This month, for our December gardening tips we look at five fantastic ways you can give back to your Garden (& nature) mid-Winter!
1. Put your feet up!
One of the single best things we can do as gardeners is do less, particularly at this time of year so sit back & relish some sofa time knowing you’re doing good! By not cutting back herbaceous plants, you’re creating a huge ‘bug hotel’ with overwintering insects sheltering inside such as earwigs which will go on to become next seasons natural pest control team. Instead trim plants back in the Spring just before the new growth is starting to appear & when you do just spread the trimmings over the surface of the ground as a mulch which will in turn feed your soil life & soil!
2. Wrap up soil.
Like us, soil really is best wrapped up, particular in the Winter when winds and thundery downpours will damage any exposed soil – washing away valuable nutrients, organic matter & leave soil life exposed & vulnerable, so if you do expose any soil when moving, dividing or harvesting plants, give it a cosy layer of mulch right away whether it be compost, leaf litter or seaweed.
3. Boughs of Holly.
Holly berries form a vital part of the Winter larder for wild birds & are the ultimate bird feeders requiring no refilling whatsoever & cost nothing other than the price of a sapling, if indeed you even planted it. Why not add some delicious extras to help our feathered friends get through the Winter. Crab Apples, Guelder Rose, Cotoneaster, Hawthorn & Apple Rose are all brilliant. It’s currently bareroot season too, which means you can pick up lots of these for a fraction of the price – win win!
4. Christmas Tree Afterlife.
Give your Christmas Tree another life! Instead of taking it down to the household recycling centre or burning it, save your tree to create a brash pile for wildlife in a corner of your garden. Cut the side branches off using loppers & then trim up the trunk into logs with a saw and layer it all starting with the logs in a quiet corner of your garden.
5. Learn & un-learn!
Whether it be Dave Goulstons book that we’re reading this month or one thats been gathering dust on a bookshelf, this is the perfect time to pick up a few good gardening-related reads & fill these dark evenings by burying your head in the pages. Books are brilliant for hoovering up all sorts of incredible ideas & information for putting into practice next season.
We hope you found our December gardening tips useful! Need some more help with your Winter gardening!? We offer virtual gardening advice sessions, workshops & design services. For more visit:
https://twogreenshoots.com/product-category/two-green-shoots/virtual-gardening/
