December and January Gardening.
Ewshot Gardener in association with Fleet and Church Crookham Garden Society (www.ccgsoc.org.uk)
“Winter is a season of recovery and preparation.”
Paul Theroux (1941)
December is fast paced with busy busy lives for preparing for the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations. So, December, being considered ‘the slow-paced month of the garden’ coinciding with the run-up to Christmas is somewhat of a relief. This is the month where you can change pace, take stock and enjoy nature on the crisp, clear December days before the hectic-ness of Spring.
Bay trees besides being a useful culinary herb are elegant and timeless with their evergreen glossy leaves. Sited by a door, they can look festive when decorated with fairy lights.
Bay trees do need protection if the temperature drops below -5°Celcius, as root balls of container grown trees will be vulnerable. Winter winds can also cause damage, a wind and frost-free place such as greenhouse or garage or if the container is too heavy to move wrap the plant in garden fleece or bubble warp. My bay tree is many years old and to date have never heeded my own advice!!
As a rule of thumb bay trees need re-potting every two to three years. Rather than having to keep increasing the size of the pot, tease away one third of the roots and then re-pot into the same container with fresh, such as John Innes no 2. Carry out this task in Spring, when the bay trees are about to start growing again.
What to do in December and January
The winter months are ones to keep your plants protected. Plants like penstemons may appreciate a good layer of mulch around their base. Some special plants, like tree ferns, may need wrapping in horticultural fleece.
Flowers and shrubs
Pots and container planting for Winter
Initial Planting
Scrub containers in hot, soapy water, to ensure there are no pests harbouring
Drainage holes, check for patency and that flow is not impeded; lifting smaller containers off the ground onto blocks or ‘pot feet’ aids drainage, vital in the Winter months but can help year-round with the increased rainfall we now experience. Raising off the ground helps avoid freezing conditions where pots can crack
Container positioning, in a sheltered, sunny spot to ensure plant foliage remains green and healthy
Compost, potting compost mixtures vary with differing plants requirements, such as ericaceous for azaleas and heathers but all need a mix of ingredients, often including coir, grit and loam to facilitate drainage. Homemade compost, without added extras, is unlikely to provide the mix required to prevent water-logging. Fill container to 2/3rd with compost
Initial watering, if container is sufficiently small place in tray of water to soak the compost from the bottom upwards
Plants, grow little and slowly in Winter so you need to plant up with good sized plants of sufficient numbers for the container size to make an impact. Experiment by placing the plants in their pots into different arrangements. Plant into the compost, firm around each, top up with compost to about inch from the top
Looking after
Fallen leaves and other debris, can lead to disease and need removing
Waterlogged soil – soil that is completely soaked. Leaves will turn yellow and plants will wilt. Causes can be poor structure or compacted soil, impeded drainage and overwatering, the latter maybe out of your control with the heavy rains
Winter winds can be dehydrating, check regularly and water as and when
Feeding, it is not necessary to feed over Winter but regular foliar feed application during the growing season can stimulate growth so allowing waterlogged roots to be replaced
What to plant
By this now it is best to wait until spring for plants that are not 100% hardy and need a well-established root system to survive cold weather. What you can plant with impunity from November onwards are hardy plants that are dormant during the winter months – deciduous trees, hedging plants and shrubs (including fruit trees and bushes) and robust but dormant perennials such as Astrantia, geraniums, sedum. Avoid planting in waterlogged soil or when the soil is frozen.
Now is the time to plant hedges.
Many hedging plants can be purchased bare rooted from nurseries and sometimes garden centres. Why bare rooted? Bare rooted plants versus container plants; the former are often cheaper, quick to establish and usually very successful with none of potential pitfalls of the latter such as pot-bound roots or roots failing to spread out beyond the compost they came in which can ultimately cause the demise of the plant.
January is the time to prune the wisteria, plant bare rooted roses and take hard wood cuttings and move bushes and shrubs while plants are still dormant. Choose Winter flowering clematis for the following Winter.
Rough Grass and meadow areas
Earthworms eat decaying plant material; they do not damage growing plants. Some species emerge at night to feed on dead plant material on the surface, and will pull fallen leaves and other plant debris into their tunnels, so any fallen leaves left on grass or beds will gradually disappear!
Walking on frosty grass can do serious damage; the blades being rigid with frost, snap easily and become crushed. Damaged grass is more susceptible to the fungal infection Microdochium nivale, commonly known as ‘snow mould’ because it develops under prolonged snow cover with favourable temperatures about 0°Celcius (32°F) and increased carbon dioxide levels. Optimum temperature for growth is 12-19°C (54-66°F) but it can survive temperatures as low as -20°Celcius (-4°F). Alkaline soils and the lush grass from high nitrogen produce grass more prone to infection. In the Summer months, the infection is masked by rapid grass growth. Thus, the disease becomes more apparent as the weather cools and grass growth slows.
Fungal disease is first noticed as small patches of yellowish, dying grass that later turn brown. These can reach 12 inches in diameter and often merge so large areas become affected. During wet conditions, a white or pinkish cotton like growth may be seen around the margins. Currently, there are no fungicides available to amateur gardeners. The transfer of fungal spores or infected grass debris is on equipment or shoes, so cleanliness is paramount. Other control include lawns that dry rapidly after rain or heavy dew by improving aeration and drainage; removing heavy dew with a switch or bamboo cane and improving general airflow by pruning back over hanging tree or shrubs; use a proprietary autumn lawn feed not one high in nitrogen.
Fruit and Vegetables
Fruit trees
Vigorous pruning is usually followed by an abundance of new growth and flowers. Apple and pear trees grown in a classic tree or bush form can be pruned from now until February/ early March. Maintain open centred goblet-shaped crown with well-spaced main branches radiating from the trunk. This allows light to reach all parts of the tree and ensures good air flow through the canopy, resulting in better quality crops and fewer pests and diseases.
Important note trained forms of apples and pears plus all stoned fruit (cherries, plums, nectarines, gages) are pruned in the Summer months not know.
Fallen fruit may become infected with brown rot fungus, removing now reduces the risk to next year’s crop. Birds can eat fallen fruit but place away from your fruit trees.
Between now and March plant fruit trees, canes and bushes; as with hedge row plants buying bare rooted ones are available and less expensive.
In January
Sow chillies and sprouting salad leaves
Prune red and white currants and gooseberries
Chit seed potatoes 6 weeks before planting out in Spring, more about this in February
Soil care
A mulch of organic matter makes the garden look tidy and cared for and improves everything from water retention and drainage, to increasing the availability of nutrients and supporting microfauna. Mulch also protects the soil from the hammering impact of rain.
Spent compost, leaves or leaf mould, or chipped bark added to the surface before the cold weather sets in will be broken down, the earthworms will transport it down into their tunnels improving the soil structure.
Some suggest using membrane, plastic sheeting or old carpet as alternatives but these will break down giving rise to more work or growing vegetables amongst small plastic chemical pieces. The exception is of course all wool carpets which will break down, but unless coloured with natural dyes chemicals still abound…
The Garden Society Trading Shed, Memorial Hall Sandy Lane.
Open on Saturdays 10am to 11.30am selling garden sundries to members.
Reopens Saturday 8th February 2025
Membership is £5.
Dobies offers Church Crookham and Fleet Gardening Society members 50% discount on seeds and 15% discount on other live products. Ask for details at the shed.
Facebook: Church Crookham and Fleet Gardening Society