The Greenhouse Gardener's Diary - December
December brings in the colder weather, when, the days are short and the nights are frosty. Some plants need to be taken into the greenhouse, and some plants simply need to be covered.
December is the time to:
Things to do:
- Cut back the stems of Chrysanthemums when they have finished flowering
- Start to take cuttings of perpetual flowering carnations. Insert cuttings into a sandy compost. Place cuttings around the edges of small pots
- Cover cold frames with mats overnight, or during long periods of frost
- Christmas flowering plants in the greenhouse cannot be hardened off in the usual way, and need to be treated as tender plants. Cover and protect them from cold air when carrying them into the house by transporting them in a deep sided box
- Sow broad beans in boxes, in seed compost. Keep them in the greenhouse or under a frame until the middle of March
- Bring in any roses that were planted in October. Leave bone dry, until all the leaves have dropped and then prune drastically, Only two buds should be left at the base of each main stem
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December Greenhouse Gardening... 
