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DECEMBER
Star plants
Hippeastrum
Apple Blossom’
Cotoneaster firgidus
‘Fructu Luteo’
Llex aquifolium
‘Handsworth New Silver’
• Holly
Any sunshine there is in December will be weak, but sunny days can be quite pleasant, and if you wrap up well, you can have a good day in the garden, digging or catching up with other clearing up jobs.
The days may be short but on the whole the weather is usually not too bad, with wonderfully clear, frosty, sunny days when it can be a pleasure to be out.
December is a good time to:
- Install a pond heater – learn more here!
- Feed birds in cold weather
- Prune ornamental vines and grape vines
- Sow seeds of alpine plants
- Repair lawns if weather conditions allow
- Bring in Christmas bulbs for flowering
December Weather Watch
Although there can be a few relatively mild days, it’s a cold month and there’s no getting away from it. With sharp frosts and driving winds, some days the temperature will rarely get above freezing.
Installing pond heaters
Install a pond heater to prevent the whole surface of
the pond freezing in cold weather. They are easy to
install, plugging in to where the pump was, and cheap
to run. It is important not to let the pond freeze over
for long periods particularly if you have fish. If the
pond stays frozen over, the pond and fish will be starved
of oxygen.
If you haven’t got a pond heater and the pond freezes over put a pan of hot water on the ice and this will melt a hole. A small bowl can be floated on the surface of the water to keep an area clear, and also to absorb the pressure of the ice so that it does not damage the sides of the pond.