With December, the end of the year is now very close. The last month of the year is starting and before we know it, we are already planning for a new garden season. And although there is less and less to do in the garden, there are still a number of jobs that you can do now. Read on below and get to know our winter tips.
Can it be a little less neat?
A tidy garden is so 2000. Cutting all perennials and ornamental grasses to just above the ground, every twig and leaf out of the way: it is useless and also not good for the insects that have to try to survive a winter. By not only leaving your garden a bit wilder in the spring and summer, but also letting it do its thing in the autumn and during the winter, you ensure noticeably more biodiversity. Insects look for shelter, birds are fond of seeds and hedgehogs hibernate between branches, under hedges and piles of leaves. Just look at how things are in nature. It is functional and beautiful, but tidy? Not so. The entire ecosystem is there precisely to ensure that animals and insects can live optimally. As far as I am concerned, gardens are pieces of imitation nature. They are set up by us, humans, to be beautiful and to enjoy when you are not busy working. But isn't it time that we share that place with everything that flies and crawls around? How? By not cleaning up your garden like crazy now and leaving everything alone. Do the big clean-up in the spring, when everything comes back to life and the days get longer. Plenty of time to start with a clean slate.
Tip for December
Ornamental grasses and, among other things, faded Rudbeckias, are fantastic to see shining in the winter sun. The silhouettes they show are truly breathtaking. It may be grey and gloomy outside at times, but by leaving plants there is always something to experience in December and the following winter months.
Garden chores for December
Order seeds of your favorite flowers and vegetables
(see our webshop via www.angelo.be ).
Protect frost-sensitive plants with a frost-proof or fleece cloth or store them in a frost-free garage or garden shed/greenhouse.
Deciduous trees and shrubs can now be planted and transplanted.
Be careful with terracotta pots during frost periods. They absorb moisture and crack when it freezes.
Put together some pots with evergreen flowers and plants. It will cheer you up instantly.
The winter period is the ideal time to make plans and draw sketches. What did you like, what could be better, that kind of thing. Making plans makes us dream away a little bit of better weather in dark times.
If there are trees or large shrubs near your greenhouse, check the gutters for leaves that could be clogging things up.
Get started indoors by sowing so-called microgreens . Lettuce, radish, broad beans, chervil and even nasturtium can be used for this. You then only eat the small leaves that are packed with welcome vitamins.
Learn more with our videos
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In this video Angelo shows you step by step how to make a so-called flower bulb lasagna in December . Good for months of flowering pleasure!
Sow now (pre)
For many things it is now really too late - or too early - to sow, I think. With the exception of early broad beans (which can withstand cold periods very well), I am patiently waiting for the better weather. You can also still plant garlic, if you haven't done so yet. But don't wait too long, the cloves need a few cold days to grow thicker in March.
