This Thursday, January 5th, is National Bird Day, so let’s talk about feeding them. Because there aren’t many insects available over the winter, most of the birds that winter here are seed eaters. Some seeds are better than others, however. Seeds and nuts with a higher fat content are best for winter feeding—black oil sunflower … Read more
When it comes to winter, people’s opinions seem to fall into one of two camps—“Bring it on—the more, the better,” or, “When’s the next plane to Florida?” My oldest son falls into the first camp. I don’t think he’ll be totally satisfied until we get at least three feet of snow. He’s been to Mount … Read more
LOOKING AT YOUR WINTERTIME LANDSCAPES So many avid gardeners are now adjusting to a gardening season where there is not a lot of activity. But, on nice, sunny days, it is good to get outside, get some fresh air, walk around your gardens, and look at these gardens from a different perspective. This is the … Read more
This Wednesday, December 21st, is the Winter Solstice—the shortest day of the year; the first official day of Winter—Yule. The days, which have been getting shorter and shorter each day since the Summer Solstice, now will begin getting longer by a minute or two each day (YAY!). South of the Equator, you understand, it is … Read more
LAST-MINUTE GIFT IDEAS Here we are approaching Hanukkah and Christmas. If you are a procrastinator like me then you are just getting started with holiday shopping. See us at The Great Big Greenhouse and we can assist you with making some great, unique gift choices. Here are just a few ideas for gifts: PLANTS We … Read more
Paperwhites are members of the daffodil family, believe it or not. They’re native to the Mediterranean, however, so we can’t grow them in our yards. They do force easily and quickly inside, though. All you need are a few pebbles and a watertight container. You can get inventive and use almost any container that will … Read more
LAST MONTH OF THE YEAR Mother Nature sure has been kind to us gardeners as we enter December. In the last half of November, we got some much-needed rainfall that helped our water table and helped water all of our plants. We also had some above-average temperatures to go along with the rain. All I … Read more
Have you gotten a poinsettia for your mantle? Maybe someone has given you a beautiful amaryllis to enjoy? So what do you do with them when they finish blooming? Throw them away? Not so fast! Here’s a quick guide on how to care for these Holiday beauties. How to Care For Your Holiday Plants Poinsettias … Read more
USING YOUR EVERGREEN CLIPPINGS FOR DECORATIONS Here we are heading into December. This year we have stayed frost-free up until the week before Thanksgiving. With this colder weather, our plants are now more dormant for the season. With this dormancy comes an excellent time to do some “selective” pruning to use these clippings for holiday … Read more
One of the plants you’ll see almost everywhere this time of year is Christmas/Thanksgiving/Holiday cactus. So here is what you need to know about these beautiful seasonal bloomers. Did You Know…. Holiday cacti are a small genus of plants called Schlumbergera. They are native to a small area in the coastal mountains of south-eastern Brazil, … Read more
