Holiday Decorating From Your Yard

I was finishing a pinecone wreath today and was reflecting that some of my most favorite holiday decorations did not come from stores but rather came from my own yard. Holly leaves and berries look lovely in any glass vase or set in floral form in a decorative container. If you did not have time to prune your holly shrub before winter, well, it's a second chance to shape longer branches.

If you love professionally arranged evergreen centerpieces that look and smell like Christmas, why not mix some of your holly leaves with other branches from your yard? You can experiment with different types of evergreens (cedar, juniper, pine, etc, each has a unique texture, smell, and color) to find a look you like. Construct a low centerpiece and you have a table decoration. Construct a tall centerpiece and you have a beautiful mantel adornment. Or, place a vase with greens, like the one pictured, in any room of your house for a little holiday cheer that is simple, understated, and personal, especially when entertaining guests. 

Other naturally derived decorations include pinecones in all shapes and sizes (if you collect any in the fall that seem sticky with pitch, bake in the oven at a low temperature for 20 minutes or so and the pitch will melt, harden, and shine as the pine cone cools down), acorns (always chose those free from worms and/or worm holes), dried grass blooms and other dried blossoms like hydrangea. I've also been known to hang sea shells and cinnamon sticks from the Christmas tree in addition to pinecones. If money is in short supply but the desire to decorate for the holidays is not, it's worth looking outside for inspiration.

Iris Paradise

It's a welcome sign of spring when the bearded iris begin to bloom. If you have iris in your garden and notice that the plants are leafed but no buds or flowers appear, check your plant for crowded rhizomes. Iris are great at self populating, the rhizomes will spread and what once was one beautiful flower will often turn to many. However, once they get crowded the plants may only produce a couple of blossoms, if any. I believe the standard rule of thumb is to divide your iris every 3-5 years, however, it really depends on the growth rate of your iris (some may need a more frequent division, some less).

Also if you decide to divide, it is recommended that you wait until after the irises have gone by. However, I have been known to divide in spring before the bloom; the iris will be fine but just won't bloom that first year.  The same can be true for newly purchased iris, they may not bloom the first year but should be fine the following year as long as planted in an appropriate location (iris like sunshine and their feet to be warm, don't plant too deep or the rhizome on the bearded iris will rot over time).

Iris are generally pest and disease free and reliable bloomers. Plus, the colors are a welcome distraction from a long Maine winter. While I prefer plants that bloom in solid colors (for impact in my small yard) I acquired some white and purple iris and yellow and purple iris from my dad when he subdivided and I would never turn away a homeless plant. 

Better Late Than Never

It would appear that I have been more than a little remiss in my efforts to maintain a gardening blog. I believe the last time I posted was in July, 2014, just about three years ago. While three years seems like a long time, I am hoping it has been long enough to properly reflect on what else I could possibly say about the joys of being outside and how a little digging, planting, and nurturing can be good for the soul.

This spring has gotten off to a late start (good to know I'm not the only one) and it has just started to become warm enough to begin working outside. The oak leaves that fell after the first snow last year need clearing as do the gallons of acorns littering the yard. While clearing the ridiculously large pine cones that fell from an abutting neighbor's tree, I noticed that some mushrooms had formed at the base of the rose of sharon I mercilessly trimmed back a couple of years ago (it had gotten far too leggy and leans heavily on one side). I thought the orange of the mushrooms was quite striking against the green moss on the rose of sharon so I took this photo. Then I began to panic that the mushrooms were a sign that the shrub might be rotting. So I performed a quick Google search and discovered that while mushrooms are not harmful in your lawn and garden, they are most likely a sign that something had gone horribly wrong and the shrub is on its way out. Well at least nature gives you a sign when something bad is about to happen. This particular shrub has pretty blossoms, but it will not be a complete tragedy if/when it dies. It has outgrown its space and should probably be replaced with something far smaller. I think of it as an opportunity to change the landscape and create a fresh look.