December is the month when the days get shorter and cold weather really begins to limit your outdoor gardening activities. Winter is a great time to read your favorite gardening magazines and books, visit nurseries and study your landscape to make improvements or additions.

PLANTING

There is still time to plant some pansies. These colorful annuals will live through the winter and be spectacular next spring. They work really well when mixed with bulbs. Mix bright and light colors if you want your bed to be seen from a distance. You can also plant hardy trees and shrubs this month. You must water them carefully, not letting them dry out or sopping wet.

Prepare your flower bed for next spring. You can go ahead and prepare the soil now. Dig it up, remove the weeds and work in leaves and compost. If the soil stays wet longer than it should, add more organic matter to create a raised bed to help it drain better.

Water well before a freeze as it insulates the plants. It takes longer for the soil to dry out in the winter, so be careful not to over water and cause root rot.

Don’t let fallen leaves remain on your lawn all winter. Either mow them back into the lawn, use as a weed suppressing and water conserving mulch, or compost them. Leaves left on the lawn can cause disease problems.