Use Poinsettias for a Vivid Christmas Display

Poinsettias are vibrant plants to display at Christmas. As a centerpiece on a dinner table, in a basket on the floor, or in a grouping on a coffee table they make a dramatic display. They can be lovely grouped in an unused fireplace or sitting on a table or chair in a foyer. For the price, they pack a lot of color and decorating impact. Paired with pinecones and ever-greenery, poinsettias make not only a holiday display but also look festive all winter. Striking as always in deep red, poinsettias are now available in pink, creamy white and or coated with glitter or powder to look like snow. Sometimes they are even mixed in with other houseplants, all in one container. When potted as a single plant they usually are sold with a plastic foil wrap around the pot. When bringing it home from a store, keep the plant itself covered to protect it from cold. Poinsettias are semi-tropical plants and don’t like temperatures below 55 degrees. Below that temperature they will drop their leaves.

With proper care a poinsettia will keep its colorful bracts, the red leaves that give it color, for months. When purchasing, look for healthy plants, avoiding plants with curled leaves or browned leaf tips. Water the plant when the first two inches of soil is dry. Don’t let the pot sit in water, especially in plastic foil. Un-drained, it will quickly develop root rot. But if it dries enough to curl the leaves, quite a few leaves and bracts will drop off. Fertilize with houseplant fertilizer after the first month, fertilizing every two weeks thereafter. Keep in a very sunny location for at least six hours a day. Low light will also cause leaf drop. Keep from cold drafts or touching cold windows.

Poinsettias are not poisonous to people or pets, although this is a popularly held notion. Careful testing by Extension Services has demonstrated that eating poinsettia might upset the stomach but it is not poisonous.

Who has not seen a pitiful, leggy poinsettia in early February, with most of its leaves dropped? The plant has either been under or over-watered or not given enough light. It can be trimmed back and resurrected by the care described above. Poinsettias grow year round in Florida and further south and will grow outside in pots in Kentucky over the summer. They will get three to four feet tall if repotted and will continue to bloom. Bring them indoors in September. Continue fertilizing and watering the plant and it will reward you with its vivid colors for as long as you wish to keep it.

Gifts from the Garden

Gifts from and for gardeners are novel and appreciated. Don’t overlook garden gifts just because gardening is a warm weather pastime. Gardeners are usually longing for warm weather, thinking about next summer’s flowers and fretting about weeds in their flowerbeds that won’t freeze.

Gifts from the garden are unexpected and give a long time. Give a hanging pot with petunia seeds. Take an 8 or 10-inch diameter hanging pot. Fill it with potting soil. Potting soil is still available in home and garden stores. Sprinkle with petunia seeds. Cover seeds with ¼ inch of soil. Wave© petunia seeds are readily available and the most prolific petunia. Water the pot by sprinkling very gently. No need to soak it. Cover with kitchen plastic wrap. Tie a bow around the rim of the pot, securing the plastic wrap and decorating the pot. The plastic stays on until the seeds sprout. Instruct the gift recipient to place in a sunny window. Include the seed packet with the gift. These will be ready to place outdoors in April and bloom on schedule for spring. Flower enthusiasts will love it.

Christmas themed gifts of greenery are treasured all winter long. Pine and cedar blanket our mountains and trimming inconspicuous boughs for gifts will do little damage. For centerpieces wire a few sticks together, leaving a space in the middle. Tuck greenery into the sticks and secure with wire. Add a red or gold candle to the middle. Wire in some small, colorful Christmas ornaments and a bow. You have a centerpiece that makes a lovely hostess gift. Care must always be taken to avoid fires.

Pine swags decorated with pinecones and red plaid ribbon are versatile. Everyone has a mailbox and most mailboxes could use a pine swag. Bunch the greenery with wire and trim with ribbon. Outdoor greenery gifts will last all winter and be remembered kindly, long after Christmas.

Seed packets themselves make wonderful gifts. The miracle of seeds makes everyone want to garden. People like to start seeds indoors in February, so gifts of seeds get the gardener dreaming early. Seed starter kits are also available. A few seed packets tied with raffia make a nice gift or the packets can be tied to a gift package. Attractive flower seed packets can even be matted and framed and have a special beauty to the gardening enthusiast.

For the gardener, gardening hand tools and gloves are treasured. Most can use an extra hand spade or a hand pruner. Most gardeners like some fertilizer for flowers. Baskets and tool trays are welcomed to keep their tools handy as they move around their yard. Hose nozzles, hose repair kits and hose timers would be a useful surprise. Novelties like decorated stepping-stones, cone shaped vine trellises and flowerpots catch the gardener’s eye. What is popular in spring and summer will bring a smile to your favorite gardener.

Bring the Outdoors Inside – Botanicals of Pressed Flowers or Leaves

Remember the leaf scrapbooks we made in grade school? Who would imagine the simple techniques we learned then could create exquisite art? Or you could make something so lovely without having artistic talent. Nature is the consummate artist; we are the preservers of beauty literally showered upon us.

Pressing flowers and leaves starts with picking attractive plants. Roses are still in bloom and some colored leaves remain on trees. Interesting weeds and ferns abound. These press well. Pick the brightest colors and the most interesting leaf shapes. Compound leaves do well also. Pick extras.

Use thick books to press. I have an old set of encyclopedias that are really great. Lay the flowers in the pages and gently open the flower up as much as it will. If petals fall off you can attach them later. Lay the leaves flat on the pages as well. Don’t lay any plants on top of each other. Close the book and lay a few heavy books on top. Several plants per book will work. Leave undisturbed for a couple weeks. Low humidity is best.

If you are in a hurry you can press the plants between wax paper with an iron. Use a low temperature. Press lightly until you are satisfied with the results. Remove the wax paper gently.

Pressed flowers and leaves are sometimes called everlastings, ephemera or botanicals. Your pressed ephemera can be framed, applied to the outside of frames, glued on cards and invitations or decoupaged onto furniture surfaces. The applications are numerous. In pressed plants you have true natural art with beauty all its own. Use your imagination.

Inexpensive frames and mats can be purchased to match your décor. Depending on your frame size, scrapbook papers make attractive paper to affix your plants. Lay out the flowers or leaves and arrange them with the mat in place so that you know how large your actual lay out space is. Arrange the plants delicately as they are very fragile now in their dried state. Use toothpicks and tweezers to move them. Trim off some leaves from flowers that look too busy. Make arrangements of 2 to 3 flowers, like a freshly gathered bouquet. Arrange fall leaves to capture their falling motion or line them up like a scientific study.

When you like the arrangement, place a tiny dot of lightweight glue under each plant and its petals, stems or lobes. Press lightly and allow drying overnight. Place in their mats and frames. Botanicals fascinate because they are real. Botanicals are often hung in a series, either in a row or a series of rows. To buy them in quantity from a store is expensive. If you make them you will save a lot.

These make lovely hostess and Christmas gifts. From a single leaf or flower to a group in a frame, or combined with a photo or poetry, botanicals are a gardeners gift from nature. From you, the gardener, they’re a natural!