What to do in the garden in December

Prune climbing roses now and tie in any new growth. For help with pruning your roses take a look at our 'How to grow roses' article..

December is an ideal time to prune your apple trees and pear trees. Although winter pruning suits these particular fruit trees, leave plum, cherry and apricot trees until next summer otherwise they will be susceptible to silver leaf disease.

Lift any remaining Dahlia tubers once their foliage has been blackened by frosts and store them somewhere dry, cool but frost-free for the winter.

Remember to collect any fallen leaves from your roses as diseases such as blackspot and rust will over-winter in this debris. Don't compost diseased leaves - add them to normal household waste to prevent the disease spreading.

If you're experiencing snow make sure you brush it off of greenhouse roofs and hedges to prevent damage.

Insulate outdoor taps with foam lagging or turn them off at the mains to prevent damage in freezing weather.

Winter is a good time to wash garden tools and wipe them with linseed oil to help prevent rusting. Take a moment to re-organise your shed too, before spring arrives!

Hang fat balls and bird feeders in your garden to attract birds. Birds eat all sorts of insect pests so are very beneficial to your garden.

If your strawberry plants are more than 3 years old then its best to replace them as they tend to lose vigour and harbour disease. Order strawberry runners online now for early spring delivery.

Cover compost bins with old carpet or plastic sheeting to prevent the compost becoming too wet and frozen to rot down.