Growing organic roses can be easy if you just plant them the right way in the right spot and understand a few things about how roses grow. Since I don’t know what you have been taught—let’s just start over and learn this simple way from scratch.

Antique or Old roses are the best choice because they are the most disease resistant to start with. Of course as with
almost anything-There are a few exceptions

Here are things to consider when growing organic roses:

*Roses need good drainage.

*Most Roses need 6 hours of sun or more—but there are a few that will take quite a bit of shade and still bloom well –
the best of these is Dame de Cour a lovely shrub rose and Vanity –a hot pink climber

*Pick a site with good airflow.

*Plant your rose by digging a hole in moist soil that is only as deep as you need it [ the base of the rose needs to be above ground] and about twice as wide as you need it. Do not plant too deep. Be sure your rose is well watered before planting it. I like to plant my roses with a mixture of equal parts of worm castings, rock phosphate,rabbit manure and lavasand –add a cup of this mixture to the soil that you removed to make the hole. ( note-sometimes you can find a product made by Rabbit Hill Farm called

Something Special-which is this exact mixture ) or you can add Rose Glo, or Natures Guide Rose Planting mix or Lady
Bug Rose Magic and add rock phosphate & wormcasting mix also. Loosen the roots of the rose gently to let the
roots grow out and not around– as they were growing in the pot and place it in the hole.

*Wet the hole-and add the amendments—*Place the roots of the rose in the hole *Fill the hole with a solution of Maxicrop Seaweed solution (2 Tablespoons to a gallon of water) being sure to soak the roots. Push the mixture of soil and amendments down in the hole to stabilize the rose.

*Add 3” of Mulch to the area around the rose —not right up on the base of the rose– and water the area well. Mulch is important for both moisture retention and disease control. Your choice of mulch –as long as it won’t wash away—Roses really love Pine Straw Mulch.

*Be sure to companion plant your roses with one or more of the systemic and repellant herbs for fungal and insect control such as society garlic, or oregano , and believe it or not -tomatoes -to keep it healthy and FYI- basil keeps a dark pink or red rose from losing it’s color in the sun and repels insects ( plant tomatoes and basil after last frost)

* Be sure to put your newly planted rose on the 28 day watering schedule-attached in this newsletter

*Now that your rose is planted and established you need to understand what it is telling you–so listen closely.

Troubleshooting Organic Roses

*If it has quit blooming and has a lot of dead heads on it- it is saying –cut me back a little on each stem down to just above any 5 leaf node. A three-leaf node will not hold the bloom up well so if the blooms are hanging down it is saying– you cut me wrong. If your rose has dark brown dead looking stems appear at the top of the stem after you deadheaded — it is telling you that you cut below a node, which is wrong—re-cut– being careful to leave the node on the end of the cut. ( always cut just above a node)

*After deadheading or cutting back add a product like Humalfa Humore , Lady bug Flower power or rabbit manure by spreading the product over the drip line ( never close to the trunk) and you will be rewarded with extra blooms. *Be sure when you deadhead or prune your roses that you make a cut that will not hold water on it— cut on an angle so that any water will roll off as soon as it hits that cut. Never trim anything when it is raining-especially roses.

*You may want to cut your roses back to shape them better or control their size—After Valentines Day and before the end of March is a good time for this unless the rose only blooms in the Spring in which case you would cut it back after it blooms.

*If your rose has yellow leaves or black spots on older leaves- -it is trying to knock them off so it can replace them with new ones-smack it with a broom to help this happen faster and they will fall off. If black spots appear on new leaves then your microclimate is wrong for that rose—you need to fix the condition or move the rose. (example of creating a microclimate that causes a problem—a pool in a yard with high wooden fences and poor air flow) Roses on the Favorites list on my web site are less likely to have problems with more humid conditions. www.organicgardeningtx.com

Now you can just sit back and smell the organic roses—you have done everything right for your roses and they will reward you with lots of blooms—and no fussing.

It is my desire to make your experience with organic roses successful & stress free. Gardening should be a labor of love –not a love of labor.

