December ’s shortest days allow scant time to bask being out of doors , and we ’ve barely had a fortune to acclimate to the stale , but winter is still full of gifts for Northeastern gardeners . The good is an alibi for repose . Anything resemble a chore can wait for restored energy and good weather . But before taking a much - merit break , tackle a few last - minute tasks in the garden .
Prepare your rose for winter . Don’t procrastinate in train your pink wine for their own winter ’s balance . Save intemperately pruning for early spring , but cut back prospicient cane just enough to forestall them from whipping around in the wind and damaging themselves . To protect the bud union from freeze damage , “ hill up ” your roses by covering their base with a mound infantry or so of soil . Use complete compost and/or soil from another part of the garden , and be sure to rake and dispose of any pathologic foliation first . add up spring bud break , the ground should be pull away and circulate out . pick up more about overwintering your rosiness here :
make your own wintertime décor . Prune evergreens now , and repurpose their overgrowth in table centerpieces , wreaths , and outdoor container arrangements . Indoors , greens will last hebdomad in body of water . To ground heavy pieces in a vase or bowl , apply an previous - fashioned frog rather than floral foam , which contains carcinogen . To prevent outgrowth from blowing out of out-of-door container arrangements , stuff the ends into used pot soil . Cold temperatures help preserve colour in wreaths and arrangements leave behind outdoors . Learn more about creating your own decorations here :
get going filling bird eater , if you have n’t already , to append your garden ’s innate buffet . Avoid birdseed mixtures , because many contain filler that the birds wo n’t wipe out . Instead , keep it simple . A feeder of black - oil or stripy sunflower source will draw in a full change of birds . Or apply nyjer / thistle seed ( seed from African yellow daisies [ Guizotia abyssinica , annual ] ) to draw in finches . Also , marauding squirrel and Gracula religiosa will dine elsewhere if you offer nothing but false saffron seeds . check wench through the winter here .
Create gardening gifts . Share your sexual love of plants this holiday season . Pot upamaryllisbulbs ( Hippeastrumspp . and cvs . , Zones 8–10 ) . slump each bulb about two - third deep in a pot an column inch or two larger than its perimeter . Keep it watered , and fertilize it after spud . Plant terrariumsfor the nongardeners on your lean . In clear looking glass containers , stratum fish storage tank gravel for drainage , lightly scatter it with activated oxford grey to filter toxin , and top it with dampened potting soil just deep enough to plant in . Choose plant life that grow lento and thrive in humidity . irrigate them in lightly , and report the container with decipherable plastic film — perforate for zephyr rally — or promiscuous - fitting tops . place in vivid , trickle light , a well - balance terrarium will irrigate itself for weeks or even calendar month .
Make a tool compliments lean . Take a tool inventory now to reorganise , and make awish listof your own . Leave hint for champion and family . Empty out your tool bag , and go through the shed . Donate unneeded duplicates and any shaft you never practice . Retire or mend worn - out mitt . Identify which favorites need fixing , replacing , cleanup , or sharpening . If you do n’t find new or repaired tools under the tree , you do n’t have to deal with the quondam ones flop away . That ’s a job that can wait . Now is the time to enjoy the best gift December has to give : an destruction - of - season breather .
— Kristin Green is author of Plantiful : Start little , rise Big With 150 Plants That Spread , Self - Sow , and Overwinter . She garden in Bristol , Rhode Island .
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These are the contents of my garden tote at season’s end, ready for inventory and reorganization.Photo: Kristin Green
Cutting back long rose canes, or whips, by a third to a half will protect plants from winter wind damage. Hilling up small shrub roses insulates the bud union.Photos: Kristin Green
Use materials from your own landscape to create long-lasting arrangements, swags, and wreaths.Photo: Brittany Carlson
A community of birds (and squirrels!) enjoys a feeder filled with black-oil sunflower seeds.Photo: Kristin Green
When planting a terrarium, aim for the gravel, charcoal, and soil layer to take up no more than one-third of the depth of the container. This will ensure the right amount of airflow around your plants.Photo: Kristin Green
Here are some of this season’s tool casualties: a pruning saw left out in the rain, a blown-out glove fingertip, and a broken shovel. All are repairable!Photo: Kristin Green
