Provided is a list of tasks you need to perform in your garden during December. Please understand your gardening zone which is identified in the menu above. Look for Hardiness Zones.
Zone 1
- Continue pruning deciduous trees and roses
- In coldest regions, protect roses with earth cones or wire baskets filled with insulating material
- Keep gift house plants as cool and bright as possible
- To prevent breakage, brush snow from evergreen limbs
- Keep living Christmas trees away from hot air registers
- Order seed and nursery catalogues
Zone 2
- Cut back on feeding houseplants (do not feed dormant houseplants)
- Water cymbidiums weekly until they bloom
- Water living Christmas trees (ice cubes work well)
- Prechill tulips and hyacinths for forcing indoors
Zone 3
- Cut back on feeding houseplants (do not feed dormant houseplants)
- Water cymbidiums weekly until they bloom
- Water living Christmas trees (ice cubes work well)
- Prechill tulips and hyacinths for forcing indoors
Zone 4
- Cut back on feeding houseplants (do not feed dormant houseplants)
- Water living Christmas trees (ice cubes work well)
- Prechill tulips and hyacinths for forcing indoors
Zone 5
- Cut back on feeding houseplants (do not feed dormant houseplants)
- Water living Christmas trees (ice cubes work well)
- Prechill tulips and hyacinths for forcing indoors
Zone 6
- Cut back on feeding houseplants (do not feed dormant houseplants)
- Water living Christmas trees (ice cubes work well)
- Prechill tulips and hyacinths for forcing indoors
Zone 7
- Order seeds
- Plant ornamental trees
- Apply dormant spray to ornamental trees
- Prechill tulips and hyacinths for forcing indoors
- Water living Christmas trees
- Sow frost-tolerant perennials
- Prune winter-flowering shrubs during or just after bloom
- Prune hardy deciduous and evergreen trees
- Protect tender plants from frost
Zone 8
- Order seeds
- Sow seeds for hardy spring-blooming plants
- Plant winter- and spring-blooming bulbs
- Plant fruit trees
- Cut back on feeding houseplants (do not feed dormant houseplants)
- Water living Christmas trees
- Plant bare-root roses
- Prune hardy dormant deciduous trees, shrubs, and vine
- Prune winter-blooming shrubs and vines after bloom
- Plant bare-root trees, shrubs, and vines
- Apply dormant spray to trees
- Sow seeds for cool-season or winter vegetables
- Plant or transplant cool-season or winter vegetables
- Protect tender plants from frost
Zone 9
- Order seeds
- Sow seeds for hardy spring-blooming plants
- Plant winter- and spring-flowering shrubs
- Buy summer-blooming bulbs
- Repot cacti and succulents, if essential, once they have finished blooming
- Plant bare-root fruit trees
- Plant citrus
- Apply dormant spray to fruit trees
- Cut back on feeding houseplants (do not feed dormant houseplants)
- Water living Christmas tree
- Sow frost-tolerant perennials indoors
- Plant or transplant frost-tolerant perennial seedlings outdoors
- Plant bare-root roses
- Apply dormant sprays to roses
- Plant bare-root trees, shrubs, and vines
- Prune fall- and winter-flowering shrubs and vines just after bloom
- Plant bare-root perennial vegetables
- Plant or transplant cool-season or winter vegetables
- Sow seeds for cool-season or winter vegetables
- Protect tender plants from frost
Zone 10
- Order seeds
- Set out cool-season annuals
- Sow seeds for hardy spring-blooming bulbs
- Plant winter- and spring-blooming bulbs
- Repot cacti and succulents, if essential, once they have finished blooming
- Apply dormant sprays to fruit trees
- Plant bare-root fruit trees
- Plant citrus
- Protect citrus from frost damage
- Cut back on feeding houseplants (do not feed dormant houseplants)
- Water living Christmas trees
- Plant winter-blooming perennials
- Plant bare-root roses
- Apply dormant spray to roses
- Plant bare-root shrubs and vines
- Apply dormant spray to trees, shrubs, and vines
- Prune fall- and winter-flowering shrubs and vines just after bloom
- Plant bare-root trees
- Plant bare-root perennial vegetables
- Sow cool-season vegetable seeds
- Plant cool-season vegetable seedlings
Zone 11
- Purchase living Christmas tree (but don’t bring it indoors until a week -or less- before Christmas)
- Plan next year’s garden
- Clean and oil garden tools
- Drain and winterize garden mechanical equipment according to manufacturer’s instructions
- When you bring in the living Christmas tree, keep it away from heating registers
- Keep gift plants in a cool, light place. Slit foil at bottom of pot to keep roots from drowning.
Frederick Leeth
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