Hearing from everyone how awful this year has been- I agree! Until I remember everything good that came from the garden. If you don't have a garden, I commiserate. Gardening has kept me sane and quite busy this year. January I recycled my Christmas tree for the birds. Try that this year instead of setting …
Continue reading "2020-A Great Gardening Year"
Having decorated for Christmas at the White House for several years, my fondest memories of the time spent there is the official unveiling of the intricately detailed candy-adorned gingerbread house. Gingerbread Construction & Placement The annual tradition occurs around the last day that we are feverishly decorating, when the enormous and very heavy piece of …
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Evergreen Magnolia, Magnolia grandiflora, is one of my favorite greens to decorate for the holidays. The large textured leaves are the perfect evergreen to embellish with for Fall and Winter, simplifying the making of wreaths, table pieces, and mantel garlands. Using them extensively in my porch pots, it is always the Magnolia that stands out. …
Continue reading "Magnolia-The King of Greens for Decorating"
It's that time of year when all of our fresh garden flowers are gone and we turn to those that we dried or preserved for the long winter season. For my post on the rebirth of dried flowers which were very popular in the 70's and 80's, go to Dried Flowers Back From the Dead. …
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No flower says Christmas like the beautiful Poinsettia. I was amazed to learn that the Poinsettia is the most popular potted plant by far in the U.S. and Canada. But here are a few tips in buying the perfect Poinsettia to adorn your Christmas season. Selecting a Healthy Poinsettia Before Care-Have you ever brought home …
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What do you do with containers on your front porch or deck once you have yanked out those sorry-looking frost-killed petunias? Segue into the holiday season with beautiful fall/winter containers using "yard" material. Forage for material from your property on or around your home. Snips in hand, I venture into roadside edges and woods and …
Continue reading "Front Porch Winter Cheer"
It's that time of year again, where I review my most viewed posts from all over the world and I was surprised at some of the posts that were at the top of the heap. The top ten countries that view my blog in descending order are the U.S., Canada, UK, Australia, India, Germany, …
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A tour of Henry Francis du Pont's former extraordinary home was my destination this year to enjoy holiday style decorations. An eighteen room dollhouse, fully decorated with Christmas treasures and other handmade pieces was also one of the draws for me. Another was the large fir in the Conservatory decorated with hundreds of multi-hued dried …
Continue reading "Create A Winterthur Inspired Everlasting Christmas Tree"
If you are a flower lover, you are starved for color right about now. I turn to the big box stores and nurseries to pick up my flower fixes. With grapefruit sized amaryllis bulbs available now, you can have bloom November through February if you start them at different times and use different species. …
Continue reading "Amaryllis-Queen of Bulbs"
I was having the family for dinner and want a sensational centerpiece for my table. Too busy all week with work and other chores, I was too pressed for time to do anything about it. But I found an old bubble bowl that had been sitting in the basement from an old flower arrangement. I …
Continue reading "Last Minute Christmas Centerpiece"