Love & Luck Lucy Harrell

FYI– never trim during rainy weather-it can cause disease in the cuts – trim on dry days — temperatures should be ok for you to be outside — so between 35 degrees  & up while you are trimming.

* Trim back evergreen  shrubs that are not Spring only bloomers — if they need it to make them bushy. Cut them back about 6”-18” to just above a node.  If they are real overgrown you may take most shrubs back by half or more — new growth will come  just above the cut so keep that in mind–as long as you do this between Feb. 15- March 31^st (this is called radical pruning and is done only when shrubs have gotten very much out of hand) Always make your final cut on each branch just above a node.

Take care to dig out any leaves  that have accumulated inside  shrubs–If you don’t tend to this- a wet spring can rot out the plant or cause disease.  Use a stick or rake with long flexible tines on it to reach in and dig out the built up material

*Cut back perennial evergreen vines that are  all season bloomers like Coral Honeysuckle and  Sweet Autumn Clematis-no matter how good they look now– if you don’t the new growth will  pop out and  cause the old growth to turn brown and leave it looking shabby underneath.

Do not cut back spring  bloomers like Confederate Star Jasmine yet or Cross Vines yet-wait until after they have finished blooming usually in May

*Cut  rose bushes  that are repeat bloomers back by ½-

Remove 2-3  three year canes  to the ground-each year after the climbers are 3 years old –these will be  larger and woody ( gray)- and will be replaced by  fresh  stems that will bloom better do not cut back spring only bloomers- wait until after they  have bloomed-usually by May.

*Clean up any evergreen perennials   if they need it [ only cut back if damaged-or just remove damages part.]  Ex ample : Lenten Rose, Holly Ferns, Cast iron Plants, Divaracata Phlox, Columbine  etc.

(Holly ferns can be cut to ground if badly damaged-do this before the new growth appears- ( looks like monkey tails  and Cast iron can also be taken to the ground if badly damaged)

*Cut these woody perennials and others like them–back by 1/3-1/2 just above a node to keep them from getting too woody and leggy.

Salvia Greggii, , Mexican Oregano, Russian Sage etc.

* Always Cut back Powis Castle Artemisia and Pink Skullcap by 2/3–even if it looks good–(if you don’t it will be leggy in June and  you shouldn’t cut it then–the heat on the new growth will kill the plant.)

*Herbaceous  Perennials die back to the ground each year but will return. Remove the dead part or trim it off at just about 2 “ above  ground level.   Example-Turks cap, Mexican Mint Marigold, Mexican Bush Sage, Autumn Aster. Creeping Lantana,  Most Ornamental Grasses etc

*Apply a Granular   and a Foliar on your program— wait at least 2 weeks after  corn gluten meal was applied–If your lawn suffers from SAD or if you  overseeded last fall with Elbon rye  wait until the weather  gets up into the 70′s again on a regular basis to do this task-

see Pick Your Program- attached

Tips for Adding New Mulch

Hardwood Mulch is one I prefer because it holds in moisture, stays in place, and looks very rich.  Apply 3”- 4” deep and it should last for a year.  “However, you may use the one you like best as long as it stays in place ( for instance-pine bark floats away-not a good choice).

Pine Straw  is now available and works great too and lasts longer

a. Use for pathways and sitting areas and  as mulch around plants

b. Use to control turf grasses and weeds; one bale covers 24 sq. ft. at my rate; since it is so acid, turf grasses and weeds don’t grow in it if applied thick enough. Weed seeds don’t germinate in it.

Additional Mulching Tips-and Fire Ant Control under surfaces

How to keep fire ants out of your flowerbeds as long as the mulch stays in place: Remember3-4” of mulch should last a whole year-less will not.

Before you lay mulch, apply a thin layer of DE  to prevent ants in your beds (Diatomaceous Earth) that can be purchased from a garden center (this is NOT the same as what you add to your pool). I use an old sifter as a scoop to shake over the area. As long as the Mulch stay in place the DE will be there—ants do not choose to move in.

you will have to use Nature’s Guide Fire Ant Killer to remove any existing mounds ( the DE by itself won’t run them off- but it will keep them from building new mounds)

Also apply a thin layer of  plain DE under step stones, patios, sandboxes, etc. so ants will not  move in under them. This works great-it lasts as long as the item placed on top  is there.

