Many of us do more shopping and planning for our gardens during the winter months than actual gardening but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do. In the warmer zones, December is the start of pleasant weather and a chance to enjoy planting cool season vegetables and flowers that don’t tolerate your summers. Northern gardeners should use this period without leaves to scout for egg masses and other signs of trouble on trees and shrubs. Here are some more regional gardening tips for the beginning of winter.
In General
Keep watering your holiday plants and give them plenty of light
Check houseplants and any plants you brought indoors for the winter, for insects that may have hitched a ride. With the heat on, they can multiply quickly.
Also check any bulbs, corms, tubers and bare root plants for dessication or rot
Start eating those stored vegetables and think about planting more winter squash next year
Feed the birds
Zones 6 and Lower
Let’s be real, garden catalogs are the closest you’re going to come to gardening outside this month. But for the intrepid:
Keep an eye out for bark damage from ice rabbits, deer....
Spray broadleaf evergreens with anti-desiccant, to prevent dehydration.
Use the branches from your Christmas tree as protective mulch
Keep watering newly planted trees and shrubs
Southeast
Be prepared for sudden swings in temperature and protect tender plants
Prepare your planting beds now, with compost and manure, for planting in early spring
You should still be able to plant trees and shrubs
Start pruning your wisteria by removing the longer canes
Florida
Ease up on fertilizing plants, so new growth won’t get damaged by temperature drops
Take advantage of cooler temps by planting quick cool-weather crops like spinach, lettuce or peas
Be prepared for sudden cold snaps with row covers or make shift cloches (soda bottles and milk jugs)
Southwest
Be prepared for sudden cold snaps and protect tender plants
Start seeds of cool season vegetables and flowers
Cut back asparagus, as soon as it dies back or the ground freezes
Southern California
Stop pruning and let your roses harden off for winter. It's also a good time to plant bare root roses.
Cut back ornamental grasses to get ready for new growth
You should be able to find seedlings of cool season annuals and vegetables
Plant pre-chilled bulbs right after Christmas
Northern California
Watch out for snails during wet season
Feed winter-flowering shrubs
Be prepared for sudden cold snaps with row covers or make shift cloches (soda bottles and milk jugs)
Protect young citrus trees and small fruits from frost damage by drapping row covers
Pacific NW
Wet soil makes weeds grow, but it also makes them easier to pull
Begin pruning dead branches from trees and shrubs, as they go dormant
Hawaii
Focus on your soil during the wet season. Add a layer of compost or mulch.
Plant cool season vegetables like: greens, peas, cole crops and root crops
Pot up some indoor blooms, like: amaryllis, gladioli and paper whites
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