DECEMBER GARDENING
COUNTRYWIDE:
a) Follow up on sowing seed of winter annuals, biennials and perennials.
b) Water all plants well if the weather is dry.
c) Make the necessary arrangements for your garden before leaving on holiday so that plants do not suffer unnecessarily while you are away.
d) Control weeds in the lawn with broad-leaf weed killers and remove all weeds by hand in flower beds.
e) Feed citrus trees and camellias.
f) Keep a look out for red spiders mite as they can be very active during hot, dry weather.
g) Spray regularly where necessary to keep the garden free of pests.
h) Water, feed and mow the lawn.
WINTER-RAINFALL REGIONS:
a) Dead-head summer-flowering annuals and continue feeding with fertilizer high in potassium to prolong flowering period.
b) Hydrangeas are a their best. to pick hydrangea flowers for the vase make sure to pick mature flower heads with the little flowers in the centre all open. scrape the wood off the bottom 50 mm of the stem and soak in cold water up to their necks overnight.
c) Lift and divide spring-flowering irises.
d) plant nerine bulbs.
e) Sow vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, dwarf beans, kohlrabi, lettuces, runner beans and vegetable marrows.
DRY CONTINENTAL AND HIGHVELD SUMMER-RAINFALL REGIONS:
a) Dead-head daisy bushes regularly to prolong their flowering period and remember to disbud dahlias at regular intervals.
b) keep the soil well mulched.
c) Consider putting up a rainwater tank, as a wide variety of container grown plants can be grown with best result obtained if watered with rainwater.
d) Stake dahlias and water and fertilize them regularly.
e) Mulch rose well.
f) Cut back chrysanthemums.
g) Sow vegetables like beetroot, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumbers, dwarf beans, kohlrabi, lettuces, parsley, runner beans, sweet potatoes (tubers or cuttings) and vegetable marrows.
SUBTROPICAL REGIONS:
a) Watch out for mildew on plants especially on zinnias, and spray if necessary.
b) Feed cannas with 3:1:5 and mulch with compost.
c) Dead-head all flowering plants.
d) Plant summer-flowering annuals.
e) Feed cannas and water regularly.
f) Feed citrus and litchi trees.
g) Sow vegetables like peppers and sweet potatoes (tubers or runners).
TEMPERATE SUMMER-RAINFALL REGIONS:
a) Make sure to water the garden deeply during hot and dry spells.
b) Dead-head and feed annuals regularly.
c) Keep a look-out for snails and slugs.
d) Watch out for amaryllis-borer caterpillar on nerines, clivias and amaryllis.
e) Sow vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumbers, dwarf beans, dwarf spinach, globe and jerusalem artichokes, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuces, runner beans, sweet potatoes (tubers or cuttings), tomatoes and vegetable marrows. |
Annuals