I had to share this fun easy ( I just made 10) valentine craft with you-check it out–This would work anytime you need a fun bouquet  for the table or a single flower to give .

Takes about 3 minutes to make one after you’ve collected all of the materials–have fun

I have received e-mails every day now from both  professionals and home owners–about corn gluten meal–To put it down now–or—  to not put it down- and what if it rains real hard after the application— are the  main questions.

Nature's way corn meal gluten

With corn gluten meal- especially in the Spring- these questions are always looming.  here are the pros and cons--if the dandelions are blooming then it is time to do it—you have to know that the weeds you see now had to have be controlled last fall- (or if you see them now they weren’t) the whole idea is to put the corn gluten meal down to catch the seeds that are blowing now that will show up later (in another1 1/2- 2 months). If the corn gluten meal  isn’t on the ground when that happens then you will get  more weeds.

Enjoy your garden features day and night with lighting.

Well placed outdoor lighting will accent those special places that we want to stroll to— and enjoy in our gardens. You don’t want to feel like you are sitting in a spotlight—you want comfortable soft light –dancing around the edges of the areas that you are choosing to be in. Front lighting that welcomes you home and shows off your house and landscape also needs to be well thought out. Lighting should offer security- but it doesn’t have to look like a parking lot and can be done in a way that also brings out the best features of your landscape. Below are 2 examples-WOW!!!!

The lighting in these pictures come from a few well placed lights that make quite a beautiful difference.
Lighting by or around swimming pools and ponds is really eye catching—(it doubles your pleasure) –just look at these great spaces. Of course –all of this is very pretty—and who wouldn’t want it–but you will also want to know how adding lighting will impact your existing garden plan and your wallet!! — I have asked Steve Lamb– owner of Lambs Landscapes and the person that I choose to help my clients light up the designs that I do for them– to answer these important questions for you. (Please notice that I keep mentioning a “few well placed lights” when I describe the pictures above. Getting help with placement can get you the most effect for your money- So choosing the right professional to install lighting is important for a lot of reasons. Steve will explain about the new low voltage lights that he uses—they are easy on the eyes and on the wallet.)

Message from Steve Lamb–
Lighting seems to be one of those things that tends to get overlooked – primarily because homeowners haven’t seen very many landscapes properly lit. But, as you know, Landscape Lighting done well can bring out Beauty, Functionality and Security to any property.

This past summer we totally switched to using LED lights in our landscapes. The advantages to using LED’s are huge! Efficiency (LED’s are 75% more efficient than traditional incandescent lights) – Life (most of our led’s are guaranteed for 15 years) & Output to list a few. Most people don’t realize that we can even convert or retro fit their existing low voltage systems over to LED. We have started using a line of LED replacement lamps that will go right in their existing fixtures. These LED’s are specifically designed for an outdoor application and have a great look! Because they consume so much less energy than the traditional halogen lamps, this allows us the ability to add new lights to a system that may have been maxed out before.

Although bugs are attracted to light, LED lamps give off very little heat, and also emit the wrong colors of the visible light spectrum. As a result, the number of bugs that are attracted will be minimal. Because it is believed that insects cannot see LED light, this is one of the main reasons that people switch to using LED’s in their landscapes.

Here is a point that I think everyone should understand – If they just hire an electrician to install landscape lighting, they will typically use Line Voltage (120v). Doing this requires wire inside conduit buried 18″ in the ground. Therefore, a fixture cannot be easily moved. However, with our Low Voltage (12v) LED Lighting it just requires a small cable that can just be buried slightly – this also allows us to install a system into an existing landscape without tearing anything up. Also, as a landscape matures we can adjust/move the fixtures to
accommodate the growth.

