December 2022
NOT ALL EVERGREENS ARE GREEN!
Natalie Carmolli, Proven Winners® ColorChoice®
We call many coniferous trees and shrubs that retain their leaves (yes, needles are leaves) all year evergreens. But don’t let that fool you! Many evergreens sport leaves with bright shades of yellow and gold, and soft shades of blue. Mixing these colors into your evergreen palette will make your winter view much more interesting.
HOW TO CLEAN GARDEN TOOLS FOR WINTER
Power Planter
Though you may be tempted to kick back and relax after a long planting season — you’ve earned it — there’s one last thing you should do before heading inside. By giving your garden tools a proper deep cleaning, they’ll work better and last longer.
CREATE FESTIVE MIXED PLANTERS
Delilah Onofrey, Suntory Flowers
Mixing poinsettias with green foliage plants and other bloomers extends their appeal well beyond the holidays. Think of it as making a floral arrangement with living plants. In the trade, mixed planters incorporating green tropicals are called dish gardens. Here are a few ideas...
TIPS FOR A BEAUTIFUL AND SAFE FIRE
Cutting Edge Firewood
We are entering prime fire season, with cool, crisp evenings and holiday celebrations making it the perfect time to enjoy a warm, glowing fire with family and friends. For a beautiful and safe fire, Cutting Edge Firewood CEO Leroy Hite offers the following tips. 
HOW TO PREP YOUR OUTDOOR SPACES FOR WINTER
Joe Raboine, Belgard
Cold weather is here in most parts of the country, meaning you’re likely spending more time indoors. While you still can use your outdoor living spaces with the right essentials, like heating and lighting elements, routine maintenance and prep work are needed to keep these spaces looking their best in colder climates.
USE THESE TOP DESIGN TRENDS TO INSPIRE YOUR 2023 GARDEN
Monrovia Nursery Company
As we move toward the 2023 gardening season, gardens are becoming more personal. Emerging trends focus on creating unique spaces that play to more than our sense of beauty. Here are the top six design trends for 2023 and a few tips to create your own personalized space.
THE POINSETTIAS ARE POISONOUS MYTH
Therese Ciesinski, GardenSMART
Every year at this time the news is full of “toxic holiday plants” articles, with poinsettias prominently mentioned. It’s presented as established fact that eating even a small amount of the plant can be fatal to children or pets. Not true! Poinsettias will not poison your loved ones.
HELP PREPARE BIRDS FOR WINTER
Wild Birds Unlimited
Wild birds use a variety of techniques to stay warm during the cold winter months; however, while they are equipped to withstand most winter weather, survival can be made easier by providing food, a heated, open source of water, and protection from freezing temperatures.
PRESERVING YOUR FALL HARVEST
Ashleigh Smith, True Leaf Market
I love growing fresh fruits and vegetables in my garden, but I hate wasting food. Fortunately there are several ways to use and preserve your well-deserved harvest. Depending on what the produce is, you can ferment, freeze, dry or dehydrate, and more! Enjoy your fall and late winter harvest into the next growing season.
SELECTING AND KEEPING YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE LOOKING ITS BEST
Melinda Myers
The hunt for the perfect tree is oftentimes an important part of family tradition. Buy local whenever possible by supporting local Christmas tree growers. Purchasing locally grown trees also reduces the risk of spreading unwanted pests into your landscape. Click for more tips...
PLANT PHLOX FOR ALL-SEASON COLOR
Susan Martin, Proven Winners®
Phlox is an incredibly diverse group of flowering plants, many of which are native to North America. With a little know-how, you can have phlox blooming in succession from early spring all the way into fall. The trick is to plant some of each species. We’ll show you how.
WHY HOLLY, IVY, AND MISTLETOE ARE CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS
Therese Ciesinski, GardenSMART
In December, we celebrate the holidays by decorating the inside and outside of our homes with wreaths, garlands and cuttings of evergreen plants. While we consider them an integral part of Christmas, using these plants in celebrations goes back to pre-Christian times. Learn more...
