Here are tips for which holiday greens and flowers to use for decorations inside and out
The beginning of December is the time to think about using plants and garden trimmings as holiday décor.
Trimming your evergreen trees and shrubs now will give you natural greens for empty winter patio and porch pots. Filling pots and window boxes can be as simple as snipping off a branch and poking the cut end into the potting soil in your containers.
Just remember that all evergreens are not created equal. Hemlock trees are native to Western Washington and they have fine, small needles on trees with a graceful, weeping form. Hemlock branches are not a good choice for wreaths or mantel décor. Those lovely-looking soft needles drop off quickly once cut from the tree and make quite a mess.
Holly is another traditional green that will dry up when cut from the plant. You can use holly boughs outdoors for a few weeks but holly looks good for just 24 hours indoors before it begins to shrivel.
Better choices are cedar or pine boughs to deck the halls indoors.
Q. Do pink poinsettias last longer than red poinsettias? What about white and yellow poinsettias? I like to decorate early and want to use poinsettia plants going up my steps. — G.H., Email
A. Let me double check here first. If you plan to use potted poinsettia on indoor stairs, then great, but if you were considering poinsettias for outdoor use, then back up and make a full stop. Living poinsettias won’t last a night outdoors in our climate. Better to go with artificial ones if you insist on poinsettias outdoors or switch to using potted hellebores as a blooming plant on your porch for the holidays.
If you do plan on using potted poinsettias indoors, then any color you pick should last for months or even a year if you care for them properly. This means avoid drafts, avoid extreme heat and do not let the soil dry out. One more tip – don’t let any potted plant sit in drainage water.
Q. I was given a potted rosemary plant for Thanksgiving. It is in the shape of a tree. How do I care for it? It came with no plant tag or instructions. — L., Email
A. Rosemary is an herb from the hot and dry Mediterranean climate, and so do not overwater your potted rosemary plant. If grown indoors, rosemary needs a bright window but little fertilizer. Do not let it sit in drainage water and poke a pencil into the soil before watering if you cannot decide if the soil is dry. If the pencil comes up with damp soil attached, wait to water.
To keep your rosemary topiary tree in good form, just use kitchen scissors to trim off any new growth that defies the tree or ball form. Place a tray under the plant before trimming so you can easily collect the pruning crumbs to use in your cooking. You can use rosemary fresh or dried and in the late spring you can consider moving your topiary to a sunny spot outdoors.
Q. So I see from following you on Facebook that you garden in the California desert at times and you give advice on low-water-use plants. My question is about cacti. I have a potted cactus and transplanting it can be a literal pain. The spines poke through gloves, even oven mitts! Please help. — Cactus Joe, Olympia
A. The point is to stick it to the spines by using tongs instead of gloves to handle spiky plants. For very large specimens, wrapping the cacti in a cardboard sleeve will seal the deal.
There also are some cacti that can shoot their needles into your skin when your body heat tells the plant that you are nearby. Cacti deserve respect and caution.
Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of several books. Reach her at binettigarden.com.