While the garden may seem dormant in the quiet chill of December, this period is the perfect time for strategic planting and planning to set the stage for a spectacular spring display. Many gardeners ask, “What can I actually plant now for spring?” The answer is, surprisingly, a great deal. A little work now pays huge dividends when the first signs of spring emerge. This guide will walk you through the best bare-root shrubs, hardy perennials, and bulbs to buy and plant in December, along with essential preparation tips for UK gardens.
At Netplant, our operational year is defined by the seasons. December is a crucial month for us, coordinating the logistics of supplying countless spring-ready plants to garden centres across the UK. This experience gives us a unique, data-driven insight into which plants consistently perform best in the varied conditions of British gardens, ensuring you get a head start on a beautiful season.
Preparing Your Garden in December for Spring Success
Before you consider new plants, laying the groundwork is a vital first step. Getting your soil and beds ready now ensures that your new spring garden plants have the best possible start.
Why Winter Preparation is Key
Preparing your soil in December allows it to settle over the winter, creating a more stable environment for new roots. In the UK, the natural freeze-thaw cycles of winter are invaluable; they help to break down heavy soil, improving its texture naturally. Any added nutrients from compost or manure have time to integrate properly, making them readily available to plants in spring. Furthermore, working on the garden now reduces disturbance to plants during their active growing season, minimising stress and promoting healthier, more vigorous growth.
Essential Soil Care and Improvement
A healthy garden starts with healthy soil. Follow these proven steps to get your beds in prime condition for spring flowering plants.
- Start by clearing away any persistent weeds, fallen leaves, and other debris from your borders and beds. This reduces the chance of pests and diseases overwintering.
- If you have heavy clay soil, a common feature in many UK gardens, now is the ideal time to dig it over. Leave the large clods of earth exposed; winter frosts will work their magic, breaking them down into a finer, more workable tilth.
- Incorporate plenty of well-rotted organic matter, such as manure, leaf mould, or garden compost. This enriches the soil with vital nutrients, improves its structure, and, crucially, enhances drainage for wetter winter months.
Choosing the Best Planting Spots
Even on a grey December day, you can learn a lot about your garden’s microclimates. Take time to observe the patterns of winter sun and shade. The low angle of the sun can reveal spots that receive more light than you might expect, making them ideal for early spring bloomers like Hellebores. Also, identify sheltered locations near walls or fences that offer protection from prevailing winds, providing a safe haven for more delicate early spring flowers.
The Best Bare-Root Plants to Buy in December
December is the peak of the bare-root season in the UK. These dormant plants represent excellent value and establish themselves quickly when planted in winter, leading to vigorous spring growth.
Hardy Shrubs for Early Colour: Forsythia & Skimmia
Forsythia: Famous for its explosive burst of bright yellow flowers on bare stems, Forsythia is a true herald of spring. Planting a bare-root specimen in winter allows it to establish a strong, deep root system before it needs to support foliage and flowers. From our experience supplying the UK market, robust, reliable shrubs like Forsythia are foundational plants in our wholesale orders, sought after by garden centres for their dependable impact.
Skimmia: Skimmia is a fantastic evergreen shrub providing year-round structure and interest. Its glossy leaves are a welcome sight in winter, followed by clusters of fragrant white or pink flowers in spring. Female plants also produce vibrant red berries that often last through the colder months, offering multi-seasonal appeal. It is an incredibly versatile and low-maintenance plant, ideal for both pots and borders.
Timeless Favourites: Bare-Root Roses
December is an excellent month for planting bare-root roses in the UK. They are often more affordable than their container-grown counterparts and the choice of varieties is usually much wider. Planting them now gives their roots several months to grow deep into the soil, leading to faster establishment and a spectacular floral display in their first summer.
- Soak: Before planting, soak the roots in a bucket of water for a couple of hours to rehydrate them.
- Dig: Dig a hole that is wide and deep enough to accommodate the roots without bending them.
- Position: Place the rose in the hole, ensuring the bud union (the swollen point where the stems meet the root) is at, or slightly below, soil level.
- Backfill: Fill the hole with soil mixed with compost and a handful of mycorrhizal fungi to encourage strong root development. Gently firm it down to remove air pockets.
- Water: Water the plant in thoroughly to settle the soil around the roots.