SPRING INTO SPRING WITH THESE EARLY BLOOMERS
Dan Heims, Terra Nova Nurseries
Hey campers. Do you know that feeling? The one where you stroll through your frozen mess of a garden... and there it is! The first sign of spring: A poke of pink, a shoot of green. Winter is over and your heart skips a beat over the prospect of a garden... awakened.
SPREAD HOLIDAY CHEER WITH DELICIOUS SEASON'S EATINGS
Pam Robertson, Memphis Grills
For a spectacular holiday dinner, try this Beef Wellington with Red Wine Reduction Sauce recipe, prepared by Big Swede BBQ on a Memphis. Decadent, delicious, tender, and juicy, this Beef Wellington is as distinguished as its name. Enjoy!
10 WINTER FLOWERS THAT BLOOM IN THE COLD
Jane Purnell, Lawn Love
Not every plant in your yard needs to lose its petals and foliage when winter comes. Bright reds, soft pinks, sunny yellows –– these colors can still pepper your lawn, even when there’s snow. You just need winter flowers that bloom in the cold.
BUY HOLIDAY PLANTS WITH STAYING POWER
Karen Weir-Jimerson, Costa Farms
Walk into your local garden shop, home center, and grocery store right now and you'll be greeted by the happy faces of holiday plants. The queen of the season is the poinsettia, but there are many more options that make cool decorating partners this season. Check out this dazzling array of holiday plants that stay looking beautiful a long time.
ALL YOU CAN EAT HERBS
Pamela Crawford
I found some trays of mixed herbs called “All You Can Eat” in a garden center. I loved them! I just alternated them in the side holes of the basket, planted lavender and salvia in the middle, and tucked a few of the mixed herbs around the edge. The basket is large enough to support the plants for a whole season - a full seven months - with no work other than watering! 
USE GREENSAND AS AN ORGANIC SOIL FERTILIZER
Therese Ciesinski, GardenSMART
Have you heard of greensand? It isn’t as well known as amendments such as bone or blood meal. It’s a mineral used to improve and enrich soil. An all-natural, slow-release fertilizer, it provides potassium in small doses that won’t burn plant roots.
PLANT ALLIUMS TO ADD VARIETY AND BEAUTY TO YOUR GARDEN
Melinda Myers
Take your garden to new heights with alliums. This ornamental member of the onion family provides welcome color as spring bulbs fade and before summer perennials fill our gardens with colorful blooms. There are so many different alliums to choose from.
A GERMINATION TROUBLESHOOTING GUIDE
Home Garden Seed Association
Sowing seeds is an act of faith. The rewards—sweet carrots, beautiful baby beets, delicious salad greens, and more—create a powerful incentive to do it again, and again, year after year. But, every so often, the results are disappointing. What is a gardener to do?
MORE PARTY HEARTY FARE IS ON THE CALENDAR
Tommy C. Simmons
New neighbors have moved in across the street and I haven't gone over to meet them yet. My excuse is not having cooked anything to take to welcome them to the neighborhood. Luckily, two, easy-to-make party appetizers also serve as welcome-to-the-block gifts.
3 DIFFERENT WAYS CONIFERS ARE PRODUCED
There are three different ways that ornamental conifers are produced. One is from seed. The second would be from a vegetative cutting, which is taking a clipping, dipping it in a rooting hormone, then allowing that clipping to develop roots. But the most popular method for preserving exact genetic copies would be grafting plant material. Watch the video...
A PLANT ENTHUSIAST'S GARDEN
We visit one of the most interesting arboretums in the world, and speak with its curator about the wild world of unusual plants. The Cox Arboretum and gardens is a private estate located in Canton, Georgia. With over 4,000 living specimens, the plantings display one of the largest private collections of temperate flora in the U.S. Learn more...