December is the ‘perfect time’ to perform four gardening jobs for a blooming spring garden

Many people often think there isn’t much to do during the winter months outside but if you want a blooming spring garden the work starts now. The experts from Barnsdale Gardens have shared four jobs which gardeners should get done outside this month. The pros also recommended feeding winter-flowering houseplants with houseplant food in December.

They explained: “This is high in potash and will encourage them into flower and then to produce more blooms throughout the winter. They don’t need so much water at this time of year, so be careful not to overwater.” In order to keep wisteria blooming and looking pretty, it’s important to give it a good chop at the correct times.



Now the leaves have turned yellow and started to drop off of wisteria, it’s the “perfect time” to prune them. The experts said: “Earlier in the year we pruned all the shoots back to six buds and now we are going to halve that growth and cut back every shoot to three buds from the previous year’s growth.” The Barnsdale team explained: “It’s been so wet recently that at Barnsdale the team haven’t been able to plant their tulips, but they can wait any longer, they’re going in.

“In order to minimise the impact on all the hard work involved in creating a good soil structure, the team are using a dibber.” If you like to get some of your crops started early, such as multi-sown beetroot, carrots, leeks and turnips, then you need to make sure it is possible. “The only way to ensure the ground is in the condition you want it for planting, so not too wet, is to prepare it and then cover the area you need,” say the experts.

When you’re ready, remove the cover and get planting no matter what the weather has been like. The experts continued: “There are some who refuse to do this, but if very cold weather is forecast it could be good to get a good few leeks into a trench, just so that you can have them available when gardeners can’t even get their spade in the ground, let alone harvest their leeks. If the weather turns out not to be as severe as forecast, then use them as and when required.

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