Northwest December Garden To-Do List

December is a great clock time of twelvemonth to muse on this season in the garden and the amazing challenges you have brook this year . Before the next time of year starts , verify you get some of the last garden chores done so you could place your ft up , have a cupful of tea , and revel the garden catalogue that doubtlessly have been get in your mailbox . Here are a few ideas to keep you busy in the garden and greenhouse in December .

Secure fresh plant Tree . December is typically a wet and windy calendar month in the Northwest . Newly planted treesdo not yet have well - base anchor roots that will concur them in place during winter storm . Make certain that any new planted trees are anchored securely . I will often use plastic Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree ties , the kind that interlock like a range of mountains . This is the well-situated method acting to use to guarantee trees if you are working by yourself . Just ensure that you do not tie them too tightly ; a treetop should be able to move in the wind .

revise your container . There is still time to get yourwinter containerslooking good for the colder weather condition . There are many nerveless - season industrial plant that look enceinte at this time of year . I really enjoy add ornamental cabbages and kales to winter containers . Their bright colors of white , green , purple , and blue , along with their unique textures , look good in cold and wet weather . There are also manywinter - blooming hellebores(Helleborusspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–9 ) that can add together sake . Lastly , many local garden centers and nursery are carrying all types of miniature conifers right now that will also look great all season long .

Shop for camelia . While you are visiting your local garden kernel and glasshouse , look at the selection ofwinter - flower camellias(Camelliaspp . and cvs . , Zones 6–10 ) . There are so many to choose from at this clock time of year . Some sasanqua camellias ( Camellia sasanqua , Zones 7–9 ) commence to bloom as early on as November . One later - blossom variety is ‘ Yuletide ’ . This is one of my favorite sasanquas . It has bright blood-red flowers with cheery yellow stamen that stand out on grey wintertime sidereal day .

Cut back some perennial growth . Now is a not bad prison term to cut back old growth on evergreen ferns , epimediums ( Epimediumspp . and cvs . , Zones 4–9 ) , and false hellebore . The fern frond can be used to insulate and protect new planted perennials , as they are tough and semi - waterproofed . I sometimes use fronds to decorate containers . ( check that you are only cutting back the previous year ’s leaf from your hellebores and not the new heyday stalks . )

beak up after wintertime storms . If winter storm have bulge to pass through your garden , plunk up the debris . Clear pathways of pat leaves and branches that you may trip over . I like to repurpose moss-grown branches and evergreen pieces for decorating inside my theatre during the winter month . They can tot up a arrant organic touch . I have a large assemblage of branches that I apply in my experimentation with ikebana , the Japanese prowess of flower organization .

Visit public garden and parks . If you have time , chit-chat the many solstice celebrations that are happening at your local public garden and parks to mark the shortest day of the year . These trip can tender a chance to reflect on the intemperate work and vitality you have put into your garden . We nurture our garden , but they also affirm and raise us . These trips can also be a reminder that after the myopic day of the yr , the days will begin to get longer , and your horticulture chore list will too !

slack up with a good book . If you feel like you have every chore completed or experience the need to procrastinate , get caught up with all those gardening books you have purchase over the year but not yet complete ( or started ) version . wintertime is a great time to search new technique , plants , and plan to tot to your garden .

— Jason Jorgensen owns and maneuver Third Spring Landscape Design in Seattle .

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Midwest December Garden To-Do List

Southwest December Garden To-Do List

Northeast December Garden To-Do List

South December Garden To-Do List

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