The talk that Geoff Hawkins gave the 30 or so members who attended the AGM on 13^th November was practical and very informative.  Amongst a great deal of sound advice, including using Vitax Q4 fertiliser rather than my favourite Growmore, he advocated to use of bending shoots of fruit trees and climbing roses.  I had never thought of using string and a brick to gently bend shoots so that the fruiting/flowering buds would have a better chance of doing their stuff rather than sending all the growth into the tip.  Many people said that we should get Geoff back again to have more time, we only allowed him exactly 60 minutes, and hopefully the new committee will set that in motion for next year.

The garden becomes much quieter in December, giving you a chance to tackle some of those jobs that get overlooked in busier times.  So, trees and shrubs that obstruct pathways can be pruned back into shape, and make it easier to get access.  Ditches, gulleys and drains should be cleaned out and kept clear thus preventing a build up of surface water during periods of heavy rainfall.

When cutting evergreens for Christmas decoration use a sharp pair of secateurs and regard it as a pruning exercise as much as getting it for the house.  Cut the pieces here and there where they will not be missed, or go the whole hog and cut the plant to shape for the spring.  Thinking of pruning, spare a few minutes to clean up your pruning shears and other tools.  Finish off by giving the blades a light oiling with something like WD-40 or Three in One oil.

If you are lucky enough to have a greenhouse vine, they should be pruned towards the end of the month.  All side-growths should be cut back to two buds.  The spurs carrying these shortened growths should be well spaced apart, at least 40 to 50 cm apart on the main rod so that overcrowding in summer is minimised.

Look out for new varieties and novelties that might be interesting.  Robinsons continue to sell Exhibition seed for the main vegetable varieties, and those are the ones you need to think of for the best entries into the Summer Show. .  They are on sale in Hilliers and also at the RHS Garden Centre, Wisley.

In order to have some early shoots of mint, now is the time to lift a few roots and put them in a fairly deep seed box and cover with potting soil.  Put it in a frame or the greenhouse, and you will have nice shoots in a few weeks, when everything else is still asleep in the garden.

In the last week of the month give some time to plan for the year ahead.

May you all have a peaceful and very happy Christmas.

This is the month where there should be good housekeeping in the garden, tidying up and pruning in readiness for the winter months. If you have a large compost area it is a very good idea to keep all the leaves swept from the lawn and elsewhere, as they will make excellent leaf mould – eventually.

Prepare for the spring by digging and manuring the vegetable patch. Remember to keep a 3 year rotation so that potatoes (for example) are not planted in the same area two years running.

Where possible, clear debris from your ponds. Surrounding perennials should be cut down and the soil forked over. Giant leave of the Gunnera manicata should be folded over the crown of the plant to provide protection from the cold. Remove any submersible pumps that may have been used earlier in the year and have them serviced and stored for use next year.

Remember to get your tulips planted before the end of the month. Try layer planting of tulips in containers. Do this by planting the later flowering varieties first, cover them with about an inch to 2″ of compost and then plant earlier varieties. A typical 12″ diameter container can take up to 40 bulbs in order to get a good display that lasts several weeks if this technique is used. On the subject of container planting for the winter, it is difficult to find suitable plants. Winter pansies are usually reliable. One tip I have learnt, and I expect it has been done to death with all the TV gardening programmes, is the use of variegated and evergreen plants like ivy (hedera) and also some of the herbs such as purple sage, and the evergreen thyme. When these are mixed with spot colour of winter flowering dwarf wallflowers, or pansies it can make for an interesting colour spot in the depths of winter.

Seed catalogues abound and it is worthwhile to spend some time thinking about what you might grow next year. Thompson & Morgan and Dobies are probably the most promoted catalogues. For vegetable seed and fruit plants, I have found D.T. Brown (www.dtbrownseeds.co.uk) very good. They are expanding the range of plants and products sold. Recently I bought a pair of ‘Vine Snips’ from them and find them very useful in the garden. Whilst most people have pruning shears, the blades are relatively thick and cumbersome. The Vine Snips are similar to a pair of fine surgical scissors that are ideal for more delicate work, like deadheading and taking out small offshoots. They cost around a fiver and might be a suitable Christmas present for gardeners everywhere.

For those who can lay out £100 for a pair of garden boots, the Toggi range are very good. Ideally the best are the Dubarry boots but they cost between £200 to £300 a pair. The Toggi alternative has a leather foot cover, and a mix of cloth and leather up to the knee. They are waterproof, warm in winter, and very comfortable. Until I bought a pair earlier this year I had always gone for the cheapest rubber wellie possible, but now it seems that the average wellie costs anything between £40 to £60 and they do not seem to last much more than a couple of years, so I think that paying more as an investment in a good pair of boots is justified.