TIS THE SEASON FOR HOLIDAY PLANTS We are now into the third week of December. It seems that everyone has the holidays on their minds. With that mindset, many people are looking at all the beautiful and popular holiday plants. Here is a brief rundown of some of the most popular holiday plants and some … Read more
Almost every door seems to have a sprig of mistletoe at Christmas. So, what exactly is it? What is Mistletoe? Believe it or not, mistletoe is a parasite. It sends its roots down into its host plant, tapping into its water and nutrients to keep it alive. Its botanical name is Phoradendron, which comes from the … Read more
Tis the Season I have fun writing this blog, and it’s one of my favorites. I would love to use this theme in one of my TV segments on NBC 12. Shopping for gardeners can be easy. Just visit us at The Great Big Greenhouse. The sky is the limit when finding new and unique … Read more
Last week, I discussed one of my favorite holiday plants: the amaryllis. This week, I’ll discuss another one of my favorite holiday plants: the poinsettia. From Mexico With Love: The History of Poinsettias In 1825, Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first appointed U.S. Ambassador to Mexico, was intrigued by some beautiful red flowers he saw growing … Read more
It’s the last month of the year! Mother Nature is being very kind to us as we enter December. ‘Tis the season for so many gardening chores and tasks. How about this weather? I wrote a blog on “Where’s the cold weather?” a month ago. Well, it finally arrived over Thanksgiving weekend. We also had … Read more
Is it Christmas or January? One of my favorite holiday flowers is the Amaryllis. This beauty has flowers that range in size from six to ten inches—and all this from a bulb that ranges in size from three to five inches. Now, some people grow amaryllis as an annual—that is, they enjoy the blooms and … Read more
FINDING ITEMS FOR YOUR HOLIDAY GREENERY CAN BE FOUND IN YOUR YARD Here we are in the last week of November. Many of us are concentrating on decorating our homes or offices for the holiday season, which is upon us. Finding fresh greenery to use in decorating is as easy as strolling through your gardens. … Read more
You see them everywhere this time of year, don’t you? Christmas cactus. So here is some “need-to-know” info about these beautiful bloomers. Where They Come From Christmas cacti are native to the tropical rainforest in Brazil, and, believe it or not, they are epiphytes. Epiphytes are plants that live on other plants. Now, they are … Read more
WE ALL LOVE OUR BUTTERFLIES, BEES, AND OTHER BENEFICIAL INSECTS Most gardeners understand our role in improving our environment for all our native pollinators. We have seen an enormous surge in sales of our native plants and doubled the size of the area we designate for native plants. This trend of planting native plants warms … Read more
Okay, so you’ve pulled all your houseplants back in for the winter. Now what? Well, I’m happy to say not much. What to Remember We must remember that winter means one thing to plants—less sun! Plants rely on chlorophyll, which is activated by sunlight. In the winter, when days are short and the sunlight is … Read more
