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Mississippi Master Gardener

December Garden Calendar

Protect

  • Protect moveable plants from sudden changes in temperature by bringing them indoors.
  • Protect tender plants by placing layers of mulch, or pine straw, to a depth of 6-8 inches.
  • Water plants well if there is warning before a frost. Otherwise water as the plants begin to thaw.

 

Plant

  • Toward the end of the month plant Tulips and Hyacinth that have been in the fridge for 6 weeks.
  • This is a good time to move Japanese Magnolias.
  • Plant many types of bare root trees: fruit, nut or citrus.
  • Plant dormant shrubs: Azalea, Camellia, Nandina, Wax Ligustrium, Indian Hawthorne, Pyracantha, Mock orange, Hydrangea, Flowering Quince, and Spirea.
  • Herbs for a sunny window: Tarragon, Chives, Oregano, Marjoram, and Rosemary.

 

Prune

  • Prune fruit trees and shade trees to remove damaged wood.
  • Cut off tops of brown perennials, leave roots in the soil.
  • Do not prune spring flowering shrubs.
  • Ferns will come back from the ground, cut back brown fronds.
  • Cut Mistletoe out of trees.

 

Indoor Plants

  • House plants to consider: African Violets, Amaryllis, Begonia, Bromeliads, Christmas Cacti, Dieffenbachia, Ferns, Philodendron, Schefflera, and Weeping Fig.
  • Feed houseplants twice during the winter months.

 

Miscellaneous

  • To maintain a live Christmas tree in good condition, mix in a 2 liter bottle: 8 oz non-diet soda, 2 oz vinegar, 1 oz mouthwash. Fill the bottle with water. Keep base of tree in this solution. After Christmas have your tree turned into mulch. Some Christmas decorations are poisonous to people and pets: Keep Boxwood, Holly, Mistletoe, and Jerusalem Cherry high up and out of reach.

 

In Bloom

  • Sweet Pea, Sasanquas, Poinsettia, Camellia, Osmanthus, Narcissus, and Amaryllis