DECEMBER GARDEN TIPS
General Gardening Tips
Winter is a wonderful time for gardeners to rest, reflect, and dream of spring. But while our gardens may be drowsy this time of year, there's still plenty to do and think about, both indoors and out.
It's hard to predict exactly what's going to happen with winter weather around here, but don't let a freeze catch you unprepared! Here’s a link to our post on preparing the garden for cold weather, "It's Going to Freeze! Keep in mind that plants need more help getting through a sudden freeze after relatively mild weather than they do when temperatures drop gradually.
The migratory birds may be gone by now, but a wide assortment of species (including chickadees, finches, wrens, and Anna’s hummingbirds) don't go south for the winter.
For more information on backyard birds in Seattle, including the annual Christmas Bird Count, visit the Seattle Audubon Society's website. From there, you can join a bird count group led by an experienced birder.
Fruits & Berries
It can be easy to forget about fruit trees while they're dormant, but winter is a key time to take action if you're hoping for abundant harvests next season.
To prevent pest and fungus problems, pick a dry day to spray all fruit trees with copper and dormant oil. This will help to control blister mites, scale, and fungal diseases. may be sleeping for the winter along with their host trees,
Copper is a natural fungicide allowed in organic gardening. Including it in your winter spray plan counts as one of three spray applications to control peach leaf curl. Three applications are required about three weeks apart to get full protection. For more information on dormant spraying, see our blog post.
Prune this month or next for air circulation, sun penetration, fruit production and to keep your trees to a manageable size.
For a wealth of fruit tree care information, check out our info sheet on the subject.
Ornamental Gardening
You might be surprised at how many plants are available and happy to be planted this time of year! Winter interest trees and shrubs such as camellias and viburnum, perennials such as hellebores and heucheras, and cold-season annuals can all be planted this month. You can even create a gorgeous winter container entirely from all-season perennials and hardy winter annuals.
Have some plants you were planning to move around? From the plants’ point of view, this month and next are prime transplanting time. It gives them the rest of the winter to acclimate to their new location and grow new roots. You can move plants any time the soil can be worked (not frozen, and not too soggy). Just check the forecast to make sure that a hard freeze isn’t expected until the plants have had a few days to settle in.
In the bottom of your hole, mix in a little granular organic starter fertilizer such as Dr. Earth Root Zone or EB Stone Sure Start to get your plants over any transplant shock. Don’t use a liquid or water-soluble fertilizer at this time. Be sure to water your plants in well even if it's forecast to rain.
Keep an eye on plants and containers on porches or under overhangs. Remember that rain may not reach them.
Planters with saucers or flush to the ground can hold water potentially all winter, creating sogginess only a bog plant could love.
Florist Cyclamen, 'Frosty Fern' Selaginella, and 'Wilma Goldcrest' Cypresses are gorgeous, but they are not freeze-hardy. So, instead of planting them in your container try setting them in, pot and all. Then if a freeze threatens, just yank the pots and move them someplace protected until the weather moderates again.
Indoor Gardening
Winter is an excellent time to focus on your indoor garden. Keep in mind that indoor plants are affected by the seasons too. Short days and low light levels mean slower growth. Unless you are using grow lights, cut back on watering and stop feeding.
On the other hand, central heating can dry the air. Sensitive plants such as orchids may benefit from a humidity tray—just a water-filled tray with pebbles (or pot feet) so the plant is not sitting in water, but still benefits from the evaporation. For more details on winter indoor plant care, click here.
Sky has an abundant selection of poinsettias, zygo cactus (AKA Christmas or Thanksgiving cactus), Norfolk pine, and amaryllis for your holiday enjoyment—and of course, we'll keep our usual excellent selection of foliage and flowering plants stocked up.
Water Features
Prevent future problems by not letting organic debris build up.
If you have fish in your pond, they don't need to be fed through the winter. Hold off on adding any food so that it doesn't accumulate.
Winterize fountains if you didn’t last month: remove pumps and protect concrete from freezing. Sky carries fountain covers in different sizes.
Living Christmas Trees
Consider getting a tree that you can plant in your yard or in a large outdoor container as a permanent memento of the holiday season! You can keep a potted conifer indoors for about 5-7 days.
Lawn Care
If you fertilized last month, December lawn care is easy: just let your lawn do its thing. If you didn’t fertilize, you'll want to do that as soon as you can.