Gardening tips by month
December gardening tips: what to prune, feed & protect
A December garden checklist built from our plant care guides. Garden jobs depend on your local frost dates, so tasks are grouped for cold, moderate and mild climates. Find yours below, then tap any plant for full step-by-step instructions.
December in cold winters (zones 3–5)
A quiet month. Enjoy the garden and plan for next season.
December in moderate winters (zones 6–7)
Spraying & disease prevention in December
- Peach / nectarine: peach leaf curl spray (after leaf drop) (Nov 8 – Dec 6)
Frost & winter protection in December
- Almond tree: trunk guards for winter (Nov 8 – Dec 6)
- Apple tree: trunk guards for winter (Nov 8 – Dec 6)
- Apricot tree: trunk guards for winter (Nov 8 – Dec 6)
- Asian pear: trunk guards for winter (Nov 8 – Dec 6)
- Chestnut tree: trunk guards for winter (Nov 8 – Dec 6)
- Kiwi vine: protect young trunks for winter (Nov 8 – Dec 6)
- Pear (European): trunk guards for winter (Nov 8 – Dec 6)
- Pomegranate: winter protection (zone 7) (Nov 8 – Dec 6)
- Strawberry: winter straw mulch (Nov 15 – Dec 13)
- Strawberry tree: winter protection (zone 7) (Nov 15 – Dec 13)
Other care in December
- Pecan tree: harvest pecans (Oct 11 – Dec 6)
- Pecan tree: pick up girdled twigs (Oct 25 – Dec 6)
- Strawberry tree: harvest the fruit (Oct 11 – Dec 6)
- Tangerine / mandarin: harvest tangerines (Oct 11 – Dec 20)
December in mild winters (zones 8–10)
Pruning in December
- Apple tree: dormant prune (Dec 31 – Feb 11)
- Asian pear: dormant prune (Dec 31 – Feb 11)
- Boxwood: thin the interior (Dec 31 – Feb 4)
- Chestnut tree: dormant prune (Dec 17 – Jan 28)
- Crape myrtle: late-winter shaping (no topping) (Dec 31 – Feb 11)
- Grapevine: dormant prune (spur or cane) (Dec 31 – Feb 4)
- Hazelnut / filbert: dormant prune and blight check (Dec 17 – Jan 28)
- Holly: winter shaping (Dec 17 – Jan 28)
- Japanese maple: dormant structural prune (Dec 31 – Feb 4)
- Kiwi vine: main winter prune (Dec 17 – Jan 21)
- Medlar: light dormant prune (Dec 31 – Feb 11)
- Mulberry: dormant prune (Dec 17 – Jan 21)
- Pear (European): dormant prune (Dec 31 – Feb 11)
- Pecan tree: dormant prune (Dec 17 – Jan 28)
- Peony: cut to the ground in autumn (Dec 1–22)
- Persimmon: dormant prune (Dec 31 – Feb 4)
- Pistachio tree: dormant training prune (Dec 31 – Feb 4)
- Plum tree: remove black knot galls (Dec 31 – Feb 4)
- Quince: light dormant prune (Dec 31 – Feb 11)
- Serviceberry: late-winter renewal prune (Dec 31 – Feb 4)
- Viburnum: remove viburnum leaf beetle egg twigs (Dec 31 – Feb 4)
- Wisteria: winter spur prune (Dec 31 – Feb 4)
Spraying & disease prevention in December
- Cherry tree: copper spray after leaf fall (Dec 15 – Jan 5)
- Peach / nectarine: peach leaf curl spray (after leaf drop) (Dec 15 – Jan 12)
Soil, compost & mulch in December
- Apple tree: test the soil (every 3 years) (Dec 31 – Feb 4)
- Azalea: test the soil (every 3 years) (Dec 31 – Feb 4)
- Bigleaf hydrangea: test the soil (every 3 years) (Dec 31 – Feb 4)
- Blueberry: test the soil (every 3 years) (Dec 31 – Feb 4)
- Boxwood: test the soil (every 3 years) (Dec 31 – Feb 4)
- Hybrid tea rose: test the soil (every 3 years) (Dec 31 – Feb 4)
Frost & winter protection in December
- Almond tree: trunk guards for winter (Dec 15 – Jan 12)
- Apple tree: trunk guards for winter (Dec 15 – Jan 12)
- Apricot tree: trunk guards for winter (Dec 15 – Jan 12)
- Arborvitae: deep-water before the ground freezes (Nov 24 – Dec 29)
- Asian pear: trunk guards for winter (Dec 15 – Jan 12)
- Boxwood: deep-water before the ground freezes (Nov 24 – Dec 29)
- Chestnut tree: trunk guards for winter (Dec 15 – Jan 12)
- Citrus (lemon, lime, orange): frost plan (Nov 17 – Dec 8)
- Macadamia: frost protection for young trees (Nov 24 – Dec 15)
- Pear (European): trunk guards for winter (Dec 15 – Jan 12)
- Rhododendron: deep-water before the ground freezes (Nov 24 – Dec 29)
- Strawberry: winter straw mulch (Dec 22 – Jan 19)
- Tangerine / mandarin: frost plan (Nov 17 – Dec 8)
Other care in December
- Almond tree: clean up old nuts and husks (Dec 17 – Jan 28)
- Apple tree: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Dec 1–29)
- Apricot tree: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Dec 1–29)
- Bearded iris: fall leaf cleanup (borer control) (Dec 8–29)
- Climbing rose: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Dec 1–29)
- Flowering dogwood: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Dec 1–29)
- Grapevine: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Dec 1–29)
- Hosta: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Dec 1–29)
- Hybrid tea rose: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Dec 1–29)
- Kiwi vine: harvest kiwis (Oct 20 – Dec 1)
- Macadamia: collect fallen nuts (Nov 3 – Jan 26)
- Medlar: harvest and blet medlars (Dec 1–29)
- Medlar: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Dec 1–29)
- Peach / nectarine: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Dec 1–29)
- Pecan tree: harvest pecans (Nov 17 – Jan 12)
- Pecan tree: pick up girdled twigs (Dec 1 – Jan 12)
- Persimmon: harvest persimmons (Nov 3 – Dec 29)
- Persimmon: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Dec 1–29)
- Pistachio tree: clean up old nuts and husks (Dec 17 – Jan 28)
- Quince: harvest quince (Nov 3 – Dec 1)
- Quince: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Dec 1–29)
- Shrub / landscape rose: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Dec 1–29)
- Strawberry tree: harvest the fruit (Nov 17 – Jan 12)
- Strawberry tree: autumn cleanup of fallen leaves (Dec 1–29)
- Tangerine / mandarin: harvest tangerines (Nov 17 – Jan 26)
- Walnut tree: harvest walnuts (Oct 20 – Dec 1)