I hope that this blog post and these great pictures have youthinking about adding some lighting to your garden . I love being out in my garden at night—and looking out at it also gives me great pleasure. Check out Steve’s website for more ideas and examples of his and Faron Stauffer’s work. (They also install landscapes , pondless creeks and hardscapes.) For more lighting ideas-go to www.lambslighting.com

I wish you a beautiful space—Love & Luck Lucy Harrell

Strong Scented Repellant Plants——Any plant that has a strong scent will repel bad bugs [bugs that eat plants]. Many herbs fall into this category. Below I have listed some of my favorite repellant plants that I like to include in my designs. I call these my favorite because as well as being useful they are also beautiful.

*Powis Castle Artemisia [small 2’x3’ silver evergreen shrub-like perennial herb] it repels aphids and other pests. I like to add it under hybrid roses to both repel aphids and add winter interest to the naked trunks and branches.

Rosemary

* Rosemary [4’x4’evergreen with blue blooms in late winter-spring] it repels mosquitoes – plant it by all sitting areas.

*Society Garlic [tufts of garlic scented grass with lavender flowers that last spring - fall] it repels all plant-chewing insects. [Also systemic]

*Salvia Greggii [Texas native shrub that comes in many colors and blooms spring-fall] It repels scale.

*Copper Canyon Daisy [3’x4’ mound of green scented leaves with gold daisy like flowers in late fall] This plant has an intense fragrance that you can’t get enough of. It repels flies and most other plant pests.

*African Blue Basil [3’x3’ shrub like herb with wonderful blue blooms on purple-green leaves] it repels flies. [Also systemic]
Trap Plants—–to trap and hold insect pests and keep them off of other plants. Put a bird feeder close to these plants so the birds will spot the bugs and eat them. Beneficial insects will find and control the smaller insects. To follow are
a few of the many plants that are used as trap plants that I find most effective.

*Sunflower [any variety--native multi stem sunflower-my favorite] # one trap plant for all sucking rasping insects. Sunflowers [any variety] are irresistible to grasshoppers and leafhoppers. Sunflowers are full of juice and seldom damaged

Companion planting cabbages and marigolds

*Marigold [good summer annual -- my favorite is French marigold]. Spider mite trap. Plant them around your tomatoes or any other problem areas.

*Oleander –Large evergreen shrub [red is the best in terms of cold damage]. The Oleander is a trap plant for all aphids including and especially the large yellow Mexican aphids. Hang a bird feeder by them.

*Tropical Milk Weed [large annual with tall red and yellow flowers] Aphid trap.

* Mint [any variety--chocolate mint is a less aggressive one]. I allow it to flourish during the spring to trap the four-lined plant bug. In early June, when the heat ends this insect’s stay, I rip out the mint–the heat keeps it from growing and it returns in the early spring to do its job.

Larval plants—-to attract adult butterflies to lay their eggs on You will need to plan for these plants to be eaten back when the caterpillars populate them. They will grow back. Here are some of my favorite ones.

*Bronze Fennel [3’x3’ bronze-purple hairy like foliage that smells like licorice] this will be up spring-fall. Plant *Parsley in the fall to fill in as a larval plant over the winter. Eastern Black Swallowtail. *Dill in the Spring

* Passionflower Vine [Large vine with blue and green flowers and passion fruit] Gulf Fritillary.

*Rue [2’x2’ perennial-Blue-green} Swallowtail and Painted Lady.
Host Plants---to attract and hold beneficial insects in the garden. These plants provide habitat, or pollen for different beneficial insects. Note--trap plants that attract the most favorite food of beneficial insects--bad bugs are also host plants to the beneficial insects. Here are some of the ones that I use most.

*Big Ear Lambs Ear [Large fuzzy silver leaf groundcover] Host to Mealybug predator * Sunflower [Any variety] * Wildflowers *See the list of trap plants

Systemic Companion Plants—To provide fungal control to plants that are prone to fungal diseases such as black spot, powdery mildew and rust. These plants must be planted within six feet of the plant that you are protecting-this puts it in the root zone. To follow is a good list of these systemic plants.

*Tomatoes {any variety–Wonderful companion plant for roses–will make them much healthier.

*African Blue Basil or any basil will help tomatoes be less watery and have a deeper color and keep them from damping off. Basil will also help roses to hold a dark color longer and is good for the overall health of the rose.

