The Gardeners’ World presenter called his garden a place of ‘no fun’ during December but he never misses the chance to do something special in it every December 26
Monty Don pointed out how every gardener is dictated by the weather throughout the year, but even more so in wintry December. The gardening expert noted in his online blog that the last month of the year “dictates every detail of what we do,” due to the number of extreme conditions we can experience in just one day, from snow and ice to rain and wind. On top of this, the days are extremely short come December. Monty even goes as far as describing his own garden as “not a fun place” at this time of year and tasks such as planting trees or shrubs “a sham”.
“Other than the tulips which are a good idea to get planted by Christmas there is nothing that will not keep until the New year and a lot that will benefit from being left until the ground is drier,” he admitted. However, there are a handful of seeds that he always likes to plant on Boxing Day for one specific reason.
He wrote: “Boxing day feels like a fresh start. In fact I always sow some seeds on Boxing day – onions, chillies, some tomatoes – as much as a symbolic act as serious horticulture.” Monty’s poignant deed ends with a positive look to next year, as he added: “Midwinter is past. The days are getting longer. Soon there will be snow drops and aconites, crocus and hellebores.
“But first the weather-driven weeks leading up to midwinter have to be confronted. But then, if there was not the December dark the light of Spring and Summer would not seem so bright or precious.”
Before Christmas Day arrives, however, Monty has elsewhere urged people to plant garlic bulbs. He ideally suggested planting the versatile bulbs in autumn so they can be grown ahead of the festive season – but if not then get them planted before the festive season is over.
“I start planting garlic bulbs in September but it can be done at any time before Christmas to have a good harvest next summer,” he said. Monty added that most people buy ‘soft neck’ bulbs 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.”
