December Gardening Guide from Hillier Garden Centres

As winter sets in and daylight hours shorten, there’s still plenty for gardeners to enjoy and do. Here, Hillier Garden Centres and Nurseries share its tips on what to appreciate, harvest, and prepare this month – whether you’ve got a sprawling garden, a cosy patio, or a few pots on the windowsill – there’s still plenty to be getting on with!

What to enjoy in your garden this month

Even in winter, gardens can remain colourful and full of life: hardy bloomers like cyclamen and winter-flowering hellebores are a lovely sight, while shrubs such as Christmas Box (Sarcococca), Witch Hazel (Hamamelis), and evergreen varieties of Skimmia and Viburnum offer interest through the grey days. Ornamental grasses and the striking stems of plants like twisted-stem hazel or coral bark dogwood add structure and texture - often enhanced by frost or a light dusting of snow.

If you grow houseplants, December is also a fine time to enjoy seasonal favourites like Christmas Cactus, indoor cyclamen, azaleas, and amaryllis - ideal for brightening up indoor spaces while garden work slows down.

What to harvest this December

While December may feel quiet in the vegetable patch, there are still tasty rewards to gather: leeks, parsnips, kale, rocket, pumpkins and squash, maincrop potatoes - and don’t forget Brussels sprouts for the festive season.

Key gardening jobs for December

Even when growth slows, winter garden chores help set the garden up for success next year:

• Prune certain plants - now’s a good time to trim back new shoots on wisteria, and prune fruit trees such as apple and pear. Remove dead stems from herbaceous perennials if needed. Hillier’s annual guide to pruning can be found here!
• Add a layer of mulch (garden compost, manure or bark) to protect perennials and help regulate soil temperature and moisture over winter.
• If you’ve stored plants in a greenhouse, check heaters are working, and be ready to protect frost-sensitive plants such as tree ferns, cordylines or olives. For potted plants, consider raising them off the ground (on pot feet) to reduce frost risk.

Don’t forget wildlife & garden tidiness

As gardens quieten down, it’s a great time to keep tidy: sweep up fallen leaves and debris, clear patios and paths, and store or protect delicate plants before harsher weather arrives as this helps prevent disease, waterlogging, and pest problems.

December is also an ideal time to think about any bird or wildlife feeders - as natural food sources become scarcer, providing extra feeding opportunities can help wildlife through the winter.

Look ahead: think spring while wintering the garden

With fewer jobs outside, December offers the perfect moment to plan for next year - from thinking about new plantings to preparing soil, ordering bare-root trees, or simply dreaming of what next spring might bring.

Whether relaxing indoors with houseplants or wrapping up simple garden tasks on a mild day, December can be as rewarding as any other month - a time to enjoy, prepare, and anticipate the growing season ahead.

For more gardening advice, tips and tricks, or to shop online, visit www.hillier.co.uk

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Editors notes

“To inspire the creation of green living spaces for now and the future” Hillier is one of the leading names in the horticultural industry, with 160 years of growing and retail experience.

Founded in 1864 by Edwin Hillier, the company remains a family-run nursery with the fifth generation now actively involved in the family business as it continues to grow.

Not only is Hillier the largest producer of semi-mature trees in Europe and grower of over one million plants at its Hampshire nursery, but it also employs over 750 staff across its nursery, amenity trees and 22 garden centre divisions and is a flourishing multi-million pound company. It proudly holds the world record for the most consecutive gold medals awards at the world-famous RHS Chelsea Flower Show, with 74 wins.

As one of the leading growers in the UK, Hillier is involved in many peat-free initiatives, including the RHS Peat-Free Fellowship, the largest peat-free collaborative research project globally. The company was amongst the first nurseries to become 100% peat-free across both its production nursery and retail garden centres, and all Hillier plants are grown in peat-free compost.

Recent successes for the company include the launch of its online shop, the substantial redevelopment of Hillier Garden Centre Newbury and the acquisition of the Rosebourne Garden Centre Group in November 2022, as well as sponsorship of BBC Gardeners’ World Live and BBC Gardeners’ World Spring Fair, and the incredibly popular free ‘Hillier Gardening Club’ loyalty program which now has over half a million members.

Renowned for being a leading breeder of plants in the UK at its 100% peat-free nursery in Hampshire, each year Hillier introduces amazing new varieties. Many of these have become essentials in British gardens and the company continues with the tradition of innovation and the introduction of new garden plants in the present day.