WITH December almost upon us, it’s time to protect your garden against the worst that winter can throw at it.

You can start by packing the branches of tender deciduous trees and shrubs with straw or bracken, and securing this with fleece and ties. This will protect them from frost.

Remove weeds from around the bases of young trees, which can hinder their establishment and stifle their growth.

Check tree ties and stakes. Replace, tighten, slacken or remove as necessary depending on their wear and tear.

If there is snow, then you may need to brush it off the branches of conifers, climbers and light-limbed shrubs and trees.

Heavy snowfall can splay branches, break limbs and spoil the shape of the tree.

You may wish to protect a few holly berries from the birds, for use in home-made Christmas decorations.

Netting should do the job, but do leave some uncovered for winter wildlife.

Take note of the most colourful dogwoods (Cornus), Salix and white-stemmed Rubus shrubs when visiting gardens open to the public, or in garden centres, and consider planting them yourself, for a winter display.

Garden hygiene helps greatly in the prevention of disease carry-over from one year to the next.

It is always a good idea to rake up and burn, bury, or throw away infected leaves.

Diseases such as black spot on roses can be controlled to some extent in this way.

Do not compost such material, though, as these diseases can persist in compost heaps and re-infect mulched plants.

Damage from bay suckers may still be evident, although the pests will already have been and gone.

However, it is a good idea to remove affected leaves if there are only a few, and to take note to look out for damage next spring (usually around May) – the problem should then be treated promptly.

Phytophthora root rots can cause die-back on mature trees and shrubs.

Wet winter weather and poorly drained soils are likely to encourage this problem on susceptible woody plants.

Coral spot is often noticed once the leaves have fallen from deciduous hedges, shrubs and trees.

This problem can be connected with poor ventilation and congested, un-pruned twiggy growth (as found inside clipped hedges).

Rabbits and squirrels can be a nuisance as the weather gets colder, gnawing the bark from shrubs and trees.

Guards around new woody plants are advisable.

Roses and their surrounding soil can be sprayed with winter washes to help keep black spot under control.