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december checklist

December Checklist

It’s that time of year again when you have to do constant maintenance on the garden and everything is growing at a rate of knots! Here’s your December checklist

  1. Clip hedges

Neatly clip all hedges and take care to neaten up below them too. Trim topiaries and lollipop plants lightly.

  1. Clean up paving and patio floors

Use a pressure sprayer to rid paved areas of algae growth, and if there are weeds growing through the cracks kill them off with boiling water or a suitable herbicide.

  1. Clean ponds and water features

Drain water features where possible, clean the pump and give waterlilies and other water plants that would be at their best now a bit of tender care by removing old growth and thinning them out if they are too dense.

  1. Add sparkle to the pool

Get rid of any algae growth and check that the paved surrounds are sturdy and clean. Remove any potential hazards like old pots or thorny plants that could hurt somebody.

  1. Plant colourful gap fillers

Visit your local nursery for summer-flowering perennials to brighten up dull spots. Do not buy 20 different ones but rather stick to bold groups of five and more of only three or four varieties.

  1. Paint garden furniture

Wooden garden furniture takes a beating if it’s exposed to our harsh climate. Protect it from the elements with wood-preserving products or paint them in a new colour with a suitable paint product. Remove the covers of soft furnishings and give them all a wash.

  1. Light up the scene

String fairy lights all over the garden. Wind them around tree stems, along the gutters of the house, in the windows of the lounge and around potted topiaries. Invest in some insect-repelling candles to place on your patio table.

  1. Get rid of weeds

Weed the whole garden and place a layer of organic mulch on all flower beds. Decorative mulches like bark chips not only save water but also smother emerging weeds and give a professional and well cared for look while displaying plants to their best advantage.

  1. Fill containers with instant colour

Use summer-flowering annuals like petunias, dianthuses, celosias, impatiens, marigolds, portulacas, salvias and begonias, which you can buy in flower, to brighten up the foreground of shrub beds and to fill pots and hanging baskets.

  1. Plant colour indoors

Fill your house with flowering houseplants like poinsettias, moth orchids in flower and hydrangeas, which are now in full bloom too.

Let us know how this December checklist works out for you!

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The Gardener