From the McDonald Garden Center Blog
TIPS FOR MAKING HOLIDAY PLANTS LAST Although the holidays are over you can keep your Christmas flowers blooming through the New Year. Here’s a few tips from our experts...PoinsettiasPoinsettias are easy to keep beautiful and blooming throughout the holidays and beyond as long as you follow a few simple steps:
Repurpose your Christmas tree for feathered friends.by Kathy Van Mullekom, a lifelong gardener and gardening writer living in York County, VirginiaOh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree … how beautiful you glow … but now you need to go. Hold that thought. Yes, days after December 25th, your once glowing Christmas tree looks a little sad – and probably dry. Before you toss the no-longer-needed tree in the trash, give some thought to how it can be used outdoors.
Add festive cheer and fragrance to your Christmas this year with rosemary topiaries and cones. Rosemary, perennial herb with fragrant, needle-like leaves in silvery gray green, is a holiday must-have.
Make your yard its berry best for holiday cheer. by Kathy Van Mullekom, a lifelong gardener and gardening writer living in York County, VirginiaNothing says “happy holiday” like clusters of bright red berries on a bush.For me, nandina berries are cherished parts of my December décor because they carry fond memories of days with my grandmother in Lynchburg, Va. A gravel driveway wrapping its way around her red brick home was lined with dozens of nandinas that produced beaucoup berries when cold weather arrived.
WREATHS, ROPING, TREES AND ACCENTSStill sprucing up? There's still plenty of time to get your home holiday-ready with fresh and fragrant greens. Roping, wreaths and accent greens will add instant holiday cheer to your banisters, mantels, fences and doorways. It's easy to dress up patio urns, window boxes and planters with bunches of our greens adorned with beautiful ribbons or hand-tied bows. Take a look at what you'll find just around the corner at your local garden center...
Christmas is just days away and it’s no secret that plants and flowers are a big part of the season. There are so many plants that spark thoughts of the holidays like the poinsettia, cyclamen, rosemary and many more. Think outside the box this year and give a living gift to make their Christmas merry and bright! Here's a few of our favorite holiday plants guaranteed to please...
Evergreens carry my yard through all the seasons.by Kathy Van Mullekom, a lifelong gardener and gardening writer living in York County, VirginiaEvergreens are the bones of my garden – the structure that carries the garden through seasons of spring flowers, summer butterflies, autumn leaves and winter cold. I love our evergreen trees and shrubs because they are chosen for purpose and beauty. Some are native, others are not.
It's the most wonderful time of year... the time to give! We've put together our top 10 favorite gifts for everyone on your list. That hard-to-shop-for friend? Easy. We're here to help with this season's best gifts to give and to get.
Birds feed, nest and relax in our nature-friendly garden.by Kathy Van Mullekom, a lifelong gardener and gardening writer living in York County, VirginiaOur yard is designed and planted for birds – lots of them.In addition to trees and shrubs that benefit songbirds, the yard features feeders and nesting boxes that invite them to live with us.
Plant of the Week: Norfolk Island Pine
