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Deck your garden with boughs of holly, a plant rich in symbolism and evergreen beauty

No doubt you’ve seen your share of hollies this month — in wreaths and boughs or perhaps on holiday cards and catalog covers. But are they growing in your garden? There are hundreds of holly species and hybrids hailing from China, Japan, South America, Europe and North Africa, and more than a dozen are native to the continental U.S. Lore holds that ancient pagans fashioned the evergreen’s branches into wearable crowns and believed that displaying it indoors would repel evil spirits and hasten the return of spring. Later, hollies were adapted by early Christians, their evergreen ...

Creating a simple garden sanctuary for year-round relaxation

With temperatures dropping and dusk arriving early, the firepit section of my garden has been on my mind. It’s a simple setup. Eight colorful Adirondack chairs are arranged in a circle around a stacked stone hearth, surrounded, during the growing season, by easy-growing, low-maintenance ...

The secret to keeping your holiday greenery fresher longer

I’ve planted the potted mums in the garden and packed away the scarecrows — now it’s time to deck the halls. That means filling vacant pots with evergreen branches foraged from my trees and shrubs, hanging cedar swags on the porch and placing a wreath on the door. They’ll look ...

This underappreciated holiday flower has upside-down blooms

If I asked you to name a holiday flower, my guess is poinsettia, amaryllis or paperwhite would be the first to come to mind. But there’s another, underused seasonal plant that deserves attention. Allow me to introduce you to cyclamen. There are roughly two dozen species of the ...

Want to grow an avocado tree from seed? Here’s how

So, you want to grow an avocado tree from seed? It’s not only a fun off-season activity, especially for kids, but it’s also very easy. Just know that since avocados are tropical plants, they won’t survive winters outdoors in colder climates. Still, it’s possible to grow avocado plants indoors. They likely won’t produce fruit, but they make lovely houseplants. When I was growing up, it wasn’t uncommon for there to be a pit of some sort partially submerged in a glass of water, suspended by toothpicks, on a windowsill. Peaches, mangos, avocados — I tried them all. As an ...

Growing Tips: Choosing a Christmas tree

It’s that time of year when many of us are thinking about Christmas trees. These days, growers offer a variety of trees to consider. Which is the best one for you? It often comes down to understanding what each tree has to offer and matching that with your family’s preferences and ...