*All of these will provide systemic fungal control ——————————

*Thyme, * Oregano, * Dittany Of Crete, *Society Garlic (* Garlic and * Onion Chives work too but reseed freely), * *White Yarrow. ( White Yarrow is the only systemic yarrow –it is invasive so I plant it with edging for control.

Love and Luck, Lucy Harrell

By Lucy Harrell T.C.N.P. A Specialist On Demanding Environments
www.organicgardeningtx.com lucygeorge5208@sbcglobal.net

For every 4 bags of Lady Bug premix –I added 2 bags of Lady Bug revitalizer compost ( or you could use 3 cubic feet of your own compost) + 6 cups of lava sand and 2 cups of Sul-po-mag or K-mag.I planted from plants and put a handful of 50/50 worm castings and rock phosphate mixture in the holes—if you are doing seeds—work a cup of each product in each square. When planting cool season plants- make that mixture equal parts of worm castings, rock phosphate and alfalfa meal . ( The alfalfa meal really picks them up after our usual on & off cool spells)

The average square foot gardens that are shown in the Square Foot Gardening Book and also most of the ones sold as prefabricated kits in garden centers -are made with boards about 6 inches high and laid on top of soil or even concrete—with all sorts of ideas to make dividers to separate the 1 foot squares. If this suits you –I have seen this work . ( although I can’t believe that deeper soil wouldn’t be best)

I wanted to make my beds raised high enough to afford me a sitting area along with a planting area inside the frame – so I designed my own. My square foot garden is 2 cinder blocks high-or about 16 inches deep — and my planting space inside the cinder blocks is 4 feet wide and 8 feet long–( the cinder blocks are 8 inches wide)– so over all– the whole space takes up 5 feet 4 inches wide by 9 feet 4 inches long –you would need 42 Cinder Blocks to do one like mine. You will see different ideas in the book –those are fine too–do what suits your needs best. You can buy fancy cinder blocks at building supplies in all natural brick and stone colors and textures.

I did exactly as follows-and had great luck with mine…

Remove or cut short the grass and weeds in the area that your garden will cover —-sprinkle DE ( garden grade Diatomaceous Earth that you buy in a garden center-not the kind that goes in the pool) on top of the soil. It doesn’t
have to be a real thick layer – I used about a cup. Using the DE will keep fire ants from invading your bed.

Another good tip is to use hardware cloth on the floor of your beds to keep moles from coming in to shop for worms. You can buy hardware cloth- cut to fit -off of big rolls in many garden centers and hardware stores. Lay down pieces of overlapped cardboard-wet it down good- and walk on it—build your garden on top of this.

If you are making it as tall as mine you can fill the bottom portion of the garden (up to the first cinder block ) with an inexpensive potting soil —I used 10- 2 cubic foot bags of living Earth potting soil to cover the bottom of my raised garden and then added 8 bags of the Lady Bug mix with 4 bags of Revitalizer compost mixed in with it to fill my inside garden area of 4’X8’-and I amended as mentioned.

Since I planned to use the holes in the exposed cinderblocks for perennial herbs-I used potting soil in those all the way to the top-it took about 8 bags of soil. If you choose to do a lower square foot garden bed – it will take 5 -2 cubic foot bags of potting soil for a 4X4 square X 1 cinder block high planter—but if you are only doing a 6” high board-like in the book-you will need only the planting mix on top of the cardboard—you need 4 bags of the Lady Bug for every 4X4 space. Add the other amendments too for best results ( compost, worm castings rock phosphate, Sul-po-mac or K-mag– and in the fall alfalfa meal)

4’X4’ or 4’X8’ light weight metal grids that lay on top of the garden-or any size you need

The other thing you need to do -is mark your 1’X1’ squares off—as I mentioned you will see all kinds of things used- like string- vine tape-old blinds etc—I wanted something easier to handle and something that would last forever and look nicer-so we make light weight metal grids that we make to order –just e-mail me.

Question of the week — How far back do I prune my knock out roses and the salvia greggi for the winter?  Also, the plant behind my pond I believe is a papyrus plant…. do I need to trim that back too? how about my grasses-should I cut them now?

