when they need protection most. Check plants such as tree ferns, bananas, salvias and newly planted shrubs. If temperatures are forecast to drop, make sure coverings are secure but breathable, keeping crowns dry without trapping moisture that could cause rot.

The Third Day of Christmas: Mind the soil

Frozen or waterlogged ground should be left well alone, as walking on it compacts the soil and damages its structure.

On milder days, take the opportunity to spread compost or well-rotted manure over empty beds.

This surface mulching feeds soil organisms and improves fertility naturally, without the need for winter digging.

The Fourth Day of Christmas: Prune dormant fruit

Apples, pears, currants and gooseberries can all be pruned now while dormant.

Remove crossing, congested or damaged branches and aim for an open, balanced framework that allows light and air to circulate.

Stone fruit such as plums and cherries are best left until summer, when the risk of disease is lower.

The Fifth Day of Christmas: Feed the birds

Birds are among the gardener’s most useful allies. Clean feeders regularly to prevent disease and offer a mix of seed, fat and fresh water.

Winter solstice cobwebs (Image: Norfolk School of Gardening)

Feeding birds brings movement and sound to the winter garden and helps ensure they are around in spring to control pests naturally.

The Sixth Day of Christmas: Walk and observe

Finally, take time simply to walk the garden. Notice where frost lingers longest, where water collects, and which plants provide winter structure and interest.

Winter reveals truths that summer disguises, offering valuable lessons for the year ahead.

These first six days are about care rather than change — tending the quiet framework that will support the garden when growth eventually returns.

Upcoming courses:

Introduction to Garden Design – from January 8

Certificate in Practical Horticulture – from January 9

Advanced Practical Gardening – January 14

Chainsaw Use & Cross Cutting – February 25

Plant of the Week

This week it has to be mistletoe, Viscum album, which is an evergreen, hemi-parasitic shrub, meaning it obtains part of its food from the plant it’s parasitising, and part from photosynthesis.

Among the most frequent host trees are apples, lime, poplar and conifers. Mistletoe doesn’t kill the tree, so you needn’t remove if you spot it growing in your garden.

You can grow mistletoe yourself by harvesting the seeds from fresh berries in spring, then squishing them underneath bark flaps on a suitable tree or shrub.