December is easily one of our favorite months. We get to prepare our garden for our bird visitors, harvest the season’s tail-end fruits and vegetables, and cozy up the backyard for the endless holiday feasts. Furthermore, it’s also the best time to do specific gardening tasks.

Today, we’re going to let you in on tips and things you need to do for your December gardening.

1. Clean up your Garden

Before the weather gets wetter and colder, it’s best to start cleaning up your garden. Remove all the dead leaves, weeds, snapped up branches and twigs. Take the time to clear out accumulated mess like seed trays and broken or surplus pots. Prune and trim those roses, shrubs, bushes and trees.

If you have plenty of these twigs and branches, pile them up in a corner so it can stand as shelter to frogs, and other wildlife. All those leaves and weeds you can also put in your compost bin or you might even be inspired go all out and hire a skip bin and get rid of all your hard rubbish while you're at it. Keep in mind that as you clear out your garden for December, make sure your gutters are also cleared from the debris and likely clogging.

2. Shut off your Sprinklers

Any automatic watering systems you have in your garden must be turned off during this time of the year. The excess water will freeze up your plants, or make them more wet than they already are.

Moreover, these automatic sprinklers will also freeze up your pipes, which may lead to disastrous problems.

3. Protect your Plants

Plants’ needs vary from one kind to the next. Roses during winter can survive as long as you put a mound of dirt and plant-based mulch around it. This way, its roots are protected from the cold. Furthermore, make sure the heating in your greenhouse is working, particularly for your plants that are frost-sensitive.

Extra layer of protection such as plant covers can also be very helpful. Shrubs like azaleas and rhododendron, as well as vulnerable blooms like dahlias and citrus trees could definitely benefit from the extra cover.

4. Remove the Snow

It’s quite a sight to see a snow-capped garden. Go ahead and admire it for a bit. However, the snow needs to go in order for you to ensure the best level of protection for your garden. Moreover, the added weight can contort your plants.

Take the time to brush off the snow from the shrubs, trees and bushes. If you also have bird feeders that have been covered by snow and water trays that have frozen up, be sure to replace them with a new and fresh batch.

5. Plan your Spring Garden

Once you’re done harvesting what’s left of your garden, it’s time to plan what you want for spring. Check out your seed catalogs and take the time to discern which practices or plants you want to do away with. The beauty of next season is it almost provides you a new and clean slate.

While you’re at it, make sure you’ve prepared your garden tools to withstand the winter. The last thing you want is investing on expensive equipment and being unable to use them when the time comes.

Practice these December gardening tips so you can make the most of this time ensuring your garden is kept and ready for spring.