What to do in your Garden in December

December is one of the hottest months in the calendar year. You are dealing with humidity, weeds and insects. Depending on the weather you will be spending much of your summer holidays with a hose pipe in hand catching up with watering. A month when fruit and flowers abound and you will revel in the pleasure of what gardening means to you.

Flowers

• Keep deadheading perennials to encourage a second flush of blooms.
• Stake Dahlias properly and remove the first flower buds to encourage more side growth.
• Pinch back Asters, Fuchsias and Chrysanthemums to encourage bushy growth and more flowers.
• Prune Azaleas neatly after they have finished flowering, then feed, mulch and water regularly.
• Water Hydrangeas regularly and don’t forget to fertilise with Colourburst Azalea, Camellia & Hydrangea Food 3:1:2 (42) to enhance and to enrich flower colour.
• Spray Roses with RoseCare 3 to control black spot, mildew and aphids.
• Deadhead Roses. Feed regularly with Wonder Vitaliser Rose and Flower Fertiliser.

Lawns

• Raise the mower setting to cut the lawn higher so it can withstand hot, dry weather at the height of summer.
• Fertilise your lawn every four to six weeks with either Wonder Vitaliser Lawn & Leaf 7:1:3 (15) SR or Atlantic’s Bio Ganic for Lawns.
• Water very well and often after feeding to prevent chemical burn.

Vegetables, Herbs & Fruit

• Grow a variety of salad leaves that can be harvested throughout the summer.
• Strawberry runners can be pegged down into soil or pots.
• Pick Rasberries regularly.
• Feed all vegetable and herbs with an organic fertiliser Talborne’s Vita Veg 6:3:4 (16).

General Tasks

• Keep on top of the weeding. Luckily weeds don’t grow as quickly in mid-summer.
• Stake young plants and Standard Roses well to prevent summer storm damage.
• Don’t forget to water your trees and shrubs, as they need adequate moisture to weather the heat. This is especially important for any new trees and shrubs you have just planted this season.
• Water hanging baskets and containers at least once a day and feed once a week.