In the Garden - December
Water the garden well when necessary making sure that the moisture goes well into the soil and makes the subsoil moist. Do not let the soil dry out as this puts the plants under stress and they will not grow well. Containers in sunny places will dry out very quickly and regular daily watering is required.
Harvesting fresh vegetables from the garden for both Christmas and New Year celebrations really makes the occasion special.
Summer Colour. The native pohutukawa makes a magnificent show through out early summer. These huge trees are smothered in masses or red flowers which amazingly do not have any petals as the colour comes from the many coloured stamen. Each tree may flower for up to two weeks and then the most wonderful carpet of red develops as the stamen fall to the ground.
Edible Garden
The Ornamental Garden
If you grow your own plants from seed now is the time to sow anemone, wall flowers and polyanthus seed and any other plant that takes some time to grow.
The Glasshouse and Conservatory
Fruit
Lawns
Harvesting fresh vegetables from the garden for both Christmas and New Year celebrations really makes the occasion special.
Summer Colour. The native pohutukawa makes a magnificent show through out early summer. These huge trees are smothered in masses or red flowers which amazingly do not have any petals as the colour comes from the many coloured stamen. Each tree may flower for up to two weeks and then the most wonderful carpet of red develops as the stamen fall to the ground.
Edible Garden
- Harvest fresh produce for Christmas
- Mound up peas and/or stake them.
- Ensure runner beans are climbing properly and get a good start on the bean fence.
- Sow and plant: Peas, lettuces, broccoli, cabbages and cauliflowers, French beans, radishes, turnips, parsnip spinach, silver beet, sweetcorn, capsicum and carrots for succession planting.
- Cease harvesting rhubarb and asparagus in mid December to build up good rootstock for next year.
- Stake and tie outdoor tomatoes - check for pests and diseases
- Apply nutrients to various crops.
The Ornamental Garden
If you grow your own plants from seed now is the time to sow anemone, wall flowers and polyanthus seed and any other plant that takes some time to grow.
- Stake Delphiniums and other tall growing perennials
- Remove excessive dahlia and chrysanthemum shoots
- Keep garden weed free by hoeing, hand weeding or mulching.
- Remove the dead heads from plants that flower in spring.
- Divide up spring flowering primulas
- Plant out winter flowering bulbs such as colchicums, belladonnas, lycoris and sternbergias.
- Set slug bait near sensitive plants
- Fertilize lawns for good growth
- Annuals will be coming into flower soon, provide some fertilizer and pinch out long shoots to make compact flowering plants.
- Ensure all pot plants are well watered and provided with fertilizer.
- Prune dead heads of roses down to the first 5 segment leaf
- Trim hedges Late plantings of summer annuals can be made water well
- Keep Fuchsias well watered
- Prune trees and shrubs to shape by lightly pruning new growth.
The Glasshouse and Conservatory
- Tomatoes should be tied up and lower leaves removed just when they go yellow.
- Pinch out unwanted lateral growth.
- Regular and even watering of tomatoes is best for growth, fruit production and ripening.
- Apply a general balanced fertiliser especially a slow release product.
Fruit
- Apply citrus fertiliser to lemons and citrus
- Spray citrus with copper spray for Citrus verrucosis
- Apply an insecticide spray to combat codling moth. More info on Codling Moth here
- Mulch around strawberry plants with straw.
- Pick gooseberries and red currents.
- Feijoas in flower are wind or bird polinated
Lawns
- Mow the lawn regularly to get an even surface. Lift the cutting height to leave a good amount of foliage and preserve soil moisture