December Horticulture Tips	Jan	Feb	March	April	May	June
	July	Aug	Sept	Oct	Nov	Dec

Trees

• Select a Christmas tree with fresh, green needles that stay attached when you run your hand down the branches. After getting the tree home, make a fresh cut to the base of the trunk, removing approximately 1 inch, then place it immediately in water. Water the tree daily throughout the holiday seeason and never allow it to run out of water.
• Choose a Nebraska-grown Christmas tree from a grower near you through the Nebraska Department of Agriculture's Christmas Tree Grower Directory. Either pick and cut your own tree, or choose a pre-cut tree.
• Keep a living, containerized or balled and burlapped, Christmas tree inside the house for as short a time as possible. Plant the tree outside as soon as possible after the holidays.
• Lightly prune evergreens for holiday decorations.
• After winter storms, check trees and shrubs for snow or ice damage.

Lawn Care

• Change the oil and filter in your lawn mower or other landscape equipment with small engines. Inspect and change the spark plug if necessary. Sharpen the mower blade.
• Store liquid herbicides & insecticides in a frost-free area.
• Water when soil temperature is above 32 F degrees.

Vegetable & Fruits

• Checked stored vegetables.
• Resist the urge to prune fruit trees.
• Mulch the strawberry bed.
• Enjoy the preserved fruits and vegetables from last summer’s garden.
• Order garden catalogues.

Ornamentals

• Mulch roses.
• Make sure newly planted perennials, fall or spring plantings, have sufficient soil moisture throughout the winter months.

Houseplants

• Put flowering planting is bright light.
• Check houseplants for insects.
• Purchase poinsettia and amaryllis plants for holiday cheer or as gifts. Select plants that look healthy, are free of foliage damage, not wilted and have bright green leaves. Place them away from drafts and check for water as needed.

General

• Clean and sharpen garden tools.
• Be careful when operating a snow blower.
• Always be safety conscious with your Christmas tree and other decorations. Don't overload electrical outlets.
• Purchase holiday gifts for your favorite gardener, including books, plant containers, a pH kit, or an unusual plant such as a bonsai (pronounced bone-sigh) or a Phalaenopsis orchid. Be sure the gift plant is appropriate to the gardeners expertise.