Garden tips for December Garden tips for December (December 19, 2003)

Plants are the gifts that keep on giving

By Jack McKinnon

December is a time often associated with gifts and giving. Many of our giving practices during the winter holidays were inspired by country traditions involving plants and plant material. By going back to the basics in many of these practices, we share with each other in ways our grandparents knew as rich in symbolism and meaning.

In this month's tips, I will give some of the old tried-and-true methods to bring in the spirit of the season, no matter what your tradition. The spirit of giving is the most important part of all this. We need not compete with the neighbors for the best show. Ideas shared are gifts in and of themselves.

1. Give a garden memory. We have all had a time in a garden setting that was meaningful to us. Share this in a story around the table or the fireplace. It is OK to stretch it out and give some of the history, the people, the occasion and the garden it took place in. Many gardens have been constructed just for special occasions. Share photos, videos and other memorabilia of weddings, tea parties, showers, birthdays and other family parties.

2. Plan a memorable occasion to host in spring. Look at calendars, choose a site, and make an invitation list and menu. This can be one of the best gifts you can give to an older family member. Be sure to plan a slide show of the occasion. You can have it put on CDs to send to everybody as a memory.

3. Give a garden book, encyclopedia, plant guide, CD or "how to" book. I have found that most people have a particular interest regarding gardening. It may be roses, orchids, flower arranging, herbs, cacti, formal or native gardening. There are thousands of gardening books and CDs available that make wonderful gifts. Here are some Web sites of garden book publishers and sellers:

http://www.timberpress.com/Index.cfm

http://www.organicgardening.com/

http://www.growinglifestyle.com/h28/garden/index.html

http://www.sunset.com/sunset/

4. Don't give gifts that are work. In other words, unless specifically requested, try not to give someone a project that isn't suited to him or her. Some examples of this kind of gift are a gas-powered weed eater for grandpa, 5,000 bulbs and a trowel for Mom or a garden embroidery project for Dad.

5. Decorate something other than your tree. The front porch is a good start. Bushes can be strung with lights (especially cotoneaster with its wonderful red berries), ornaments can be hung from windows inside and there is always the option for Santa in a sleigh complete with reindeer.

6. Reinvent a place like Santa Fe in your neighborhood. Set up farolitos (paper bags with sand and a candle in them) on your walkway and around your porch (be safe and keep them away from anything flammable), then bundle up and go caroling.

7. Give art gifts representing the garden. I recently spoke to a fine rug dealer about the origins of the designs on the Persian rugs he sold. On the very old ones, there are plant remedies woven into the rug. For example, if you have a stomachache, you can look at your rug and see the plant used to soothe a stomachache. In landscape architecture classes, I learned that some of these rugs were woven to represent whole gardens. A rug is a significant purchase yet a good example of garden art brought into the home.

8. After the holidays is the time for all major pruning. You have the time and, weather permitting, you can clean up all of your deciduous plants (those that lose their leaves in winter) and divide perennials. This is a good time to clean up all of the last leaves and debris that have littered the background of your garden. It is good to do a thorough clean up at least once a year. You can clear out old garbage and dead plants at this time too.

9. Camellias bloom in December so this a good time to shop for them at the nurseries. There are very few photographs of plants that look as good as the real thing. Go and see your flowers in bloom and you will know what you will have for years to come. Remember that Camellias like partial shade and acid soil. They also like their own kind of fertilizer. Read the packages at the nurseries and ask for help if you need it.

10. Gather greens from juniper, fir, redwood, cedar, nandina, holly, cypress, huckleberry and pine for wreaths, swags and garland. Wire it together on a frame of wire you buy at a craft store. Then add berries from cotoneaster, nandina, Chinese pistache, cranberries and holly for color. Good gardening and happy holidays.

Jack McKinnon worked in the Sunset Magazine gardens for 12 years and is now a garden coach. He can be reached at 879-3261 or by e-mail at jcmckinnon@earthlink.net.

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