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Plant guides · Month by month

December in the garden.

What to sow and plant in December, then what is in flower and what is in fruit among the plants in our guides. The picks are the app's own monthly planting guide, which matches them to your hardiness zone.

Northern hemisphere. The southern hemisphere picks are further down the page.

What to plant in December

  • Garden Cress Lepidium sativum · herb · start indoors · zones 1 to 13

    The fastest thing you can grow indoors, giving peppery leaves in about ten days. A saucer, some damp paper and a warm windowsill is the whole method.

  • Amaryllis Hippeastrum reginae · bulb · plant bulbs · zones 1 to 13

    Pot the bulb with its shoulders above the compost and keep it warm and bright. About six weeks later you get a flower stem the thickness of your thumb.

  • Buckwheat Fagopyrum esculentum · vegetable · start indoors · zones 1 to 13

    Sown thickly in a tray, it makes pink stemmed microgreens in under two weeks. Use unhulled seed and soak it overnight first, because hulled groats only make short sprouts and go slimy.

  • Medlar Mespilus germanica · tree · plant out · zones 5 to 9

    An old fashioned tree that needs no pollination partner and almost no pruning. The fruit is picked hard and then left to soften indoors before it is worth eating.

  • Endive Cichorium endivia · vegetable · sow direct · zones 7 to 10

    A hardy winter salad that copes with cold and short days. Cover a plant with an upturned pot for ten days before picking and the heart blanches sweet and pale.

  • Basket willow Salix viminalis · shrub · plant out · zones 2 to 9

    Push a bare cut stem straight into damp ground and it roots without any help at all. Cut it back to the stump each year for a fresh crop of straight whips.

  • Butternut Squash Cucurbita moschata · vegetable · sow direct · zones 9 to 13

    It handles heat and humidity better than other squash and resists vine borers. Let the fruit harden on the plant, then cure it in the sun for a week before storing.

  • Rice Oryza sativa · grass · sow direct · zones 10 to 13

    Transplant seedlings into flooded ground once they are about 20 centimeters tall. Keep the water shallow while they establish, then let it deepen as they grow.

  • Sugarcane Saccharum officinarum · grass · plant out · zones 9 to 13

    Lay stem cuttings horizontally in a shallow trench with two or three buds each. It is hungry and thirsty, and it will crop again from the same stools for years.

  • Poinsettia Euphorbia pulcherrima · shrub · plant out · zones 9 to 11

    Outdoors it becomes a large shrub rather than a small pot plant. It only colors up when the nights are genuinely long and dark, so keep it away from street lighting.

  • English yew Taxus baccata · tree · plant out · zones 4 to 8

    The one conifer that reliably resprouts from old bare wood, which makes it the best evergreen hedge there is. Plant it now into ground that drains well.

  • Winter Daphne Daphne odora · shrub · plant out · zones 7 to 9

    The scent in the coldest weeks is remarkable, and worth the fuss it takes. Plant it once, in free draining soil near a door, and then never move it again.

  • Hardy Fuchsia Fuchsia magellanica · shrub · plant out · zones 6 to 10

    Leave the top growth on through winter to protect the crown, then cut it low once the worst has passed. It flowers on new wood from midsummer until the frosts.

  • Common Alder Alnus glutinosa · tree · plant out · zones 3 to 8

    It grows in ground too wet for almost any other tree and fixes its own nitrogen. Plant it along a ditch or a pond edge where the soil never really dries.

  • Scots Pine Pinus sylvestris · tree · plant out · zones 1 to 7

    Happy on thin sandy soil and hard winters, with orange bark that lights up in low sun. Plant it as a young tree, because large pines transplant badly.

  • Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · shrub · plant out · zones 1 to 6

    An evergreen ground cover for poor acid sand that survives extreme cold. It knits together into a dense mat and holds banks in place beautifully.

  • Common Juniper Juniperus communis · shrub · plant out · zones 1 to 8

    It grows on chalk, sand, mountainside and bog, and the berries take two years to ripen. Plant both a male and a female if you want a crop from it.

  • Mangosteen Garcinia mangostana · tree · plant out · zones 11 to 13

    Notoriously slow and fussy, needing deep shade when young and constant humidity. Plant it and expect the first fruit somewhere around its eighth year.

  • Durian Durio zibethinus · tree · plant out · zones 11 to 13

    A very large tree that needs deep soil, high humidity and no dry season to speak of. Plant it far from where anyone walks, because the falling fruit is genuinely dangerous.

  • Arrowroot Maranta arundinacea · vegetable · plant bulbs · zones 9 to 13

    Plant the rhizomes in rich damp soil with light shade and leave them for a year. The starch washed from the roots is the gentlest thickener there is.

  • Cashew Anacardium occidentale · tree · plant out · zones 10 to 13

    It thrives on sandy coastal soil that defeats most fruit trees. The nut hangs below a fleshy false fruit, and the shell must be roasted before it is safe to handle.

  • Wintergreen Gaultheria procumbens · shrub · plant out · zones 3 to 8

    A low evergreen for acid shade with red berries that hold through winter. Crush a leaf and the smell is unmistakable, sharp and clean.

