Parker County Master Gardener Association
Garden Tips - December

During dormancy is a good time to transplant within the landscape or from nature into the landscape.

Plant:

Daffodils, grape hyacinths and most other spring bulbs can be planted this month.

Dutch hyacinths and tulips can be planted from mid-month on, first they must have been "chilled" for at least 45 days at 45-degrees in the refrigerator

Flowering cabbage, kale, pansies, pinks snapdragons and violas are considered cool-season annuals and can be planted this month.

For berry-producing plants in your landscape, consider Chinese photinias (not red tip photinias), hollies, Indian hawthorns, ligustrums, mahonias, pyracanthas and standard nandinas. There are others but these are some of the best.

Colorful winter foliage can be brought into your landscape with cleyera, nandina, purple wintercreeper euonymus and others. Usually these perform best if they are in full sun.

Consider planting a living Christmas tree such as a juniper, Arizona or Leyland cypress or a native evergreen shrub or tree.

Generally after the holidays, fruit and pecan trees, berries and grapes will be available.

Continue to do only minor pruning and shaping of shade trees and evergreen shrubs. Never "top" a tree because this is the best way to ruin that tree.

Prune:

Peaches and plums are pruned after the first hard freeze and before the bud-swell in February. Apples are pruned only to remove rampant vertical growth. Figs, pecans and pears are seldom pruned. Grape canes should be pruned by as much as 80 to 85%.
Last year's canes should cut to the ground on blackberries because the berries will be produced only on the new growth.

Fertilize new annuals and houseplants. (See November for discussion of fertilization).

Apply root-stimulator to newly transplanted trees and shrubs monthly for the first year.

Keep your yard neat throughout the winter season, this is for aesthetics and to help keep down pests and diseases.

Check on your landscape for water stress during dry spells, water when needed.
 

Tips for other months:
January    February    March    April    May    June   
July    August    September    October    November    December