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Celebrate In Style
A Secret Garden Christmas
Whether you want to celebrate your love of
gardening, or are looking for ways to honor a friend's passion, a
Secret Garden Christmas is a beautiful and unexpected treat in the
midst of winter.
Everyone knows at least one person who is an avid
gardener. If you are such a person, no amount of explaining can
quite communicate the delicious feeling of dirt-covered hands and a
damp hat-band. If you are not, trust those of us who are -- it's
the best hobby in the world!
For what other pastime centers around the creation and sustenance
of life -- and what else could be a more perfect representation of
Christmas?
The Christmas Tree
The center of any celebration, of course, must be the Christmas
Tree. You want to lavish your "guest of honor" in the finest garb
it ever dreamed of.
Use raffia or fresh ivy as a garland, loosely circling the tree.
Tuck dried flowers, such as hydrangeas, goldenrod, roses or herbs,
into the branches. Fresh juniper or misteltoe berries are welcome
here, and you can add bunches of nandina or holly as well.
Place a tree skirt around the bottom, and cover it with straw as if
it's mulched -- or, with a couple weeks' preparation, you can have
new grass beneath the tree! Simply sow grass seed in flower pots
about two weeks before you'll need them; keep them watered and
you'll be rewarded with an unexpected flash of spring green in the
middle of winter.
A local hardware or home-improvement store can sell you tiny white
picket fencing just a few inches tall; place the pots of grass
around the tree, and the fence around that, add a few pots of
forced bulbs (anything from paperwhites to hyacinth will do, or
white amaryllis) and it's springtime for Christmas.
You can decorate the tree or fill stockings with the small but
welcome essentials of gardening; push ornament hooks through
packets of seed; a pocket-sized gardener’s journal with a spiral
binding can hang from the tree; even a pair of small, fine pruners
or goatskin gloves can dangle from a sturdy limb.
Decorations
Use nature’s bounty to decorate every nook and corner of your
house. But add some creativity to the usual garlands and swags by
adding surprise elements like fresh or dried flowers, fruits,
foliage etc.
Ornamental
peppers are making inroads as holiday plants because of their
brilliant colors. Decorate inside and out by planting these peppers
well ahead of time.
Gifts
Gifts are the most exciting part of a ‘Secret Garden Christmas’.
You an choose from gardening supplies, tools, natural products and
decorations, birdhouses – almost anything that has got something to
do with nature to keep your gifts in sync with your Christmas
theme.
For all gardener’s on your list (you are sure to have many if you
plan to celebrate on this theme, I am sure!), a cart laden with
Gardener’s tools and favorite plant saplings from the local nursery
will make an absolutely delightful gift. Give your gift a festive
look by adding a big red bow on one of the cart edges or any of the
tool handles. Sprinkle some confetti or streamers in holiday colors
amongst the plants to complete the look.
For another great gift idea, round out the stocking with
pumice-laced gardener's soap, good-quality sunscreen, brick clips
for attaching trellises to walls, packets of cut-flower food, and
other items.
Or, you can do a "gift basket", using instead a tall bucket perfect
for carrying cut flowers, or even a rubber or plastic muck bucket.
To this you can add foam bricks of Oasis, stem holders, and a
really great handcream, preferably shea butter-based and scented
nicely with lavender or almond. You can also make little gift
baskets using terracotta pots as containers.
For a rosarian, tomato afficionado, or the person who trims his
lawn with manicure scissors, a tremendous gift is a carton or two
of milky spore (a microscopic critter that kills Japanese Beetles
for oh, a decade). You will be bathed in gratitude for years.
You could also gift something from your own garden. Plant saplings,
fruits and veggies – preserved or fresh and add freshly made
bouquets if you have flowers in your garden.
Potted plants and Herb Gardens make lovely gifts for everyone.
Place lots of potted plants tied with a red bow tied to the pot, in
rows on a side table or mantle and ask your guests to take one when
they leave, as a party favor.
Decorate your gifts with touches of nature. Use dried flowers,
sprigs of evergreens, tiny flowers in holiday colors from your
garden etc. to enhance your gift packages.
The key to shopping for a gardener is to remember: the stranger it
looks to you, the more likely they are to love it!
This article first appeared in the 'Celebrating
Christmas PDF Magazine' which is a FREE magazine that
you can download and even print out.
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