In flower in December

  • Beach naupaka Scaevola taccada

    Year round in tropical climates · white

  • Beggarticks Bidens alba

    Year round in warm climates · white, yellow

  • Cape honeysuckle Tecoma capensis

    Late summer to winter · orange, red, yellow

  • Christmas cactus Schlumbergera

    Late autumn to early winter · red, pink, white, orange, purple

  • Christmas cactus Schlumbergera buckleyi

    Late autumn to early winter · pink, red, magenta

  • Florist's cyclamen Cyclamen persicum

    Late autumn to early spring · pink, white, red, purple

  • Jade Plant Crassula ovata

    Late autumn to winter · white, pink

  • Papaya Carica papaya

    Year round in tropical climates · white, yellow

  • Poinsettia Euphorbia pulcherrima

    Late autumn to winter · yellow, red

  • Thanksgiving cactus Schlumbergera truncata

    Late autumn to early winter · red, pink, white, orange, purple

  • Trumpet tree Cecropia peltata

    Year round · green, white

  • Acai palm Euterpe oleracea

    Year round in tropical climates · white, cream

  • African oil palm Elaeis guineensis

    Year round in tropical climates · yellow, cream

  • African Violet Streptocarpus ionanthus

    Year round with proper care · purple, violet, white, pink

  • American witch hazel Hamamelis virginiana

    Late autumn to early winter · yellow

  • Anthurium Anthurium andraeanum

    Year round under ideal conditions · red, pink, white, salmon

  • Banana Musa × paradisiaca

    Year round in tropical climates · purple, yellow

  • Brazil nut Bertholletia excelsa

    Late spring to early summer · white, yellow

  • Breadfruit Artocarpus altilis

    Year round in tropical climates · yellow, green

  • Cacao Theobroma cacao

    Year round in optimal conditions · white, pink

  • Camellia

    Late autumn to early spring · white, pink, red

  • Cannonball tree Couroupita guianensis

    Year round in tropical climates · pink, red, yellow

  • Coast Banksia Banksia integrifolia

    Throughout the year, peaking in autumn and winter. · pale yellow

  • Coconut Palm Cocos nucifera

    Year round in tropical climates · yellow, cream

  • Crown of Thorns Euphorbia milii

    Year round in warm climates · red, pink, yellow, white

  • Cupuacu Theobroma grandiflorum

    Mainly in the dry season (about July to December in the native range) · dark red, maroon

  • Dwarf banana Musa acuminata 'Dwarf Cavendish'

    Year round in tropical climates · purple, yellow

  • Fish poison tree Barringtonia asiatica

    Year round with peaks in spring and summer · white, pink

  • Fishbone Cactus Epiphyllum anguliger

    Late autumn to early winter · white, cream, yellow

  • Flamingo Flower Anthurium

    Year round under ideal conditions · red, pink, white, green

  • Fukien Tea Carmona retusa

    Intermittent throughout the year · white

  • Japanese aralia Fatsia japonica

    Late autumn to early winter · white, cream

  • Jungle Geranium Ixora coccinea

    Year round in warm climates · red, orange, yellow

  • Lemon Citrus limon

    Intermittent throughout the year · white, purple

  • Lemon scented gum Corymbia citriodora

    Winter to spring · white, cream

  • Monkey face orchid Dracula simia

    Year round · brown, orange, yellow

  • Moth orchid Phalaenopsis amabilis

    Winter to spring · white, yellow

  • Nipa palm Nypa fruticans

    Year round in tropical climates · yellow, brown

  • Portia tree Thespesia populnea

    Year round in tropical climates · yellow, maroon

  • Red mangrove Rhizophora mangle

    Throughout the year · pale yellow, white

  • Sandalwood Santalum album

    Throughout the year · yellow, red, purple

  • Sasanqua camellia Camellia sasanqua

    Fall to early winter · white, pink, red

  • Sea hibiscus Talipariti tiliaceum

    Year round in tropical climates · yellow, red

  • Shiny bush Peperomia pellucida

    Year round in tropical conditions · white, green

  • Sodom Apple Calotropis procera

    Year round in warm climates · white, purple

  • Soursop Annona muricata

    Throughout the year · yellow, green

  • Starfruit Averrhoa carambola

    Intermittent throughout the year · pink, lavender

  • Strawberry tree Arbutus unedo

    Late autumn to early winter · white, pale pink

  • Sugarcane Saccharum officinarum

    Late autumn to winter · silver, white

  • Tamanu Calophyllum inophyllum

    Intermittent throughout the year · white

  • Turk's cap Malvaviscus arboreus

    Year round in warm climates · red

  • Turkey berry Solanum torvum

    Year round in tropical climates · white

In fruit in December

Your garden, your zone, this month.

Pocket Botanist knows your hardiness zone and hemisphere, so its monthly picks are the ones that will take where you are. It also names any plant from a photo and reminds you when each one needs water. Identification is free.

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December south of the equator

The same month, six months on in the seasons: what to plant in December in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the southern half of South America.