Here is the best answer that I can give Angie and all of you– about waiting to trim before Valentine’s Day or after each year–

Ingredients needed are; You+ 1 backyard feeder or more +1 bird bath or sprinkler +1 pair of binoculars + 1 good field guide+1 comfy chair+ tea or coffee as desired.

Directions; Stir well and watch tensions fade away.
Now that sounds like a great way to start your day doesn’t it?—and of course the main ingredient ( lots of birds to watch) you must attract- so this newsletter is set up to help you do just that– by the backyard fulls !!!!!!!!!. Black Oil Sunflower seed sets a good table for most birds so that is a good overall choice for your feeder. Most of my feeders are filled with the black oil sunflower seed but I do have one feeder just outside the kitchen window that I only put Safflower Seed in to attract only the more colorful birds like Cardinals and Blue Jays- the larger birds like grackles don’t seem to know that it is seed (it is small white seeds)-so they leave it alone—and squirrels don’t seem to want it at all. Since nothing big ever comes to the feeder the other birds feel more comfortable staying around and chowing down for longer periods of time.
To follow is a great homemade suet recipe from the Cook Book that won’t melt –even in our Texas winters when we get a hot flash here and there-and it’s a great way to add some really special bird treats to your gardens.

Texas Suet
You will need; 1 cup crunchy peanut butter, 1cup lard, 2 cups of quick cooking oats, 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1/3 cup of sugar

Directions; Melt the peanut butter and lard—add the oats, flour and sugar. Let the mixture cool just enough to touch it and pack it into molds and freeze until you are ready to use it—Taylor and I use small butter tubs—then when we want to treat our birdies-we pop the suet out onto a flat metal platform that is attached to a 5’5”pole-( like a butterfly feeder) The platform has a small blunt stake that sticks out of the middle to stick either the suet cakes or fruit onto so that they don’t get knocked off. We have also packed left over orange halves with this mixture instead of the butter tubs.

We have added cranberries, peanuts, raisins, seeds and even bugs to this recipe over the years. Our feeder is placed next to a large tree with a grapevine on it to give the birds a quick place to hop in case an intruder comes into the space. It may take a while at first for the birds to recognize this as a food source -but they will-and then you may need to have a few more feeding stations to handle the crowds . You can always throw a few sunflower seeds on the platform to coax them to come to it at first too.
*Grow vines for extra Habitat and leave the dead vines up all winter & early spring to provide Nesting Material. Nesting material is hard to come by because the dead vines are usually cleaned up and thrown away in the early spring-just when the birds are out shopping for it. If you must clear it away from the flowerbed find a spot to leave it out and available to your wildlife.

One of my customers cuts and saves his old vines when he is cleaning up—and neatly stuffs them in a wire basket that he hangs outside a large window. He reports that all kinds of feathered shoppers stop by and that he has to add more material on a daily basis in the spring.

* Plant trees, shrubs and vines that produce Berries. Possum Haw Holly- a wonderful, small native tree will get you your very own mocking bird to guard it’s red berries all winter long ( he only eats a few and guards the rest). Vitex which can be a large shrub or small tree is another real eye catcher for birds and people alike—it produces lots of berries after it’s purple blooms fade. The cedar wax wings will come through in March and eat all the berries that are left over -and just hope that you are in the garden to watch on that day. Rose hips can set your birdies heart a fluttering too.

Some roses produce wonderful colorful hips all winter long. Hips are formed out of the back of the old blooms on these roses. Birds love to eat them and they are a good source of vitamin C . Some of the best roses for producing nice large hips are Dortmund, Basye’s Blueberry, Felicia and Old Blush. (To produce the best hips-stop deadheading these roses in late August.) Leave the hips on the roses until after Valentines day-then cut what is left off so that your roses will start blooming again. Rose hips = vitamin C for your birdies too.

