What to do in your garden in December

Sunset, Dec, 2004 by Lauren Bonar Swezey

SHOPPING

* Holiday greens. Nurseries are stocked with greenery--garlands, wreaths, and conifer swags--for adorning a door, gate, or wall over a fireplace. Spray untreated greens with an antitranspirant (also available at nurseries) to delay drying. Add cones and pods and finish the wreath or swag with a raffia bow or, for a more elegant look, a bow made from wired ribbon. (For more ideas, see "Seasonal Entryways," page 114.)

PLANTING

* Camellias. Sunset climate zones 7-9, 14-17: To get the flower color you want, shop for Camellia sasanqua and early-flowering C. japonica now, while they're blooming. Sasanquas range from upright (good choices for informal hedges and containers) to spreading or vinelike (useful for espaliers and groundcovers). They also tolerate a fair amount of sun, except in hot, inland areas. Upright varieties include 'Apple Blossom', 'Setsugekka', and 'Yuletide'; two good spreading types are 'Chansonette' and 'Showa-No-Sakae'. Japonicas make attractive specimen plants and espaliers. A few of the many fine choices include 'Alba Plena', 'Daikagura', 'Debutante', 'Elegans', 'Nuccio's Carousel', 'Nuccio's Gem', and 'Wildfire'.

* Perennial vegetables. Zones 7-9, 14-17: Bare-root vegetables are available in nurseries now. Set out roots of asparagus, horseradish, and rhubarb in well-tilled soil. Water well at planting time and in between rains.

* Poinsettias. Nurseries are overflowing with poinsettias this month. Choose plants with healthy dark green leaves; avoid those that have been stored for more than a day or so in paper sleeves (which causes leaves to drop off). Indoors, display plants away from heater vents in a spot that gets bright, indirect light. Outdoors, put them under an overhang next to the house; temperatures below 45[degrees] to 50[degrees] can damage plants. Water when the top of the soil feels dry to the touch (never let the soil go completely dry). Two ways to display them: Cluster red and white varieties in a large basket. Or group several plants whose bracts (flowerlike leaves) come in an unusual color or pattern.

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* Primrose. Primula obconica is one of the showiest primroses you can grow; it bears large clusters of blooms above roundish, apple green leaves. But a chemical called primin, found on the hairs of its stems and leaves, can cause a skin rash in some people after they've handled the plants. If you're sensitive to primin, shop nurseries for Libre, a primin-free series of P. obconica. Flower colors include blue, magenta, pink, light salmon, and white.

MAINTENANCE

* Protect strawberries. For stronger plants and higher yields in spring, cover the plants through winter with floating row covers. Available at most nurseries, row covers are made from a lightweight, synthetic fabric, which protects plants from light frosts. If setting out new strawberry plants during the dormant season, select a sunny site where strawberries haven't been grown for several years to avoid disease problems; add plenty of compost. Apply a mulch on top of the soil.

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Holiday care for a live tree

If you buy a container-grown conifer, here's how to keep it healthy during its indoor stay, which should be limited to 10 days.

1 Keep the tree in its plastic nursery can. Place it in a cool spot away from heat sources. Put a saucer underneath to catch any drips.

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2 Hide the nursery can and saucer by slipping them into a decorative container such as a basket; or wrap them with aluminum flashing secured with silver duct tape at the back.

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3 Decorate with small, cool-burning lights. To water, dump two trays of ice cubes atop the soil daily. As the ice melts, water trickles slowly down through the root zone.

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