Winter Feast for the Eyes - A Longwood Christmas

An easy escape from the winter doldrums for those living in southeastern Pennsylvania is 

Longwood Gardens Christmas Display 

(through January 9, 2011).  

Glorious displays of color, light and water fill a 4.5 acre complex of conservatory buildings.  A stroll through the grounds offers Christmas lights and fountain displays accompanied by music and lights.

Sit back and enjoy a few glimpses of A Longwood Christmas.

Even an orchid wreath!

For more photos from A Longwood Christmas click here.

Joy to the World

Joy to the world! 

The Lord is come

Let earth receive her King

Let every heart prepare Him room

And heaven and nature sing

And heaven and nature sing

And heaven, and heaven and nature sing.

Wishing you a blessed celebration of Christ's birth!

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

 

Our Christmas decorating is decidedly homespun – no competition for the best dressed home here.  The tree doesn’t have a theme and isn’t color coordinated.  My daughter and I pulled out the same old boxes of decorations again this year.  Many are showing signs of age and some aren’t fit to be hung anymore.  I should throw them out...but I probably won’t.  Just seeing them takes me on a stroll down memory lane. 

There are leftovers from the days when I made a different ornament each year as gifts...

Those made by special friends...

 The ones my kids and I made together...

Slovak folk art...

More Slovak memories...

My son’s first gift purchased on his own for me...

And nativity scenes to focus our attention on the One the celebration is all about.

Decorating the Christmas tree was a big deal when I was a child.  A joyful ritual accompanied by our favorite Christmas music, my Dad in the thick of it and in his glory.  A depression child, he was determined to make sure Christmas was magical for his children.  He did it well and the memories are sweet.  Sure, we got wonderful gifts, but they’re far overshadowed by wonderful memories of family, fun and the love that filled our home.

I'm now blessed to share Christmas traditions with my own children.  I’m hoping to create memories filled with riches that money can’t buy.

Christmas Accents

When December rolls around, wouldn't it be great to have some plants right outside your door to use for Christmas decorating?  Consider incorporating some of these into your garden and your holiday arrangements.

Winterberry's (Ilex verticillata) bold berries are an asset for holiday decorating!

Tatarian dogwood (Cornus alba) has beautiful red stems...

...which make a great accent against greens.

Ivy (Hederaa helix) is a versatile and easy decorating element.  My mother often made ivy wreaths - just wind long strands into a circle.  While it's not as long lasting as evergreen branches, it adds an elegant touch draped along the center of a table or on the mantle.

Boxwood (Buxus) is a classic broadleaf evergreen for Christmas decorating.  While it's beautiful, it's a slow grower, so young plants and dwarf varieties won't have much foliage to spare.

Japanese holly (Ilex crenata) and Inkberry (Ilex glabra) are other broadleaf evergreens with small rounded leaves to consider.

There are many well known needled evergreens.  Leyland Cypress (X Cupressocyparis leylandii) is a twist on the theme with gentle fern-like branches.  They can reach an ultimate height of 60-70 feet or more.

Don't forget Holly (Ilex meserveae Blue Princess and Ilex opaca),
but be sure to plant one male plant so you get berries.

The glossy rosy leaves of Japanese Pieris (Pieris japonica)
add an original touch to
this evergreen arrangement at Hershey Gardens.

Take a look around your garden to see what new plants you can add to your Christmas decorating!

Check out  Folliage Follow-Up at Digging for more fun with foliage. 

Be Kind to Your Feathered Friends

Bird houses are an important addition to the garden.  

Cavity nesting birds will thank you since development means fewer suitable nesting places for them.  With this one simple addition, you can help support the populations of native birds.

But it's not only the birds who'll benefit.  You'll enjoy the richness of watching the birds nest and produce young.  A simple wren house in our yard was a wonderful source of entertainment when my son was a toddler.  Each year we waited to hear the song of the young, the sign that the new brood had hatched.  Simple pleasures are always the best. A Nest View Bird House wouldn've been even better since we could have followed the action inside.

Birdhouses can also function as a design element in your garden as an architectural accent or focal point.  The multitude of available styles  means you can find one to fit any garden.

From organic...

to classic...

    

  or even a bit of whimsy.

Gardening-for-Wildlife.com suggests that fall or early winter is the best time to put up a new birdhouse since cavity nesters may begin house hunting by mid-winter. 

For more information on the benefits and criteria for birdhouses, see the following articles by the Alabama Wildbird Conservation Assoc.: A Birdhouse in Every Garden and Birdhouses and the Birds That Use Them.

This Christmas, think about giving a gift to the birds.