  • Chicory Cichorium intybus · vegetable · sow direct · zones 3 to 10

    Sown now, chicory has time to build a solid root before the cold arrives. The bitterness softens after frost, and the roots can be forced indoors for pale winter shoots.

  • Florence Fennel Foeniculum vulgare · vegetable · sow direct · zones 4 to 10

    Fennel bolts if it is sown too early or ever allowed to dry out. Sow it now into rich damp soil and earth up the swelling base to keep it white and sweet.

  • Love in a Mist Nigella damascena · flower · sow direct · zones 1 to 9

    Scatter it where you want it and forget about it. The seed pods that follow the blue flowers are as good as the flowers, and they dry perfectly for winter.

  • Holy Basil Ocimum tenuiflorum · herb · sow direct · zones 8 to 13

    Tougher and more perennial than sweet basil, and far happier in real heat and humidity. Pinch the flower spikes out regularly to keep the leaves coming.

  • Summer Savory Satureja hortensis · herb · sow direct · zones 1 to 10

    The classic partner for any bean dish, and it happens to grow well right next to them. Sow it thinly on the surface and press it in, because it needs light to germinate.

  • Fragrant plantain lily Hosta plantaginea · flower · plant out · zones 3 to 9

    The one hosta grown as much for scent as for leaf, with white trumpets that open in the evening. Plant it in shade, keep it damp, and stay ahead of the slugs.

  • Pigeon Pea Cajanus cajan · vegetable · sow direct · zones 9 to 13

    Drought hardy, nitrogen fixing and it doubles as a windbreak for shorter crops. Sow it at the start of the rains and it will crop for two or three years.

  • Bitter Melon Momordica charantia · climber · sow direct · zones 9 to 13

    Soak the seed overnight and give the vine a tall frame with plenty of air around it. Pick the fruit while it is still pale green, before the bitterness turns harsh.

  • Winter Melon Benincasa hispida · vegetable · sow direct · zones 10 to 13

    The waxy skin means the fruit stores for months in a cool dark room. Give each plant several square meters, because the vines run a long way.

  • Rocket Eruca vesicaria · vegetable · sow direct · zones 1 to 11

    Fast enough to fill any gap in a bed, ready in about a month. Keep it damp and cut it as a whole row, because heat and drought turn the leaves fiercely hot.

  • Foxglove Digitalis purpurea · flower · sow direct · zones 3 to 9

    Foxgloves are biennial, so sowing now gives you a strong rosette this year and spires next. Press the dust fine seed onto the surface and never bury it.

  • Fig Ficus carica · tree · plant out · zones 6 to 11

    Figs fruit best when the roots are restricted, so plant into a lined pit or a large pot. A warm wall and poor soil will give you more fruit than a rich open bed.

  • Oregano Origanum vulgare · herb · plant out · zones 4 to 10

    Flavor concentrates in hot dry conditions, so plant it lean and sunny and water it rarely. Trim it back after flowering to stop the middle going woody and bare.

  • Butterfly Bush Buddleja davidii · shrub · plant out · zones 5 to 10

    Cut it back hard at the end of every winter, because the flowers only come on new wood. Deadhead through summer to keep it flowering and to stop it seeding everywhere.

  • Purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea · flower · plant out · zones 3 to 9

    Plant it in full sun in soil that drains, because winter wet kills more of these than cold. Leave the seed heads standing and the finches will work them all winter.

  • Cardamom Elettaria cardamomum · herb · plant out · zones 9 to 13

    It grows in the understorey, so give it deep shade, shelter and constant moisture. Plant the rhizomes as the rains arrive and expect the first pods in about three years.

  • Jackfruit Artocarpus heterophyllus · tree · plant out · zones 10 to 13

    Plant it where a very large tree can stay, because it does not move well and it gets big. Grafted trees fruit in about four years, and the fruit hangs straight off the trunk.

  • Sweet William Dianthus barbatus · flower · sow direct · zones 1 to 9

    Sow into a spare corner now, then move the young plants to their flowering positions in autumn. That extra season is what gives you the big clove scented heads.

  • Chinese silver grass Miscanthus sinensis · grass · plant out · zones 4 to 9

    A big architectural grass with silky autumn plumes that hold all winter. Plant it now while the soil is warm and cut it to the ground once a year, no more.

  • Honeyberry Lonicera caerulea · shrub · plant out · zones 2 to 7

    Hardy to a startling degree and it fruits earlier than any other berry in the garden. Plant two different varieties, because a lone bush sets almost nothing.

  • Yarrow Achillea millefolium · flower · sow direct · zones 1 to 9

    Flat topped flowers that hoverflies and lacewings work constantly, on a plant that shrugs off drought. Poor soil keeps it upright, while rich soil makes it flop.

  • Garden Angelica Angelica archangelica · herb · sow direct · zones 1 to 9

    Angelica seed loses its viability fast, so sow it fresh and sow it now. It makes a statuesque plant that copes with cold and damp shade better than almost any herb.

Other months

The planting picks are written by the Pocket Botanist editors. The flowering and fruiting months come from AI-generated care guides checked against GBIF taxonomy, and are general information, not horticultural advice. Read about how we build these guides.