What to sow and plant in December
These are the jobs that come round in December for a garden in the middle of England. If you garden in Cornwall you are roughly a fortnight ahead of this list; in the Highlands you are up to ten weeks behind it, and following a national calendar is how seedlings get killed by a frost that was always going to come.
Sow indoors or under cover
Nothing on the list this month.
Sow outdoors
Nothing on the list this month.
Ready to harvest
Plant
Vegetables and fruit to plant out
Trees, shrubs, bulbs and perennials
- Hellebore
- Rose (Climbing & Rambling)
- Rose (Floribunda / Cluster-flowered)
- Rose (Hybrid Tea / Large-flowered)
- Rose (Rambling)
- Star Magnolia
- Wisteria
Prune
How much December shifts where you live
| Where you are | Average last frost | Average first frost | Growing season |
|---|---|---|---|
| South West Coast and Cornwall | late March | early December | 260 days |
| South Coast and Channel | late March | late November | 240 days |
| Greater London (Urban Heat Island) | late March | late November | 250 days |
| South East and Home Counties | mid April | early November | 215 days |
| East Anglia | mid April | late October | 195 days |
| Midlands and Lowland Wales | late April | late October | 190 days |
| Wales and West Coast | mid April | mid November | 210 days |
| Northern England | early May | late October | 175 days |
| Scotland Lowlands and Central Belt | early May | mid October | 165 days |
| Scotland Highlands and Islands | late May | late September | 120 days |
| Northern Ireland | mid April | early November | 205 days |
| Channel Islands and Isle of Man | mid March | early December | 250 days |