It is the week of the magical holiday we call Christmas, a time hopefully spent by all enjoying quality time with family and friends. As we have all hustled about preparing gifts, cleaning the house and cooking that special feast fit for any king or queen, don’t forget about that garden!
At least since Thanksgiving (and probably much farther back than that in all honesty), Christmas tunes of all kinds have filled our ears with the sounds of the season. I am admittedly a little more old-school and perhaps find myself humming along (or singing horribly off key) more often to the legends like Burl Ives, Sinatra or Bing Crosby. It seems almost every reputable musician has released a Christmas album after all, right? Certainly one holiday hymn heard over the loudspeaker at the mall or in that elevator downtown this time of year is “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, sung by a plethora of artists over the decades. I thought it might be fun to tweak it a bit, and mold it into our very own “Twelve Days of Gardening” for the holidays.
I will formulate a broader spectrum verse here in a bit, but I was thinking this particular song will allow each and every one of us to literally do a version that is unique to our gardening likes. We all love the soil, plants, flowers and almost everything about gardening I am sure, but perhaps each of us has more specific tastes in colors, combinations and certainly cultivars of plants. Take a moment snuggled up by the warm fire, perhaps after a libation or two, use that imagination and think of your very own version. This would also work for indoor plant enthusiasts just as nicely. Here is my very own version of “Twelve Days of Gardening”…
On the twelfth day of Christmas, A gardener gave to me…. Twelve pruners pruning, Eleven Pansies blooming, Ten willows weeping, Nine Lenten Roses, Eight bees a buzzing, Seven Sarcococca smelling, Six rabbits nibbling, Five goldenrods, Four yards of compost, Three stately statues, Two sculpted boxwoods, And the perfect Japanese maple tree.
Keep in mind that traditionally the twelve days begin on Christmas day and go through January 6th. This classic English holiday song goes back to the late 1700’s, and is traditionally filled will religious symbolism celebrating the Christmas holiday. The evolution of this simple tune over the centuries is fascinating to me, along with all of the variations that make up specific traditions in various countries, each a bit different than the next. Look up the versions from Sweden, Scotland or France and you will see both similarities and differences to the verse us North Americans adopted. Since we are in the great PNW and this is our space to have some fun, I am going to tweak it even more and turn this into our very own “Twelve Days of Gardening.” These are all tasks I would be trying to accomplish in the garden over the holidays, or soon thereafter.
On the first day of Christmas the gardener asked of me, to prune that lace leaf maple. This is a must do when dormant, as you can see the structure and get your specimen sculpted properly.
On the second day of Christmas the gardener asked of me, to cut all that old foliage off your Hellebores. As they begin to flower now, removing old and tired foliage not only allows you to see the flowers emerging, but it often removes insects and/or diseases that might be present.
On the third day of Christmas the gardener asked of me, to watch that moss grow. The PNW is notorious for moss developing over winter, and depending on what the weather does you can start treating the lawn, your roof and landscape beds again soon.
On the fourth day of Christmas the gardener asked of me, to divide those perennials. This is THE dormant season and the perfect opportunity to divide almost any perennial that you are cultivating. Get a sharp shovel, some organic Sure Start, compost and have at it!
On the fifth day of Christmas the gardener asked of me, to clean up some leaves. You don’t need to go all OCD, like I do, but making sure that clumps of fallen foliage are not stuck to and/or burying conifers and evergreen shrubs is crucial. Take a moment and gently pluck or brush those leaves off of your plants or you will have unsightly foliage left come spring.
On the sixth day of Christmas the gardener asked of me, to use this as planning time. Take a few moments to formulate your gardening battle plan for 2026, jotting down reminders and a list of projects you would like to accomplish.
On the seventh day of Christmas the gardener asked of me, to please thin those trees out. During the dormant season it is so much easier to see into the centers of arboreal specimens. This is the perfect opportunity for you to dive into the middle and remove any congested and/or dead wood.
On the eighth day of Christmas the gardener asked of me, to get those bulbs fed. Bulbs are strange creatures in some respects and as they begin to emerge after the holidays it is pertinent to get them fed. Using an organic flower-type food or simple bone meal provides what they will need to store energy before going dormant, resulting in an improved flower show the following year.
On the ninth day of Christmas the gardener asked of me, to get those veggie beds mulched. Planting a cover crop or simply mulching fallen leaves on the soil surface like I do, really does help protect the soil over winter. Then in spring, this mulch can be worked into the soil structure, adding free microbes and fertilizer for even better soil.
On the tenth day of Christmas the gardener asked of me, to begin the slug battle early and often. Grab some safe/organic Sluggo (Iron Phosphate) and get those shields up on slug-prone plants. Keep in mind that they will lay eggs often in the fallen debris, so cleaning up at the base of plants and creating a perimeter with Sluggo will hopefully keep them from meandering back in to munch some more.
On the eleventh day of Christmas the gardener asked of me, to wait until early March to cut back your Hydrangeas and Roses. Clipping off brown blossoms is fine anytime, but definitely wait to cut back or remove any dead wood and then shortening stems a bit if needed.
On the twelfth day of Christmas the gardener asked of me, to get that home orchard dialed in. This means making time for proper pruning, dormant spraying and fertilization soon. Taking some time to get ahead is key to growing fruit and berries successfully.
I sincerely hope that some of these make you smile and perhaps also motivate you to get out and accomplish some crucial winter tasks. Do you need to do these today or tomorrow? Maybe not, but keeping them top of mind to finish soon is ideal. As always, seek out quality supplies and advice at your local garden center. Happy Holidays once more and may your very own “Twelve Days of Gardening” be filled with purpose, smiles and hopefully a strong senses of accomplishment.
