hiya bucks in Bourne End, Flackwell Heath, Marlow, Wycombe, Wooburn December 2013 | Page 6

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December Gardening

by Stuart McCann of Gardening Angel

Hello there, I have been kept extremely
busy since last month’s article, mainly
dealing with leaves and branches that
came down in the storm we had a few
weeks ago. I would have thought that
most leaves would have fallen by now
due to high winds during the storm, but
there are still plenty hanging on for dear
life! My waterproofs have also had a good
innings this last couple of weeks due to
the constant wet and miserable weather,
today (Sunday 10th) has been the driest for
some time!
Anyway, people think that there is not
much to do during the winter months but
rest assured there is plenty to be getting
on with around the garden. I have already
mentioned leaves, winter pots/baskets and
improving the shape of your deciduous
Here are some more jobs for
December:
1.  eep an eye on your winter pots.
K
Remember to keep deadheading
spent flowers and removing fallen
leaves from around their foliage.
2.  Now is the perfect time to prune
apple and pear trees. You should aim
to create an open, balanced structure
which will in turn deliver a good
supply next year.
3.  Look after the birds! Make sure wild
birds are kept well fed by topping up
your bird tables with fat balls and
other tasty treats.
4. Buy a real Christmas tree!!!!!
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trees over the last 2
articles but on top of that
there are numerous other
things. They include
improving your border
soil, cleaning the greenhouse, keeping on
top of your pond and giving your garden
tools a good clean and sharpen.
Winter is the ideal time to move your
shrubs that have been growing in the
wrong place or have become too big for
their current location. Give yourself a good
diameter in width around the base of the
shrub and carefully dig it out with a large
fork. Ideally you will then ease the rootball
onto a piece of polythene and slide the
shrub to its new location. The new hole
needs to be dug quite deep and the soil
needs to be broken up. Then add lots of
organic compost and some mycorrhizal
fungus which will help the roots along.
Water well until established.
Due to the wet weather we have had
recently, this is an ideal time to edge your
lawn and give those edges some definition.
If done correctly, it looks really nice and
tidy and also helps with the mowing in the
future. A straight edged spade or edging
tool are both perfect for doing this. If you
like your lawn shaped nice and straight then
using a long piece of timber works wonders
by making sure you cut in a straight line.
I prefer a rounded or wavy effect but each
person has different tastes!
Shrubs in pots or containers need to be
protected from frost, so moving them into
a greenhouse or shed is advisable. This is
due to the risk of dehydration or root death
in the freezing weather. Also replacing your
old tired roses with new ones before the
heavy snow comes and the ground freezes
is a perfect job for this time of year.

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