December Gardening
Tips of the Month
by Rich Sherman of Myrtle Creek
Nursery
For Rich
Sherman's video garden tip of the month,
click here
Shorter daylight hours coupled with cold weather make your gardening
activities a bit more difficult to get to, however, this is a good
time to finish cleaning up the garden and start planning for spring.
Remember that a great landscape increases the value of your property
from 5-15 percent, so between that and just enjoying the beauty of a
garden, it is worth the work.
Anything you can do to help birds this time of year is appreciated.
Putting out seed, water and shelter will attract winter visitors and
enhance the enjoyment you get from your winter garden. Sunflower
seeds, thistle, safflower, millet, and suet if you are in the colder
zones, will bring you numerous species from Goldfinches to Chickadees.
Just remember, once you start feeding, you should continue.
Some of you have already begun to experience frost and snow. For those
tender plants, you can place stakes around them and cover the plants
with old sheets at night. Move potted plants to a sheltered area or
porch or under a bigger tree. Don't prune frost damage until new
growth begins in spring as many times dead material will help protect
the plants from more damage. It's always a good idea to take cuttings
of your favorite plants to grow in a protected area so you can replace
any that do not make it through the winter. Brush off any settled snow
to prevent damage and branches breaking under the weight.
If you have woody, established trees and shrubs, some gentle pruning
can be done now. Get rid of diseased, insect injured wood, and broken
limbs, but don't over do it. Don't leave stubs that can attract
disease or insects and avoid severe pruning.
Make sure to check your soil during dry periods and water accordingly.
Leaves & Lawns
Make sure to keep fallen leaves off your
lawn as this can cause the grass in some areas to get too wet and
dark, leading to disease. Remember to harvest those fallen leaves, if
disease free only, for your compost.
Indoor Winter Plants
Color up your home for the holidays with
Poinsettias, Cyclamen, Chrysanthemums and African Violet, just
to name a few. Most indoor plants like to stay moist because
their roots are very fine and they need light. Don't place
them near heaters or radiators. Finicky plants like to be
moved off windowsills at night if there is a drastic drop in
the room temperature.
Bulbs
You can
still place bulbs out in some areas, as long as the soil has
not become hard from frost. Research now for your spring and
summer flowering bulbs.
Fruit
Trees
Some trees, like
apples and pears benefit from winter pruning, after their
leaves have fallen. Berry bushes can also be pruned back.
Annuals
You can still
plant pansies and other winter annuals. This will spice up
your winter garden and make for early spring flowers, too.
Trees and
Shrubs
Vegetables
Turn up your soil, getting rid
of insects, weeds or any diseased matter. If you are
working cool season crops, remember they have very shallow
root systems so be sure to water and mulch.