December · month 12 of 12
What to do in the garden in December
Every job worth doing in December, built from the real care schedules of the plants gardeners grow — with the exact plants that need each one.
Plant in December
Plant bulbs 6-8 inches deep in well-drained soil in the fall.
Prune in December
Cut back stems to 2 inches after flowering or leave for winter interest
Deadhead in December
Optional: Remove spent flowers or leave on for winter interest
Mulch in December
Apply a thick layer of mulch over the root zone for winter protection.
Propagate in December
Collect mature seed pods in fall for propagation
Harvest in December
Pick outer leaves when usable size; avoid cutting the central growing point
Winter Prep in December
Leave some seed heads standing for winter interest and bird food
What's blooming in December
In flower around now.
Frost dates and bloom windows are typical ranges, not guarantees — your microclimate moves them by weeks. Sow uses your real local forecast instead.
December questions
What should I do in the garden in December?
The jobs that matter most this month are plant, prune, deadhead, mulch. Each section above lists the specific plants that need that job in December — drawn from the care schedules of the plants gardeners actually grow.
Does this calendar change by hardiness zone?
The tasks are the same, but which plants you can grow is not. Pick your zone below to see this month's jobs filtered to plants that survive your winters.
What's blooming in December?
Hellebore Wedding Party Mix, Lenten Rose Hybrid Mix, Lenten Rose Double Queen Strain, First Dance Lenten Rose Hellebore, Peppermint Ice Lenten Rose and others are in flower around now. The full list is above.
Keep exploring
Get December's tasks for your own plants
Sow builds this checklist from the plants actually in your yard — and adjusts it to your real forecast, so a wet week skips the watering and a frost warning reaches you first.