Tom Strowlger

@garden_with_tom

December, it’s the most wonderful time of the year, it’s about the Holly and the Ivy and hanging up mistletoe whilst listening to our favourite Christmas carols. The cosy feel of this time of year encourages us to settle in our warm homes and hibernate our way through the month. But, for us keen gardeners we can be outside in the very fresh air and do some helpful gardening jobs in preparation for the new year.

The garden will enter winter’s dormancy with evergreen trees, shrubs and hedges giving us the finest of seasonal backdrops. We can use the month of December to design and create new garden features, borders and beds and plant in last minute spring bulbs. The garden becomes a clean sheet for making any changes and filling gaps with new plants over the coming months.

We should keep the lawn grass and nearby areas clear of fallen leaves by raking them up. It’s important to keep the lawn grass exposed to as much winter daylight as possible to prevent it from being suffocated underneath a layer of rotting leaves. This prevents a patchy and bare lawn that will need reseeding in early spring. Once this has been done there is nothing more seasonal than the sight of sparkling morning frost on a neat and tidy lawn. 

A very festive of sight is the wreath hanging on the front door, perhaps one we have created ourselves. It takes our love of gardening to an exciting level, using foliage and berries from the garden to be creative. We can create a homemade wreath by collecting in small amounts of holly, ivy and evergreen shrub foliage and placing the cuttings into a strong circular frame.

To give the garden a festive and seasonal feel why not hang some outdoor twinkly lights amongst the nearby trees, shrubs and hedges, it will make the garden a magical place for the festive and winter season. The twinkling lights amongst the wintry backdrop will create your very own Christmas card scene in the garden.

I love the magic that Christmastime brings and the warm atmosphere it spreads amongst us all. The simplest of pleasures is to be in the garden over the festive season and be grateful for those small achievements and reflective as to what really matters in our lives. I am always excited about my future gardening plans and will share those with you over the coming months. I wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas and a Happy & Healthy New Gardening Year.