On the third day of Christmas gardeners love to get …
gardening gloves, especially a pair of Foxgloves!
On the second day of Christmas gardeners love to get …
a Hudson Valley Seed Company 2018 Calendar.
On the first day of Christmas gardeners love to get . . .
tickets to the Virginia Historic Garden Week in April 2018!
Posted in Events
Tagged Christmas, Foxgloves, gardening gloves, Historic Garden Week, Hudson Valley Seed Company
On the second day of Christmas gardeners love to get …
a Hudson Valley Seed Company 2018 Calendar
On the first day of Christmas gardeners love to get . . .
tickets to the Virginia Historic Garden Week in April 2018!
On the first day of Christmas gardeners love to get . . .
tickets to the Virginia Historic Garden Week in April 2018!
I read an old version of A Gardener’s Christmas in the Garden Club of Virginia’s December Journal. The author is unknown so I took a few liberties to bring it up to date. Merry Christmas!
A Gardener’s Christmas
´Twas the night before Christmas,
And all through the yard
The branches were bare
And the ground frozen hard;
The roses were dormant
And mulched all around
To protect them from damage
If frost heaves the ground;
The perennials were nestled
All snug in their beds,
While visions of fertilizer
Danced in their heads;
The newly planted shrubs
Had been soaked by a hose
To settle their roots
For a long winter’s doze;
And out on the lawn
The new fallen snow
Protected the roots
Of the grasses below;
When, what to my wondering
Eyes should appear,
But a Prius full of gifts
Of gardening gear;
St. Nick was the driver
A jolly old elf,
And he winked as he said,
“I’m a gardener myself.
I’ve brought new seeds
And light systems, too,
Give them a try
And see how they do.
To eliminate weeding,
I brought bags of mulch
To attract the pollinators,
I have flowers for best results.
To add to your joy,
I’ve plenty of herbs
And ornamental grasses
For your hell strip curb.
For seed planting days,
I’ve a trowel and dibble.
And a roll of wire mesh,
If the rabbits should nibble.
I have the latest books
Plus some gadgets you’ll love;
Plant stakes and frames,
And waterproof gloves.
Here are sharp shears
And a new compost pit
And, for pH detecting,
A soil testing kit.
With these colorful flagstones,
Lay a new garden path.
For the view from your window,
A bird feeder and bath.
And last but not least,
Some well-rotted manure.
A green garden year-round,
These gifts will ensure.
Then, jolly St. Nick
Having emptied his load,
Started his Prius
And took on the road.
And I heard him exclaim
Through the motor’s quiet hum,
“Merry Christmas to all,
And to all a green thumb!”
O
dds are you have a poinsettia in your home for the holidays. In the United States, poinsettias are grown in greenhouses and programmed to bloom in time for Christmas. Try to emulate the bright light and balmy 70 degrees the greenhouse has to offer in your home so your poinsettia will survive the holidays. Keep the soil moist but don’t let the roots sit in water and make sure the pot it came in has drainage holes. After the holidays, grow it as if it were a houseplant. With luck, you may be able to see colored bracts (the “flowers”) again next year. Keep the plant in bright light and 70 degree temperature. In the spring, cut the stems back about half the length and either keep indoors or put outdoors in the warm summer months. Apply a houseplant fertilizer and make sure the plant does not dry out. In June, transfer into a slightly bigger pot and in September bring the plant back indoors. To induce flowering, give the plant bright light each day and fourteen hours of uninterrupted dark each night beginning in early October (as in cover with a box or put in a closet). Keep the soil moist but stop fertilizing. The color should form on the bracts in six to eight weeks.
Peg’s Picks of December 2015 Gardening Events in Washington DC Metro Area
The public gardens, nurseries, and historic homes are decorated for Christmas. Many have wreath making classes, open houses, and gift shops full of goodies. Here is a short list of December gardening events in the Washington DC metropolitan area. Don’t forget to look at tabs “Nurseries” and “Public Gardens” for more places to contact.
American Horticultural Society at River Farm, December 12 Saturday Holiday Open House from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm (mansion will be decorated for Christmas), free and open to the public. 7931 E. Boulevard Drive, Alexandria, VA 22308; (703) 768-5700. http://www.ahs.org
Annapolis Horticultural Society, December 2, Wednesday, lecture, Paul Westervelt will speak on “Perennials for Multiple Seasons” at the St. Anne’s Parish Hall, 199 Duke of Gloucester Street, Annapolis, MD; free and open to the public. info@annapolishorticulture.org. http://www.annapolishorticulture.org
Brookside Gardens, The Garden of Lights, a winter walk-through holiday light display, is open from November 27 through January 3, hours and fee vary by day/time, check the web site or call (301) 962-1453. Other events and workshops are at Brookside Gardens in December, including a Tuesday, December 1, road trip to Maymont and Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden to check out their holiday decorations. Must register and pay in advance for this “Richmond Holiday Adventure.” 1800 Glenallan Avenue, Wheaton, MD 20902; (301) 962-1400. http://www.montgomeryparks.org/brookside/
Green Spring Gardens, on Sunday, December 6, Gardeners’ Holiday Open House is from noon to 4:00 pm, free but must register and pay for puppet show and trackless train ride. 4603 Green Spring Road, Alexandria, VA 22312; (703) 642-5173. http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/parks/greenspring/
Hillwood Museum and Gardens is decorated for Christmas and every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, staff horticulturist Bill Johnson gives a 20-minute tour focusing on the “bones” of the winter garden. Fee and register in advance for the Winter Garden tour. 4155 Linnean Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20008; (202) 686-5807. http://www.hillwoodmuseum.org
Homestead Gardens has a bus trip to Longwood Gardens to see their holiday light extravaganza on Tuesday, December 8, fee and must register in advance. 743 West Central Avenue, Davidsonville, Md 20135; (410) 798-5000. http://www.homesteadgardens.com
Horticultural Society of Maryland, lecture on Tuesday, December 8, at 7:30 pm. “Beautiful evergreens for the garden and holiday cuttings” with David Thompson of Foxborough Nursery. Before and after the lecture author Kathy Hudson will sign her book, “On Walnut Hill: The Evolution of a Garden.” Lecture is free for members and $10 for non-members. Vollmer Center Auditorium, Cylburn Arboretum, 4915 Greenspring Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21209; (410) 821-5561 or programs@mdhorticulture.org. http://www.mdhorticulture.org
U.S. Botanic Garden has its annual holiday exhibit in the conservatory from November 26 through January 3, free and open to the public. The conservatory boasts a tropical paradise; one of the largest indoor decorated trees in Washington, DC; a showcase of poinsettias; and a miniature train display. Also, there will be a Pollination Station where one can see oversized flowers, bees, and butterflies in this year’s scenic wonderland. Landmarks such as the Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, and the Washington Monument, all made from plants, will be on display in the Garden Court. Check the website for times. 245 First Street SW, Washington DC 20024; (202) 225-8333. http://www.usbg.gov
And speaking of the U.S. Botanic Garden, just around the corner is the 6-week, Landscape for Life gardening course developed by the Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center and the U.S. Botanic Garden. Learn how to transform home landscapes and public places into healthy refuges that benefit birds, pollinators, and other wildlife including the community and the Chesapeake Bay. Classes are Tuesday mornings 10:00 am to 12:30, January 12 through February 16, (snow date February 23), at the Crossroads United Methodist Church, 43454 Crossroads Drive, Ashburn, VA. Fee, $60, and must register, for more information e-mail landscapeforlifeclass@gmail.com.
Posted in Events
Tagged Christmas, December 2015, events, exhibits, holidays, lectures, Open House, trips
