Let's face it – most people don't venture out into the garden this month, unless it's to cut evergreens for Christmas decorations or to put out bird food. December weather is often cold, wet and windy. There may even be snow. Winter jasmine is a star performer, covering its green shoots with starry yellow flowers. However dismal the weather, hopefully you can still enjoy your garden from the warmth of your living room.

ESSENTIAL JOBS CHECKLIST FOR DECEMBER

• Store terracotta pots in a shed unless you're sure they're frost-resistant
• Line your greenhouse with bubble-wrap for insulation
• Move houseplants off windowsills at night
• Send off for lots of seed and plant catalogues

Do your Christmas shopping!

• If you're feeling energetic get out and do a bit of digging. Start a programme of conditioning and improving your soil. To do this successfully you need first to find out what sort of soil you've got, whether it's acid, neutral or alkaline, whether it's sandy, peaty, stony, loamy or sticky with clay. If you're new to gardening ask your neighbours. Buy a soil testing kit – this will measure the acidity of your soil. Any soil will benefit from having organic matter added so while you're digging add plenty of J Arthur Bower's Farm Manure.
• As long as the weather remains dry you can continue planting evergreens
• Clear up any fallen leaves and cut back perennials if you haven't already done so
• Curl up in front of the fire with lots of colourful catalogues to give you lots of ideas for next year

• Bare-rooted roses can be planted this month. Follow the instructions for planting given in our Quick Tips

• Clean your lawn mower. When spring comes you'll be glad you did

• Save energy and keep your greenhouse warm by lining it with bubble pack
• Potted azaleas need to be watered with rainwater. Feed them weekly with J Arthur Bower's Liquid Ericaceous Feed and stand them on damp gravel. When they form buds you can take them into the house if your prefer but continue to treat them in the same way. They do prefer to be kept on the cool side.
• You may think pests are dead or hibernating but unfortunately whitefly and greenfly find greenhouse very congenial all the year round. Be on the lookout for them and spray as necessary

• Trees and shrubs can be planted in containers in fine weather. For permanent plantings like these choose J Arthur Bower's John Innes No. 3 or John Innes Ericaceous Compost.

• Clear away the remains of old crops and put them on your compost heap. Remember to add Garotta biological compost maker every 15 cm (6 inches)

• Protect bay in very cold weather or if it's in a container move it to a sheltered spot

• Take hardwood cuttings of currants and gooseberries. The cuttings should be about 25-30 cm (10-12 inches) long and should be buried in a trench in the open ground to about half their length

• Keep an area in pools and ponds ice-free to stop the build-up of gases that could harm wildlife. Never smash the ice. Melt it by standing a pan of boiling water on it.

• Now's the time of year to sow those seeds that require exposure to the frost to promote germination. Use small pots of John Innes seed compost with added grit where required and cover the seeds with Silvaperl Grit Sand. Stand the pots out of the sun.

Look at our information pages. The aim is to cut out the mystique that surrounds many common tasks, and to explain in a simple way, why and how to do them. This way, we hope to help you enjoy your garden more, and get the best out of it.

Under each topic, you'll also find a guide to the wide range of J Arthur Bower's products available to help you with that particular task. The choice is yours.