December

•    Scout the yard for evergreen cuttings, holly berries, dried pods and any other natural materials you can use for decorating.
•    Dig a hole ahead of time and store soil in warm spot if you plan to use a live evergreen as a Christmas tree. Cover the hole with a board so no one falls in.
•    If you didn’t already do it, make windbreaks for borderline-hardy broadleaf evergreens, erect barriers over plants that have been flattened in the past by snow and ice sliding off nearby roofs, and wrap hardware cloth or similar protection around the base of young trees and shrubs to protect from rodents gnawing.
•    Prevent frost cracks on thin-barked trees such as maples and fruit trees by wrapping trunks with tree wrap or by painting them white latex paint.
•    Poinsettias should be unsleeved in the store, but they should be sleeved for on the way home to protect from cold wind. Make sure water can drain out of poinsettia pots so the roots don’t rot (use a tray underneath).
•    Check out the garden centers for many other colorful live-plant options besides poinsettias, such as ornamental peppers, kalanchoe, cyclamen, bromeliads, ‘Diamond Frost’ euphorbia, even blooming mini-cactus.
•    Last chance to get those last few spring-flowering bulbs in the ground.
•    Last chance to get the hoses, pots, ornaments and statuary inside before winter damage threatens.
•    Pot up more amaryllis, paperwhites or pre-chilled hyacinths for winter blooms inside.
•    Clean and store lawn mower and garden tools for the winter if you didn’t do it last month.
•    Assess how gardens fared this past new year and make plans for improvements next season.
•    After Christmas, cut branches off your tree and interlock them around the base of roses or other tender plants for winter insulation. Chip/shred the branches as mulch in spring. Cut and dry the trunks for future firewood.
•    Check your seed supply to make a list of what you’ll need to order/buy new for the coming season.
•    If your indoor air is so dry that houseplants are suffering, consider buying a room humidifier. Those are more effective than sitting plants on pebble- and water-filled trays. Also keep houseplants away from heat vents and cold drafts near an outside door.
•    Make your Christmas list of gardening goodies.