Water is a needed element for any wildlife. When selecting a birdbath choose a shallow basin that can hold fresh water each day and is easy to empty—(we want to attract birds and not breed mosquitoes-and while mosquitoes are not usually a problem in the months of Dec- Feb here -we need to be ready for the rest of the year too.) The old fashion heavy concrete bowls that are so deep and hard to empty are not the best choice for this reason. Birds do not like deep water anyway–they want shallow water to drink and splash around in . Properly
maintained backyard ponds, pond less creeks and fountains are real attractions too.

Lots of birds like to just eat off the ground too-and as long as you don’t overdo it by letting too much un eaten food accumulate -throwing out corn or seed just in a spot that is visible to a favorite sitting space can bring in the doves and larger birds that aren’t so afraid to eat that low.

A great use for egg shells is to let them accumulate and toss them into the blender dry and turn them into a grit that you can mix into any seed or recipe for the birds. This is really helpful to birds with high beaks—it helps clean out any stuck in food that gets shoved up into those beaks that can decay the beak and cause the bird to be unable to break seed and ultimately starve. I always want to add cornmeal or something gritty to any peanut butter / seed mixture to keep the peanut butter from causing a problem with beaks. I usually add equal parts of the gritty matter to the peanut butter.

I hope that this newsletter has given you some ideas about how to invite more feathered friends into your gardens and your hearts. Love those birdies!!!!!

Love & Luck, Lucy

In our mild climate there could even be a flower or two hanging on—Camellias, cool season Roses, Pansies, Dianthus, Stems of Rosemary-be creative as you trim—all sorts of great Ideas will come to you.

Here are a few suggestions to get you started…

Holly stems with berries to add to a table runner with tea light candles and ornaments—makes a great table decoration that your guests can see over. Holly stems and berries also make great candle wreaths—Work with freshly cut stems so they are flexible if you need to shape them- and hot glue the pieces together to hold them in place if you need to.

Nandina-some have decorative seeds and berries-all have colorful foliage that dries perfectly. If placed in an area where direct sun doesn’t hit them the color will last for years. All you have to do to use Nandinas in a fresh or dried bouquet is just cut them and place them as you want them to be in the arrangement- no need to hang them upside down.

Ornamental Grasses- turn silver, gold, copper in winter and last for years just follow the same directions as nandinas—since they are already dry and stiff because of the freezes they are user ready.

Elaeagnus’s long stems are wonderful wreath bases and the silver leaves hang on for about 2 weeks. Elaeagnus also adds drama to a vase of flowers. If making wreath bases or shaping for another reason work with freshly cut stems—they become very stiff in a few hours. They last a long time if cut and added to fresh arrangements. The leaves start to shed in dry arrangements in about 2 weeks.

Ivy-cut long stems of ivy to tuck into a vase with fresh flowers or to lay out dry on the Christmas table with dried roses.
Cut herbs like rosemary, thyme, lavender ,sage and make little tufts or bouquets to stick into holly and ivy drifts on the table—or cut as longer stems and tuck into fresh floral arrangements to add fragrance to the Christmas table. Herbal bouquets
also make great package decorations and additions to wreaths. Be brave—just make your little bouquets and attach them to a package or work them into the ribbon—they will shed a little after a few days –no one seems to mind. Lavender stems are a favorite for this-they hold their leaves & the fragrance just gets better the longer they dry.
Pine cones and Sweetgum Balls—you can use them to decorate in their natural form or spray paint them to add to wreaths or the Christmas table-use hot glue to make your creation.
If you want to add a little sparkle to fresh Roses that you are decorating with—spray them with spray on glitter—it is a beautiful effect and doesn’t spoil the roses at all—you can even dry the roses later ( see the November 15th issue on how to dry roses) or press the petals.
Tip-a teaspoon of Listerine in a quart vase delays the growth of bacteria that can spoil your fresh blooms.

Have fun with these ideas—it also is a great idea for a holiday get together– to share garden clippings and ideas with friends—have everyone bring what they have to share from their gardens and scraps of ribbons- etc. and throw it all on a big table and have a make & take party. Brew up a pot of Earl Gray tea
and add milk ( not cream) and Brown Sugar—I and my friends have done this often and it is a fun day.

Have a very Merry Christmas Holiday—–