I am writing this on November 30th and it is cold and foggy outside - we are entering the season of "dreich" (a Scottish word pronounced "dreek" which I find sums up the weather this morning - damp and dismal). I love crisp cold weather, but not what we have today, so it is an ideal time write this blog. Here are some suggestions for December in the garden.
Observe what works at this time of year
There is still colour in the garden and it is worth noting what you see in your own and other people's gardens in December and then using that inspiration to update your own garden planting plan. You really can have colour of some sort all year round if you plan it.
The lead photo this month shows two of our winter winners - Helleborus foetidus (or The Stinking Hellebore, because it smell a bit like rotting meat if you crush the leaves), and the leaves of the Oak Leaved Hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia). They both like moisture and not too much sun. I find an east or north facing patch of garden - ideally with a wall a little way behind them for shelter - works perfectly. They are happy in neutral to alkaline soil (perfect for the limestone and clay found in many areas of France) and I will be mulching under them this winter to help preserve water and suppress weeds in the coming year. I underplant the Hydrangeas with snowdrops (more about these next month).
December to February are the months of mulching
As you weed and clear the border of dead and decaying plant material make a point of using mulch to add some goodness back to the soil in the form of mulch. Mulch comes in many forms, from gravel, which is more about decoration and drainage than nutrients, to home made compost, spent compost from plant containers, wood chips, commercially available bags of mulch/manure/universal compost, leaves and leaf mould or even old bits of carpet. The point is to apply the mulch to clean, damp soil so that it acts as weed suppressant, moisture retaining barrier which helps to keep the soil beneath it damp and as a soil conditioner. As we have all become more aware of our environment a fourth, vital, purpose has come to the fore - as a shelter/food source for the small animals, insects and invertebrates which are essential for a healthy soil profile.
Apply the mulch thickly (to a depth of about 4 cm if you can, so it suppresses light and stops weeds germinating. Do not apply it right up to the collar of plants as that may cause them to rot. It is far better to apply mulch thickly to some of your beds rather than spread it too thinly everywhere. If you don't have enough to go round just do part of the garden this winter and do the rest next year, or even the year after that too.
This year I will be applying wood chips under our hydrangeas (not pine, it can be acidic). Chopped leaves under shrubs and, finally, garden compost to one bed only as I never have enough to go round.
The remark about old carpet was not a joke - if you have an old rug made of wool or another natural material (not synthetics obviously) you can use it to cover an area that you plan to leave fallow - usually a raised bed in a vegetable garden or a new border you are preparing for planting some time in the future. It will suppress leaves, maintain moisture and, eventually start to rot down. You can use cardboard too - but be aware that neither of these are likely to be organic, so you will be adding un-natural chemicals of some sort to your soil.
Pruning
You can prune many trees and shrubs while they are dormant. Stone fruit such as plums, apricots, cherries are best pruned in the summer (after fruiting in our household) as they are more susceptible to infection if they have open wounds in the winter. Olives should also be pruned in late spring/early summer. If in doubt, check a good gardening website such as the RHS ( https://www.rhs.org.uk/fruit/plums/pruning) and adjust for your local climate. Use clean, sharp pruning tools to avoid the risk of spreading infection and do not do too much as you can shock the tree. If you are doing a major "re-shape" spread it out over several seasons.
Pruning an apple tree
You should remove dead, decaying or diseased wood first. Then any branches which are crossing over other branches as they can rub against one another and damage the bark, allowing infection to enter. Finally have a look at the overall shape and aim for something which is not crowded in the middle - this will allow air to circulate and minimise the risk of fungal disease.
It is also the time of year to prune/cut back soft fruit (raspberries, blackcurrants etc) and grapevines.
Planting in the potager
Now is the ideal time to plant garlic and broad beans. You can read more about this in earlier blogs, which you can access via the links below:
For garlic:
And broad beans:
Protect tender plants
Early in December I will be moving our lemon trees to a sheltered spot agains a south facing wall and then wrapping their pots in old bubble wrap. I have canvas insulation bags which I pull over the top of the plant itself. For the last five years I find this method has worked well - but it is always risky and a severe winter could kill them as they are hardy only to about -5 centigrade.
Pelargoniums, agapanthus which keep their leaves and tender succulents come under illuminated cover and we keep them quite dry though out winter months while our Canna lilies and potted agapanthus which lose their leaves go into our old chai(winery) where there is no natural light, but as they die back completely they do not suffer. Again, they receive minimal water.
.......And I must not forget to lag the outdoor tap.
What to make - crab apple jelly
This month, as we prune our two crab apple trees (always a source of tension in the Adams' household as I love the fruit to stay on the tree all winter and Richard likes everything neat and tidy) we are compromising. He will pick the crab apples from the branches he prunes and I will use them to make crab apple jelly. Provided we do this before any frost the fruit will still be firm.
Crab apples from the garden
You can find fruit jelly recipes on the internet - the procedure is the same for most fruit; simmer it in some water until the fruit is soft, then strain the pulp through a jelly bag, catching it in a bowl underneath. NEVER, NEVER TRY TO PUSH THE JUICE THROUGH or your jelly will go cloudy. Then warm the juice with a kilo of sugar to each litre of fruit juice and once the sugar has dissolved boil until setting point is reached. With crab apple jelly this happens very quickly - so keep stirring and watching until it is ready. Skim off scum (I then add a tiny piece of butter which kills remaining scum). Then bottle into sterilised jars, seal and store.
It makes a handy little Christmas present.
Cooking the crab apples
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Finally - It is December, the start of Advent and the beginning of those short, dark days before Christmas - I hope your Christmas will be a very happy one.
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