When the weather becomes too nasty for gardening outdoors, you can still think about what can be done indoors. Last weekend, I quickly spread the last of the chopped straw on garlic and around scallions in my vegetable beds. I was even able to pull up a few green onions for a stir-fry. They were slightly frozen but worked just fine into the meal. I then ran inside to do some repotting while the rain and wind whipped around outside. I would have been content with sitting by a fire and reading gardening books.
Recently, I had the good fortune to receive basil plants that needed repotting. They would not wait much longer, so I gardened “indoors” while the rain whipped around. I look forward to fresh basil sprigs in my recipes through the winter.
This column publishes on Thursday after the first great snowfall of December 2025. I hope you were able to clear the snow easily and continue happily with your usual daily activities. The trick for snow warnings is to be prepared. Have your snow thrower full of fresh gas or snowplow service all lined up and ready to go. It may be pretty, but did the snow catch you scrambling? Get your snow-management details set up and on a calendar in August 2026 before the last-minute rush.
The temperature on Thursday, December 4, is likely to drop to minus 4. Make sure spigots are protected, hoses removed, and waterbarrel taps left open. Water in these taps will freeze and crack the pipes if the water has no place to expand. By opening a space, you let the water freeze, expand, and still protect the pipes from cracking.
Now that December has arrived, I start to think about gifts for friends. As a garden geek, I would appreciate a subscription to the latest garden news from the UMass agricultural extension. Their newsletter always has timely updates on plant challenges and invasive insects. Here’s my gift to you, a link to learn more and subscribe. .
Or, I might request the UMass garden calendar with its daily garden tips?
Other gift ideas include seeds for 2025, seed-starting mats, and light systems to help the committed gardeners start their favorite annuals or perennials. Fast-growing paperwhite bulbs or amaryllis bulbs also make a super gift.
Even after a snowfall and freezing temperatures, the snow melts and you can check the status of your perennial garden beds. Evergreen hellebore leaves should be bright and healthy. Remove dead plant material that might be a vector of disease. Prune out any dead or damaged leaves from your hellebore plants.
Plants allowed to grow untended in the landscape can do interesting things. Shrub and tree limbs that touch the soil surface may eventually root and start a new, independent plant. By regularly visiting your gardens and borders, you can anticipate issues, prune, and weed if necessary. However, a lazy gardener reaps the benefits of shrubs gone wild and can enjoy a thicker hedgerow when plants are allowed to form colonies.
Knowing your habits as a gardener or plant enthusiast will help you choose the right plants for you and also manage their cultural needs. Are you a frequent waterer, adding water daily whether plants need it or not? Use clay pots for houseplants if you tend to overwater. The clay will wick out moisture and help prevent oversaturation.
Another trick: Avoid wetting the leaves of hairy-leafed houseplants. These would include flame violet Episcia cupreata and African violet Streptocarpus sect. Saintpaulia. Keep these in a self-watering pot. This kind of two-part pot wicks water in the outer pot through porous clay of the inner pot and into the soil surrounding the plants’ roots. The wicking action keeps the soil moist but not soggy.
I am experiencing too many fungus gnats in my house, and I am not sure what plant they come from. Fungus gnats hatch and emerge from soil that stays too wet. The best solution is to let the offending soil dry out completely. Then bring the plant to the sink and slowly allow the plant to absorb moisture once again. Then allow that soil to dry completely again. Repeat. If you use insecticidal soap on houseplants to control infestations, move the plants away from direct sunlight. The soap can cause a focusing effect and concentrate sunlight to burning levels.
I enjoy the ubiquitous poinsettia houseplants in December. Their cherry-red leaf bracts make any room feel Christmasy. The flower is actually the golden center with no petals. If you like the idea but not the color, know that poinsettia plants come in dozens of bract colors. I like the white with pink splashes. This color seems to fit into different design schemes more easily. If you like flashy blues, purples, yellows, and more, there is a poinsettia for that, too! What you find at a garden center or florist shop has gone through a series of hybridization, fertilization, or selection. While the poinsettia is not poisonous, the milky sap can be irritating to bare skin and cause stomach upset in pets.
Poinsettias get their English name from the U.S. ambassador Joel Roberts Poinsett, who introduced the plant to the United States in 1828. The Spanish associated this Mexican native plant with Christmas for its red bracts (specialized leaves) that glowed at Christmastime. Their holiday appeal took off in the mid-20th century in the U.S. when they dressed the sets of numerous television Christmas specials. A shrub that can grow to 10 or 12 feet tall and wide, poinsettias were called Cuetlaxochitl, meaning ”the flower of the color of fire,” by the Aztecs. However, when the shrub gets that big, the bracts become quite small.
For larger colorful bracts, fertilize your plant and give it consistent water. If you successfully keep your poinsettia growing and plant it outdoors in May, you might have a very large shrub by November! Alas, it is a tropical plant and will not last outdoors into the holidays of 2026.
I call myself the Lazy Berkshire Gardener because I don’t want to work too hard in my gardens. I want to enjoy them. I find it easier to observe my landscape and let the compost happen, the water pool up, or daisies to self-sow. I look for ways to do the minimum task for the biggest impact. For example, mulching is better than spraying and much better than weeding all season. I look for beautiful, low-maintenance plants that thrive in or at least tolerate my garden conditions. Plus, I am willing to live with the consequences if I miss something.