Colourful Winter and Early Spring Bedding Plants
For a more immediate impact, many hardy bedding plants can be purchased and planted in December to bridge the gap between winter and spring.
Winter-Flowering Pansies
Pansies are one of the ultimate hardy bedding plants for providing cheerful colour throughout the coldest months and well into spring. Their resilience to frost and their vast colour range make them an indispensable feature in UK gardens. Our dispatch records at Netplant consistently show Pansies are a cornerstone of our early-season deliveries; their hardiness makes them a reliable favourite that UK garden centres stock in high volume. For the best display, remember to deadhead faded flowers regularly to encourage a continuous flush of new blooms.
Cheerful Primroses and Bellis
Primroses and Bellis (the common daisy) are often available in garden centres from late winter and are perfect for brightening up pots, containers, and the front of borders. Primroses offer a classic woodland charm in shades of yellow, pink, and purple, while Bellis produces delightful pom-pom-like flowers. Both are reliable, tried-and-tested choices for instant, low-level colour that signals the changing seasons.
Evergreen Structure and Scent: Hellebores and Lavender
Hellebores (Christmas Rose): Hellebores are the epitome of winter elegance. Their beautiful, often downward-facing flowers appear in shades of white, pink, green, and deep purple from late winter into spring. They thrive in partial shade under trees and shrubs, adding a touch of class to shady corners of UK gardens when little else is in bloom.
Lavender: Planting hardy English lavender now allows its roots to establish firmly over winter, ready for strong growth in spring. The key to success, especially in the UK’s damp climate, is ensuring it is planted in very well-drained soil. We recommend adding horticultural grit to the planting hole. Its fragrant foliage and iconic summer flowers make it a must-have for any sunny spot.
Last Chance for Spring Bulbs
If you have a bag of bulbs you forgot to plant, do not despair; it is often not too late to get them in the ground.
Can You Still Plant Daffodils and Tulips?
The simple answer is yes. As long as the ground is not frozen solid or waterlogged, it is far better to plant bulbs late than to let them rot in the bag. They may flower slightly later or produce smaller blooms in their first year, but they will likely recover and perform perfectly in subsequent seasons. As a key exporter of high-grade Dutch-grown bulbs to the UK, we can attest that quality bulbs have the resilience to perform even when planted a little later than is ideal.
Planting “In the Green”: Snowdrops
One of the most reliable ways to establish Snowdrops is to buy and plant them “in the green”. This means purchasing them as small, growing plants just after they have finished flowering. This method has a much higher success rate for establishing naturalised drifts than planting dry bulbs in autumn. Keep an eye out for them in your local garden centre from late winter onwards.
Frequently Asked Questions about Spring Garden Plants
For early spring, Primroses, Daffodils, and Pansies are incredibly reliable and easy to grow, offering a burst of colour with minimal fuss. Their tolerance for unpredictable British weather is why they are consistently among the most popular plants ordered by UK garden centres every year.
In early spring (February to March), once the soil begins to warm up, you can plant summer-flowering bulbs like Lilies and Gladioli, sow hardy annual seeds directly into the ground, and plant out young vegetable plants once the risk of hard frost has passed in your specific region.
The best preparation starts in winter. Clear any weeds and debris, dig over the soil to improve its structure and aeration (especially important for heavy clay), and enrich it by mixing in a generous amount of compost or well-rotted manure. This gives the soil time to settle and for nutrients to become available.
Garden centres work with professional wholesalers like Netplant, who specialise in sourcing and exporting large quantities of high-quality, climate-ready plants. This partnership involves careful forecasting months in advance, coordinating with expert growers, and managing climate-controlled logistics to ensure a consistent and reliable supply arrives in peak condition for the autumn planting season.
Conclusion: Your Spring Garden Starts Now
December is far from a dormant month in the garden. It is a productive and crucial time for planting bare-root stock, adding hardy bedding for winter colour, and preparing your soil for the explosion of life to come. A beautiful spring garden is the direct result of thoughtful winter preparation and planting.
By taking these steps now, you are setting the stage for a season filled with colour, fragrance, and life. Head out to your local UK garden centre to find a great selection of these winter-hardy and bare-root plants. Choosing the right varieties is the first step, and as a trusted wholesale partner to the UK horticultural trade, Netplant ensures that garden centres are stocked with healthy, high-quality plants ready to thrive in your garden.
