Mid-Atlantic December Garden To-Do List

As we Mid - Atlantic gardeners extend to clean up leaves , implant the rest of our spring light bulb before the ground freezes , and employ strategies to discourage deer , we can tackle a few extra task as horticulture bit by bit slows down for winter .

Winterize your container . Many stone and glazed pots are porous and therefore able to hold moisture . Freezing temperatures can cause the water trapped in pots to freeze and expand , possibly cracking the gage themselves . The best direction to keep potful entire is to move them to a shed or garage where moisture will not affect them as drastically as leaving them out in the elements . If the pots are too big to move , remove the potting commixture and encompass the top of the pots to prevent water from garner and freezing . Learn about different gap - resistant container materials here .

Treat yourself to those shaft you have your eye on . You process hard this year , so get yourself those new putz you have been require , whether it is something strange and expensive that you have been yearn for or just a new span of Felco lopper . Take an stock of your prick and see what ’s not there but could be utilitarian to you . Buy something that you will fuck to use as soon as saltation comes . Need some intake ? Read on here :

fertilise the razz . tree diagram , shrubs , and perennials still provide some food for our feathered friends during December , but their supply will dwindle away as winter continues . So pull out your feeder and fill them to keep the birdshappily feed throughout the wintertime . If you are feeling creative and want a project for December , you’re able to make your own feeder . There are so many ideas , range from simply gluing a teacup to a saucer to ornate handcraft confluent constructed from Ellen Price Wood .

Repot your houseplants that have just fall indoors . If you are like me , you take your houseplants out to the porch for the summer where they can thrive during the season . However , by now those plants are back in the house and probably need to berepotted . There are a distich of reason to repot your houseplant at the ending of the season . First , they may now need a cock-a-hoop pot after growing outside . Repotting will prevent the plant from becoming pot - bound and provide more space for the roots to develop . Second , repotting the plant enables you to scout for pesterer that tend to lurk in the dirt and on the plant . Once inside the house , they become very noticeable . Removing as much as the old territory as possible and replacing it withnew soilwill help keep the pests to a minimum . While repotting the plant , be certain to scout for insect on the foliation . Treat the plants with an organic grievous bodily harm or oil if pests are present .

Start a wintertime interest wishing list . As the garden goes dormant , you will see domain where winter interest works are needed to add a focal point during an otherwise bleak time of year . As you notice your garden through the winter , maybe you ’ll feel that a ‘ Jelena ’ witch hazelnut ( Hamamelisxintermedia‘Jelena ’ , Zones 5–8 ) would look serious in a corner of the garden or that a unfinished bulwark will profit from a wintertime jasmine ( Jasminum nudiflorum , Zones 6–9 ) spilling over it . Other plant that stand out as snow is on the basis are two prominent wintertime flower bulbs : wintertime aconites ( Eranthis hyemalis , Zones 3–7 ) and snowdrops ( Galanthusspp . and cvs . , Zones 3–8 ) . As in any other time of year , in wintertime we tend to right away desire flora that look fabulous in that moment . Winter is a lilliputian tricky in the Mid - Atlantic because planting is ordinarily not potential and plant accessibility is special . Beginning a listing of plants now that can be purchased in the spring will serve you commend what you desire to see throughout your garden in the winter . require estimate ? Here are some large plant picks :

— Michele Christiano has influence in public gardens for most of her career . She presently works as an estate gardener maintaining a Piet Oudolf garden .

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Midwest December Garden To-Do List

Northeast December Garden To-Do List

South December Garden To-Do List

Northwest December Garden To-Do List

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winterberry

Take a look around your garden this month and discern where there’s a need for winter color from plants like winterberry (Ilex verticillata, Zones 5–8).Photo: Erin Presley

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