Monty Don has revealed what gardeners can do in December despite the awful weather, with two jobs in particular something the Gardeners’ World presenter does himself
With Christmas fast approaching, the weather across the UK is notoriously wet at this time of the year, making it incredibly hard for gardeners to get on with jobs.
Whether it be heavy rain, high winds or sub-zero temperatures, gardening in the winter is not as appealing than in the warmer months. There are still jobs we can be getting on with in our outdoor spaces, however. Gardening expert Monty Don has revealed it is not too late to plant tulips. They can be planted either in the ground or in pots and need good drainage to be able to thrive in these harsh conditions.
Writing in his blog, Monty said: “It is actually something that can be done at any time between now and Christmas although the earlier they get into the ground the earlier they will flower. The essential thing with all tulips is to make sure that they have good drainage. This matters less if they are to be treated as annuals and dug up after they have flowered but even so they will be happier with plenty of grit or sand added to heavy soil. If they are to be permanent it is important to plant them as deep as you can – I often use a crowbar to make a hole 12 inches or more deep – and the deeper they are the stronger and straighter the stem will be.
“If you are growing them in a container then drainage is easier and they do not have to be so deep and can also be planted in layers – a tulip lasagne, with an earlier variety such as ‘Orange Emperor’ planted deepest that will flower first, followed by a mid-season variety like ‘Negrita’ planted above it and then finally, in the top layer a late-season one such as ‘Queen of Night’.”
It is not just tulips which can be planted at this time of the year, though. According to Monty, it’s also a favourable time to plant garlic bulbs. The Gardeners’ World presenter wrote in his blog: “I start planting garlic bulbs in September but it can be done at any time before Christmas to have a good harvest next summer.
“The garlic you mostly buy is almost always ‘soft neck’ which has a flexible plaitable stem, stores well (which is why shops stock it) and is often excellent. But many think the best garlic are ‘hard neck’ varieties which have a stiff, upright stalk and tends to have smaller bulbs. However it is just as easy to grow and get hold of from good suppliers and because it is much harder to buy, it makes sense to grow it yourself.
“Hardneck varieties such as ‘Red Duke’, ‘Rocambole’, or ‘Early Purple Wight’ are slower to grow so may take a while to appear whereas softneck varieties should start to show shoots after a month or so. Like all garlic of any type, plant plump individual cloves (the bigger the clove the bigger the bulb it will generate) 6-9 inches apart , pointed end up and buried a good inch below the surface in well-drained soil in a very sunny position that has plenty of organic material dug into it. Shoots will appear in about 6-8 weeks.”
