December may not be a month that has you itching to get out in the garden, but there are still things you can do out there, particularly on those clear, cold days that provide some respite from the gloom that we have had so much of this year.

In the veg garden rhubarb can be planted now. It will do best where it gets the sun for at least half the day. Rhubarb crowns are available as potted specimens or bare roots. Add plenty of rotted compost to the soil and plant the crowns so that the large growth buds are just under the surface. Cabbage, broccoli and sprouts may get rocked by the wind so need to be well supported by stakes. If you’re lucky enough to have autumn fruiting raspberries, now is the time to cut the canes down to ground level, as new shoots will be produced next spring.

Hellebores are one of the joys of the spring flower garden, but they are prone to leaf spot disease. This can be minimised by removing old foliage this month, and has the added benefit of displaying the new foliage and flowers to best effect.

With leaves fallen, deciduous tree structures are clearly visible. IF YOU CAN DO IT SAFELY dead, damaged and diseased branches can be removed, as can branches which rub against each other. Aim to create a ‘goblet’ shape in apple and pear trees by removing central, inward-growing, branches. Don’t prune plum trees now – that’s a summer job. Now is also a good time for pruning vines and acers (if they really need it), and if you have wisteria, prune now by cutting summer side shoots back to no more than three buds.

If you’re giving or receiving a house plant at Christmas, then they will need aftercare if you’re to avoid having an ex-plant. Cyclamen, miniature roses, Christmas cacti, poinsettia and indoor azalea are all popular presents, but they don’t all want the same thing.

• Cyclamen prefer a cool bright position but not sun.  Water them from below once the compost dries out and never leave the pot standing in water. Fertilise fortnightly and remove dead bits. Once they finish flowering let them dry out until new growth begins again in the autumn.
• Miniature roses also prefer cool bright conditions but like a humid environment, so stand them on wet gravel. Deadhead and, once they’ve finished flowering, reduce the stems by half. They’ll need to be repotted into a larger pot and fed weekly.
• Christmas cacti come from a jungle-y environment so prefer a warm, semi-shaded spot out of direct sunlight. Standing on wet gravel will replicate the high humidity of the jungle. Once flowering has finished move to a cool room and reduce watering for a couple of months. In spring they can be moved somewhere warmer and watered. Keeping them drier again in autumn will encourage flowering.
• Azalea’s prefer moist compost, but use rainwater if you can. We live in a hardwater area and, as acid lovers, they do not like our tap-water. After flowering repot them into a larger plastic pot using ericaceous compost, reduce watering and feed fortnightly until next winter. Keep them in bright light in a cool room. They can be moved outside in summer.
• Where to start with poinsettias? If I was to list everything you need to do to get your poinsettia through the year, and to flower again next Christmas, I’d double the length of this column! Full instructions are available on this link. My suggestion? Enjoy it while it lasts but be prepared for it to be on the compost heap by March.

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I hope you all have a great Christmas. I’ll be back in January, with news of the garden trips I have planned for the spring.