Tips for December 2025

Clean bird baths and feeders regularly with a garden disinfectant.

Prune Birches (Betula) Japanese Maple (Acer) and ornamental  and edible grapevines this month, as they are prone to bleed from pruning cuts in the months after Christmas.

If you have a sunny window sill, microgreens can provide regular harvests throughout winter. Many such as Mung Beans, Mustard and Pea Shoots will grow happily in pots if well watered.

To keep Poinsettias (Euphorbia Pulcherrima) plants looking good through the Christmas period and beyond, position them in good light away from draughts. Allow the compost to dry out slightly between waterings.

Blackcurrants fruit best on younger wood, so remove up to a third of older branches at the base.

Prevent premature need le drop by placing cut Christmas trees in water. Always position trees away from heat and water often.

Cut back overgrown deciduous shrubs such as Berberis, Weigela, Flowering Currant and Philadelphus. Thin them out by removing a few branches at ground level.

Plant dormant crown of rhubarb from now until mid-spring. Dig in plenty of well rotted compost or manure and plant so the crown tip is just below the surface.

Pt up Hippeastrum (Amaryllis) bulbs, placing in a sunny spot indoors, to encourage flowering in the New Year. Keep two thirds of the bulb above the soil. Increase watering as leave grow.

Garlic can still be planted 2.5cm deep in well drained soil or in pots.