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Southeast December Garden Checklist: Indoor Plants, Bulbs, and Pruning

December can be quiet in the garden—good timing with holiday busyness. But much to enjoy and tend.

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Indoor Plants

Rosemary topiaries widely available now. Excellent seasonal display—fragrance and decor for tabletops inside or containers outside. If outside, protect from freezing first year. Potted rosemary dries easily—monitor often (you'll pass by for cooking snips).

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Bulbs

Amaryllis abound—whites, stripes, reds, pinks for seasonal celebration. Ideal gift. Handle carefully—fragile roots.

Pot: inch of soil around bulb sides
Plant: leave inch of neck exposed above soil
Water well, place near bright window (low light = tall weak stalk needing staking)
Post-bloom: treat as houseplant
Fertilize monthly with 20-20-20; foliage must grow to replenish bulb

After frost threat, plant in garden.

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Bird Care

Remember birds through spring (I tend year-round—great pleasure). They enhance garden and gardener enjoyment. Provide continual seed, suet, water. Birds are three times more likely to die from winter water lack than food lack—break ice if needed.

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Pests

Check camellias and evergreen shrubs for scale insects on leaf undersides. Dormant oil spray on leaves and stems controls effectively.

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Pruning

Late December: prune apple, peach, pear trees. Cut back grape vines.

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Decorating

Deck halls with garden boughs. December primes evergreen pruning anyway. Burford, Foster, Nelly Stevens hollies have good berry color now. Recut stems at angle, condition in warm water hours before use. Boxwood, ligustrum, aucuba also excellent for holiday decor.

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Trees and Shrubs

Still time to plant if ground not frozen/unlikely to freeze soon. Mulch away from trunks. Water weekly without rain. Fall planting allows root development before summer heat.