Growing Wise : Christmas traditions

Holiday Clippings

Elisabeth — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 12:33:00 GMT

If you are trying to save a little money on holiday decorations, take stock of the plants already in your yard. Any kind of evergreen--yew, rhododendron, pine, hemlock, arborvitae, spruce--can be used in holiday flower arrange or to "deck the halls". Cut long branches and wire them together for roping to adorn stairways or mantles. Add smaller pieces to wreathes to fatten them up. Even "nontraditional" greens like variegated euonymous can be combined with holly, winterberry holly or hypericum berries for festive arrangements or hangings.

Since I didn't get the time to prune an overgrown yew last summer or fall, I combined two jobs--pruning and gathering holiday greens--and came away with an armload of yew boughs. Armed only with clippers, a package of florist's wire and four small candles, I made an Advent wreath. I am not particularly "crafty", but the end results look pretty good.

I will also use the various boughs and branches to decorate my porch and fill the empty pots by the front door.

Going "green" can mean making the best use of the greens that you have on hand. They are free for the taking and biodegradable after the holidays are over.

Painted Ladies

Elisabeth — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 03:18:00 GMT

Today I went to a large local garden center to pick out some moderately priced plants to use as last minute holiday gifts. I was struck by the vast and varied array of poinsettias. I was also impressed by how much poinsettias have changed.

The poinsettias of my childhood were almost always large plants with big, red petal-like bracts. Now the sky's the limit when it comes to size, form and color. Red is still king, but now nurseries offer darker and lighter red shades plus pink, white and bi-colored varieties. A few years ago, nursery owners, spurred on by decorators, first saw the merchandising opportunities inherent in the combination of white poinsettias and spray paint. Now you can buy blue, multi-colored, gold or silver-painted plants, with or without sparkles. Your holiday decor can be as retro, futuristic, psychedelic or just plain wacky as you want and you'll probably be able to find a poinsettia to match.

Poinsettias also come in a range of sizes--from little minis in four inch pots to behemoths that stand three feet tall, counting the container. I am particularly fond of the rose-form poinsettias, which have multiple small bracts that make the "flowers" resemble roses. Despite the high bract count, they seem a little less over-the-top than other varieties.

We live in a world full of all kinds of trouble and peril, and one of the best ways to deal with the stress is to fill our houses with beautiful living things. Poinsettias do a wonderful job of home beautification--even if they do it clad in electric blue.

Botanical Decorations

Elisabeth — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:08:00 GMT

Several years ago I saw a Christmas tree at the New York Botanical Garden that was decorated from top to bottom with dried flowers. It was extravagant, colorful and perfect for the season and setting.

The floral designers at the Botanical Garden have the advantage of access to a vast array of dried material. My resources are more limited, but every year I dry lots of hydrangea, sedum and rosebuds gathered on my property. Now I use them to decorate our Christmas wreathes, and when I look at those wreathes they remind me of my summer garden. I think there is a certain symmetry to celebrating the holidays that occur around the time of the winter solstice with dried flowers that began blooming just after the summer solstice and were harvested around the fall equinox. At a time when the lifestyle pendulum has once again swung back in the direction of simplicity and an emphasis on environmentalism, nothing could be more natural--in every sense of the word--and nothing could be more right.

Holly Days

Elisabeth — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 15:51:00 GMT

There is nothing like holly during the December holiday season. When I was growing up my mother used to order large amounts of the red-berried branches from a local florist. Half the holly was given away to friends; the rest was distributed throughout our house. The procedure was always the same. A few days before the holly order was scheduled to arrive, Mother would prod my father into taking her collection of brass and copper vessels down to the laundry sink in the cellar for a good polishing. When the holly arrived, Mother would parcel out boxes and bunches for friends, which she or my father would deliver. Afterwards she took the remainder and pounded the bottoms of the stems to help the branches take up water. When she had relieved her aggressions and was satisfied that the holly was properly conditioned, she arranged the branches in the twinkling kettles, bowls and vases.

Mother always saved one large spring for the top of our grandfather clock, which wore a festive crown for the entire holiday season.

Now I spread holly around my own house during the Christmas season. Mine comes from the big holly trees on the south end of my property, which are usually full of berries at this time of year. I add some pieces of variegated holly for contrast, but I put the bunches in the same copper and brass containers that my mother used. Most of my friends seem to have their own holly trees, but I do give branches to the church every year for the Christmas arrangements.

And, just like old times, I crown the grandfather clock with its own holly sprig.