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Editor of the Year: Gardens & Country As

We love December

If you were a Norseman (or woman) then your thoughts at this time of year would be of Yule logs. Fathers and sons would go off to the forest and drag huge logs to the homestead where they would chuck them on the fre. They would then feast until the log had been reduced to ashes, so the larger the log, the longer the feast (the Norse were not noted for their abstemious ways). Fortunately, we don’t have to go quite that far: a small sherry, a pair of novelty socks and a mince pie should see us through to 2022

Expert’s choice

Shrubby dogwoods

The Full Monty

As guardians of our own little plots of land, we can all do our bit to tackle environmental issues – and Monty’s Three Ps are a good place to start

Have your say

The view from your side of the fence

Clippings

Our roundup of the month’s latest gardening news and views

News in brief

1 ROSE HONOURS BLACK GARDENER A new rose,

Boxing Day walks

Enjoy the best walk of the year with friends and family, and use your 2 for 1 Entry in some of our favourite landscape gardens

Small steps to big changes

Gardening more sustainably, however tiny our plots, can add up to huge progress. Monty outlines some key changes we can all make to green up our footprints

Colour for every space

In the final part of her series, Carol Klein shows you how to put colour theory into practice no matter how tricky your plot

A-Z of house plants

Bring drama into your home with the trailing stems of this colourful plant

Your homemade Christmas

Make the most of your garden’s bounty by creating beautiful festive wreaths and other decorations for your home. Designer Shilpa Reddy shows you how

“A garden should be a place to let go and be free in”

In a highly competitive year, the judges’ Highly Commended award was fiercely contested – but ultimately all the judges fell in love with this couple’s tiny tropical oasis in Manchester

Where do I start?

Garden design

Rejoice in a real tree

The festive season can truly begin once the Christmas tree is up. Adam Frost has tips on choosing the best variety, keeping it looking fresh and putting it to good use after Twelfth Night

Creative Christmas gifts

Make it a homemade Christmas this year. Give these sets just as they are or use them to craft extra-special gifts for the gardeners in your life

Homegrown Christmas

Nothing brings family and friends together at Christmas like sharing a roast dinner with fresh produce from the garden. With a little forward planning, it’s easy to grow your own festive fare. Whether you sow parsnips in spring, plant potatoes in summer or simply pot up some herbs for seasonings, why not take up the challenge to grow at least one homegrown dish next Christmas?

Pruning saws

For thicker branches, a pruning saw is just the job. Kay Maguire helps you find the best tool to use

Fresh from the plot

Despite the cold, Rekha snips winter greens, enjoys the last of the roots and starts planning ahead. Plus, she turns up the heat with spicy sprouts

December Growing guide

Use our at-a-glance guide to fnd the best fruit and vegetables to sow and plant now

YOUR PRUNING MONTH

Frances Tophill makes the most of the dormant season to prune apple trees and other deciduous plants

WHAT TO DO NOW

50 things to do this month from the Gardeners’ World team

Monty’s month

Remove ice in troughs, wells and bird baths

Enjoy hellebores in your home

Make a festive display of snowy white Helleborus

10 MINUTES TO SPARE

Move plants growing in containers closer to your

Don’t forget

Pile up straw around the base of tender

STEP BY STEP Prune late-flowering clematis

Prune clematis that flower between late June and

Add pots of colour

Bring instant winter colour to your patio or

Cut back climbing roses

Tie in climbing roses now for a better

Gather winter flowers

Make a fragrant vase display with stems of

Plant more bulbs

Get the last of your spring bulbs planted

20 MINUTES TO SPARE

Hanging baskets aren’t just for summer. Plant up

STEP BY STEP How to sow pelargonium seeds

Sow the seeds of pelargoniums now to grow

Check sweet peas

Keep checking on any sweet peas sown during

Don’t forget

Pick and remove faded leaves from tender plants

Put a heater inside your greenhouse

Use a heater to help keep your greenhouse

TOP TIP

Divide mature rhubarb clumps to make new, more

Don’t forget

Weed and mulch around raspberry and blackberry plants

Prune espalier and cordon apples

Completely cut out any unwanted new shoots that

Take cuttings from currants

Grow new redcurrants, blackcurrants and gooseberries for free

15 MINUTES TO SPARE

Support the stems of your Brussels sprouts if

Harvest broccoli

Be sure to harvest the central head of

Research and order seeds for next year

Planning what you want to grow and which

Plant garlic

Buy garlic for autumn planting, from garden retailers

Eat your beets

Harvest beetroot from the veg patch as you

AROUND THE GARDEN

BEECHGROVE GARDEN The TV series is off air

TOP TIP

Plant fragrant shrubs, such as sweet box (Sarcococca

Pollard dormant trees to limit size

Pollard trees by cutting new growth back to

STEP BY STEP Give secateurs a quick clean and sharpen

There’s plenty of pruning to be done at

Keep lawns clear of fallen leaves

Raking up leaves is great exercise and will

Look after garden birds

Choose bird feeders with mesh cages if you

Next month

PHOTOS: SARAH CUTTLE Organise your greenhouse to allow

Christmas puzzles

Put down the wrapping paper, pick up a pen, and try our fun festive puzzles…

Crossword

SOLUTIONS to puzzles and crossword in Have Your

Marketplace Christmas Gifts

Potter and Mooch Explore our brand new collection

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Your wildlife month

See the red admiral on sunny days PHOTOS:

Q&A

This month The BBC Radio 4 experts answer

Gardeners’ Question Time

Our experts tackle your gardening problems, including sowing monkey puzzle seeds and using a greenhouse over winter

Your complete guide to homegrown

NEXT month... January issue on sale 23 December

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With the big day approaching and another difficult year drawing to a close, Alan finds festive cheer in the pages of the literary classics

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