Holiday Gardening or How to Round Up The Holiday Spirit

If there is ever a time one should storm through the house, cleaning, sorting, scrubbing and polishing, until every last room sparkles like a brand new Christmas ornament, it is in December.  It’s a good time of year to give; to donate those things which haven’t seen the light of day for the last six months. This, not just to rid the house of clutter, and to help the less fortunate, but to help ward of the formidable figure of the tax man who is lurking right around the corner.

Having been asked for help with ailing orchids, a subject of which I knew nothing, I found my way to the Pacific Orchid Society Show in November. There I learned not only are orchids inexpensive, but if you meet their basic needs, some varieties are not difficult to grow. Orchids belong to one of the largest of the plant families, and their 20,000 (give or a take a few) species range from minuscule plants the size of a thimble to some towering over 20 feet tall. Orchids (in general) don’t like their feet wet; should be grown in a special porous bark potting medium, and some species live on bark blocks. Their care depends on their country of origin. Those that grow best in the average household come from the cooler climes. They require indirect bright light, warmth, but not direct sunlight. They are not too fond of stagnant air, so one should provide a light breeze. I saw some incredibly beautiful and very diverse plants at the show; found the gentlemen to be extremely knowledgeable and helpful, but the ladies as frosty as the color of their hair. Of course, yours truly did NOT leave without an extremely showy and fragrant specimen, a purple Cattleya “San Juan.”

When I was growing up on the Southeast coast of England, in a climate similar to that of Southwest Oregon, my mother always had pots of bulbs flourishing in the dead of winter.  This “forcing” is a simple way to fill any room with color and fragrance during the darkest days of the year. By far the best bulbs for forcing are tulips, hyacinths, crocus, daffodils, and bulbous iris reticulata. My favorite, and the simplest to grow are the Narcissus tazetta, or Paperwhites. All bulbs, except the Paperwhites, need a period of cold before potting them up. To achieve this simply pop your bulbs into the refrigerator for 2-6 weeks before planting, or keep them in a cool dark cellar or storage room.

Some bulbs, including Paperwhites, can be grown without soil.  I have even seen these little darlings growing on a shelf, with no soil, no water other than that which is in the air, and no food. So, place a 3-4” layer of pebbles in a wide bowl or plantar, and make little pits for each of the bulbs, crowding then into the pot. Add water to cover about half the bulb. Place the pot in indirect light in an Eastern or Northern window, and they will burst into fragrant bloom in about 4-5 weeks. Just remember to keep them moist. For tulips, daffodils, irises, and other types of bulbs, fill the pots to about the halfway mark with any good sterile potting mix. Moisten the soil until damp but not soggy. Place the bulbs on top of the soil, once again, crowding the bulbs. Cover with more soil until only the tips can be seen. Then place the whole pot in a cold area, keeping the soil moist. My mother used to pop them under the kitchen sink. When you see the leaves lengthening and buds forming, bring the pots out into the open. At this point you might want to a support make from three or four chop sticks, and twine, and in 2-3 weeks you will be rewarded with a burst of color and the fragrance of spring.

Now is the time to prowl your yard (or someone else’s) for evergreens, myrtle, sweet bay; eucalyptus, magnolias, rosemary, and sage to make deliciously aromatic decorative wreaths and swags.  Another fun project is to make outdoor tree decorations comprising of seed pods, winter berries, rose hips, dried corn cobs, and the like, forming them into circles or small bundles. Choose a tree that can be viewed from a window of your house, fill it with your home-made treats, and you will find yourself taking time to watch the birds flock to your living bird feeder.

If your house is too tiny for a large tree, you can make the cutest Christmas trees with six sturdy coat hangers, and large Christmas garlands. I use a large green pine garland for the natural look, or the large colored iridescent garlands, to match any décor. Add a set of tiny lights, decorate with miniature ornaments, tiny rosebuds, bows or what-have-you, and for the paltry sum of $14.00 you can create a unique miniature Christmas tree. The first step is to lay two coat hangers together on a table so they form the shape of a Christmas tree with the hooks turned downward. Wire or tape these together tightly. Place two more coat hangers in the same manner, weaving them through the first set, once again wiring the whole structure together. Then take the last two, and add them to the other four. This should form a sturdy tree shaped base for your tree.  Next, tape the lights in a spiral around the tree form. Follow this with the large garland, starting at the bottom, winding quite tightly and weaving the garland around the base of the light bulbs. Slowly work your way to the top and fasten with wire. A light spritz of artificial snow spray adds a nice touch to the natural pine garland tree. Add your decorations. These are wonderful for tabletops, and make stunning gifts for shut-ins, nursing home residents, or small apartment dwellers.

When you get a chance to get outside between rain storms to prune your evergreens, gather armloads of the sharply fragrant limbs to bring indoors to decorate the home. And now, as the day’s get cooler and the nights darker, it’s time once again to dig out the Christmas decorations, bake cookies, wrap gifts, mail packages and write cards. Though most of you count down the days until Christmas, I mark off my calendar the days until Winter Solstice. This not for any ritualistic reason, but to remind myself that once again the days begin to lengthen on their journey toward Spring. As the season of darkness lightens, life goes on.

The rain stops, and the moon slips out beneath her veil of filmy clouds. Stars sparkle in the darkness, so bright you can almost pluck them from the sky. Standing alone in the chill winter air, I wonder about my friends across the seas. Notwithstanding all the happiness and heartache of their daily lives, do they also slip out in the dark of winter night and stare up at the sky? Do they see what I see? We’re linked together by a gossamer thread, human beings one and all; mere specks of life along for the ride aboard space ship Mother Earth as she travels one more time her lengthy journey around the sun.

As the seed catalogs begin to fill the mailbox, tucked amidst the bills and beautiful cards, I wish to send a message to all of you dear readers. Have happy, joyful holidays, don’t sweat the small stuff, and do let’s keep on gardening.