What to do in your garden in December

What should I do in the garden in December? By now, your space will have taken on a definite winter look. The wind has definitely been keen recently, and soon the frost will be sharp. Thus, now is the time to consider how to protect your garden from the excesses of the weather. It is important to alleviate the wind and protect the plants from frosts. When the soil and weather conditions are good, keep on top of your chores.

In our previous article on this subject, "Garden Maintenance in November", we talked about the importance of composting and shredding old herbaceous material. These are ongoing jobs that still need doing! It is equally important to drain down or lag exterior water pipes, again see the previous article.

Frost can be both good and bad for the gardern: it helps to break down the soil, but severe frost can kill or damage plants. The most dangerous areas are in 'frost hollows', an area of ground where frost collects. These tend to be in valleys or dips, but they can also occur when air is blocked by hedges or walls. When it is practical, leave a gap in said structure so the air can filter through.

Now is also the time to lay new turf in your garden. Preparing it from seed is cheaper, but laying from existing turf is far quicker and means you don't run the risk of having birds or pets disturbing it before it has chance to establish. It will only take a few months for new turfs to let their roots down into the soil and from then on they can be in use. To lay the turf, once you have prepared the ground, use string stretched between pegs to mark the boundaries of the area to be turfed. Lay out the turves against a straight edge and butt the second row tight up against the first. Use additional compost to eliminate any irregularities in the turves or to fill any depressions you missed when you prepared the soil. When you have laid all the turves, mix a lawn top dressing and sprinkle it over the surface. use a rake or besom to work the top dressing into the joins between the turves.

As far as planting and sowing goes, now is a good time to put sweet pea seeds down for example.

Alfresia is an online supplier of garden furniture.