Gardening Club – Jobs for December

Now is the time for a general tidy-up.

1. With the fresh memory of planting, move plants to a new home, at the same time splitting perennials to make more plants. Whilst doing this give the borders a good dig over, feeding the soil and planting bulbs at the same time.
2. Containers will need freshening up for the winter, so these can be planted up with bulbs and other fresh material. Exotic plants need to be protected from frost, so either move inside or wrap next month. Don’t wait until it’s too late.
3. Pick fruit and compost fallen fruit that is too bad to use. This in turn will remove wasps to one spot therefore making the garden safer for children and grandchildren. This is now the time to prune raspberries and blackberries.
4. Greenhouses, especially if you have had blight, can now be cleared out and cleaned, to allow the sowing of winter salad crops etc. You could also pin up bubble polythene insulation for warmth.
5. This is also a good time to clean your pond. Use a rod or pole to remove blanket weed by twisting it round the pole. Be careful to return any wildlife which gets caught up in it.
6. If your lawn is the worse for wear, aerate, scarify and dress ,sowing a thin layer of seed at the same time.