Unusual Christmas Gift Plants

If you want to give something a little different as a Christmas gift this year, stray outside the normal holiday sections of your nursery or garden center and peruse the plant aisles for interesting ideas. Many one-gallon landscape plants can make beautiful gift plants. Combine them with the right pot and they can be truly extraordinary.

Your choices will vary depending on which part of the country you're in, but some of the things you might look for are interesting conifers like dwarf forms of ferny hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) or the dwarf Alberta spruce (Picea glauca 'Conica'). Even some of the very common conifers like junipers, Colorado blue spruce or mugho pine make good subjects.

Also consider variegated evergreen plants, such as hollies, winter daphne, nandina or Pittosporum tobira. And, of course, anything with colorful fruit or berries, such as hollies, barberries, citrus, cotoneaster, pyracantha or viburnum, is perfect.

If you want to go even further afield, look for dried ornamental grasses. They can have a wonderful, wispy winter feel. You may even be able to find some that still have seed heads. Or, try plants with interesting bare branches like contorted European filbert (Corylus avellana 'Contorta') or corkscrew willow (Salix matsudana 'Tortuosa').

Prepare your gift by removing dead leaves and, if necessary, cleaning dirt off foliage with a gentle spray of water. Wipe the plastic pot clean with a damp rag and wrap it in foil, or cloth and ribbon. Or, replant in a new, great-looking container. If you repot, use Bayer Advanced™ All-In-One Potting Mix Potting Mix (product discontinued), which includes premium fertilizer, insect protection and moisture control. For added holiday feel, run some ribbon or other Christmassy decoration through the plant foliage.

Make sure your gift gets off to a good start by providing some verbal growing instructions. Tell your friend not to let the plant dry out, and place it in a well-lit, cool location away from drafts or heater vents. It shouldn't stay indoors for longer than two weeks.

This Year’s Best New Roses

The All-American Rose Selections (AARS) is a nonprofit organization that promotes the best new rose varieties. AARS award winners have been evaluated around the country in an extensive two-year testing program, which judges everything from disease resistance and flower production to color and fragrance.

Four outstanding roses were chosen for 2006 and they'll be featured on the Bayer Advanced Float in the 2006 Rose Parade.

To find out more about this year’s selections please visit this article.

Keep Your Christmas Tree Fresh

There are a number of things you can do to keep your Christmas tree fresh and fragrant this holiday season. First, buy the freshest tree you can find. Check freshness by bending the needles. They should be soft and pliable, not crisp and dry. Avoid trees that are already dropping a lot of needles.

Once you get the tree home, saw off an inch from the bottom of the trunk and set it in a bucket of water. Keep the tree in a cool, shady spot until you're ready to bring it indoors.

When it's time for the tree to come inside, saw off another inch from the bottom of the trunk and place it in a stand with a water reservoir. Keep the reservoir full; it may need to be checked daily. Display the tree away from heaters and vents.

Winter Watering

Cooler winter weather greatly reduces plant water needs but doesn't eliminate them. Dry winds, bright sunlight, low humidity and unusually warm or dry weather can desiccate landscape plants even when they are dormant. Affected plants may appear normal and resume growth in the spring, only to weaken or die in late spring or early summer because the amount of new growth produced is greater than the weakened root system can support. So it pays to make sure there is sufficient moisture in the soil as winter begins and, if necessary, water in winter.

If you live in a cold-winter area and your soil has already frozen, there isn't much you can do now other than apply a thick layer (3 to 4 inches) of organic mulch to bare soil to prevent alternately freezing and thawing, which can damage roots. Water landscape plants when the soil thaws in spring or after an extended warm spell. If the soil hasn't frozen, water deeply, then apply mulch. Water only when temperatures are above freezing and apply it early in the day so it can soak in before freezing at night. Winter watering is especially important with new planting. Even newly planted lawns may need occasional watering in winter.

Where winters are milder, you may be able to turn off automated sprinkler systems but you should still be prepared to water manually during dry or warm spells. Shallow-rooted annual flowers, winter vegetable gardens and potted plants will also have to be watched carefully so they don't dry out.

Rules for efficient watering apply in winter as they do in summer. Water trees and shrubs to a depth of 18 to 24 inches and make sure to concentrate the water around the drip line (the outside of the canopy). One or two deep waterings per winter should be sufficient. For more on caring for trees and shrubs, visit the Bayer Advanced Web site tree and shrub page here.

Give a Rose that Keeps on Giving

Bare-root roses are a unique Christmas gift. With a little loving care, they'll provide years of beautiful blooms, each a reminder of your friendship. You can make the gift even more meaningful by selecting one of Jackson & Perkin's "Roses For A Cause." A portion of the proceeds from each rose will be donated to a specific charity.

For more information on the varieties you can choose from, please visit this month's feature article.