Author: Lilac

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9 Last Minute Garden Gifts

Orchids by donsutherland1


It is really last minute to talk about buying last minute presents- especially if you are planning on ordering them on line. But, there is always a way of creating a card in short order telling the recipient that your gift is coming. Better late than never, especially if that gift shows you really thought about the perfect gift for that perfect person. Take a photo of yourself holding some Christmas decoration, print it out with a line or two that says something to the order of: ” Belated gift will be coming. Be on the Lookout for something VERY special.”   You don’t have to tell them that you had thought of getting the gift at the last minute; just mumble that there must have been some shipping snafu. You can always add the line that you wanted to spread out the joy of receiving Christmas gifts for a longer period than just one day of giving. Put your thoughtful card under the tree or in a stocking for the recipient to get on Christmas morning and be the hero.

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Gardening Gifts

Garden Sculpture at Tucson’s Sam Hughes Historic District by UGArdener

The holidays are coming. The perfect gift, that something special, is being searched for in stores. What to buy your gardening friends or ask someone to get for you or when you write to Santa, that is the problem.

Well, the first thing you might think of is a special plant. Generally perennial plants are not really sold at this time of year in local nurseries because the nurseries are filled to the brim with Holiday plants. So consider a plant gift certificate from a favorite nursery.  Cricket Hill, the nursery that sells peonies, says they are giving 10% off if you use Use code GIFT10 at checkout to save 10% off all gift certificates.

How about a nice planter or sculpture for a garden? If you want something that is eco friendly, check out the products on this site.  I like some of their pebble stools. Or how about lighted planters for the garden?
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Planting perennial shrubs and trees in December

http://www.flickr.com/photos/darwinbell/3253644433/

forced spring by Darwin Bell

Where TheGardenLady lives, we are having unusually warm weather. Of course, winter officially arrives on Dec. 21 st. So this is still a good time to be out planting perennial shrubs and trees.

The soil is still soft enough for you to dig ample holes. When your shrub or tree is planted now, it will get enough water in the winter for it to acclimate in your location.

Even though nurseries are filled with Christmas plants, ask if they have shrubs or trees you want and ask to see if they will still give you a discount. One nursery told TheGardenLady that the trees I am looking for are still in their field, so I know the roots will be good. Even though they will have to dig them for me, they will give me 30% off.

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Christmas Decorations

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tochis/3064550266/

Christmas Ball-keh (Explored!) by tochis

It is that time of year again, the season when TheGardenLady loves to see all the decorations on everyone’s Christmas trees.

I was impressed that many of this year’s White House decorations were simple decorations that anyone could make. I think nothing makes a holiday as wonderful and meaningful as when everyone of all ages and all artistic abilities can participate. For example, I love the wreaths made of sheet music.

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Keeping your pet safe during the holidays

Untitled by Î’ethan

Pets today are like family and they will be celebrating the holidays this December with their masters. While you are having special foods, you might want to treat your pet to something special. Before you share your holiday food, check the ASPCA’s list of food to see if it is safe to feed to your pet. (see here) For example, I would never share my guacamole with my pets. Guacamole contains too many ingredients that are toxic to pets, like onions, avocados and garlic. You don’t want to spoil your and your pet’s holiday spending it in the veterinarian’s hospital.

Consider making some special food this holiday for your pet. You can use your special Christmas or  Hanukkah cutters to make your pet feel like it is celebrating. Or get dog bone cookie cutter shapes if your pet is more traditional. An easy recipe for these cookies is just baby food and whole wheat flour or wheat germ  or use 2 cups wheat germ with 3 (2.5oz jars) strained meat baby food (be sure there is no onion or garlic in the baby food) to about 1 tbsp water (add more if needed ). Make about 2 dozen  balls  and put on baking sheet. Dip fork in water and flatten the balls slightly. Bake about 25 min. in preheatened 350 F or 175 C oven. This will be yummy for both your dogs and cats. (see here)  Your pet might not be able to eat your holiday foods, but when you make your pet cookies, you know what ingredients are being used and how clean they are, so you can sample your pet’s cookies.

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12 Months of Flowers in TheGardenLady’s Garden – Hardiness Temperature Zone 6

Johnny Jump Ups by TattyBones

TheGardenLady is a cheapskate. So when I can get a plant bargain, I take advantage of that. I love to get plants from friends. Of course, I like giving away or sharing my extra plants, too.  If I want a pricey plant, I will wait for sales of plants in good nurseries in the Fall. Fall is the best time to plant big plants, anyway. (Since there has not been a heavy frost yet in many areas, one can still be planting shrubs and trees outdoors.)  But what makes me happiest is when I want something and I find it in a store whose employees know little about the plant and practically give it away because the plant looks “dead.”

Gardening friends of mine love this, too. One gardener got a really expensive rose that way.  That is how I bought this year’s pansies. I went to one of those big box stores that sold plants and looked for pansies. They had some sad, almost dead looking plants so they sold them to me for pennies. It was a win- win situation. The store thought it was getting money from a fool who was paying to take away their dead plants and I was getting plants that bloom now and then will bloom again next year in late winter or early spring.

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More Chinese Flowers (Videos)

Ice Flowers of China


This video was made in The China National Flower park in Luoyang showing the flower that many think is China’s National Flower, the Chinese Tree Peony; but TheGardenLady read that there is really no national flower because China has so many beautiful and beloved flowers, it is difficult to decide which one to choose. (see here)  Still the Tree Peony is certainly beloved by the Chinese. (And I might add, this GardenLady) The Chinese National Flower Park is renowned for their peonies and every year there is a peony festival in the city of Luoyang that is also very popular among Chinese tourists and among peony enthusiasts the world over. For a website that lists all the peony festivals in China check this out.

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Flowers from China

 This is how flower is written in both Chinese and Japanese.

So many of the beautiful flowers that we love in our gardens come from China. Yet how many gardeners realize where their plants originate? We, especially in the US and UK, are so fortunate to be able to grow these plants easily that come from China. Our gardens would be sad indeed if we did not have these plants. China is home to more than 30,000 plant species, fully one-eighth of the world total. Many, but not all, have the word sinensis in their Latin name. So we cannot always be certain if the plant originated in China. Horitculurtists still go to China to find more plants that we gardeners can grow.

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Getting plant materials from one state to another state

Oxalis corniculata by Joaquim F. P.

TheGardenLady recently received a request from a stranger who said he is a research chemist studying the benefits of Yellow Sorrel (Oxalis Corniculata). He requested some dried yellow sorrel to do this research.

Yellow Sorrel is considered a noxious weed in many people’s gardens, but is considered a herbal remedy by those who believe in the use of herbal medicines.  TheGardenLady would never recommend taking any plant unless it was a known food or a medicine recommended by your physician. I hope that some of these folk medicines would be studied in greater depth in the hopes that modern pharmacopoeia could use them. But until I have medical recommendations, TheGardenLady would NEVER suggest folk medicine remedies for  use. And the FDA seems to imply that Oxalis Corniculata may be toxic.

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