Sunday, December 21, 2014

Saturday, December 20, 2014

2014 Solstice Countdown . . . 1!

East meets West
Those of us  who are avid gardeners living in the Northern Hemisphere can't wait for the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Then the days will begin to lengthen and we can look forward to the gardening season once again. Whoo-hoo!  This year the solstice occurs on December 21st, and to celebrate I'm posting a photo-a-day countdown with some of my favorite photographs of 2014.  Enjoy!

Friday, December 19, 2014

2014 Solstice Countdown . . . 2!

Enjoy beautiful aspen in its natural habitat.
Those of us  who are avid gardeners living in the Northern Hemisphere can't wait for the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Then the days will begin to lengthen and we can look forward to the gardening season once again. Whoo-hoo!  This year the solstice occurs on December 21st, and to celebrate I'm posting a photo-a-day countdown with some of my favorite photographs of 2014.  Enjoy!

Thursday, December 18, 2014

2014 Solstice Countdown . . . 3!

photo play
Those of us  who are avid gardeners living in the Northern Hemisphere can't wait for the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Then the days will begin to lengthen and we can look forward to the gardening season once again. Whoo-hoo!  This year the solstice occurs on December 21st, and to celebrate I'm posting a photo-a-day countdown with some of my favorite photographs of 2014.  Enjoy!

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

2014 Solstice Countdown . . . 4!

water magic
Those of us  who are avid gardeners living in the Northern Hemisphere can't wait for the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Then the days will begin to lengthen and we can look forward to the gardening season once again. Whoo-hoo!  This year the solstice occurs on December 21st, and to celebrate I'm posting a photo-a-day countdown with some of my favorite photographs of 2014.  Enjoy!

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

2014 Solstice Countdown . . . 5!

herbalicious! (dill)
Those of us  who are avid gardeners living in the Northern Hemisphere can't wait for the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Then the days will begin to lengthen and we can look forward to the gardening season once again. Whoo-hoo!  This year the solstice occurs on December 21st, and to celebrate I'm posting a photo-a-day countdown with some of my favorite photographs of 2014.  Enjoy!

Monday, December 15, 2014

2014 Solstice Countdown . . . 6!

The Getty Museum, Los Angeles
Those of us  who are avid gardeners living in the Northern Hemisphere can't wait for the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Then the days will begin to lengthen and we can look forward to the gardening season once again. Whoo-hoo!  This year the solstice occurs on December 21st, and to celebrate I'm posting a photo-a-day countdown with some of my favorite photographs of 2014.  Enjoy!

Sunday, December 14, 2014

2014 Solstice Countdown . . . 7!


Those of us  who are avid gardeners living in the Northern Hemisphere can't wait for the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Then the days will begin to lengthen and we can look forward to the gardening season once again. Whoo-hoo!  This year the solstice occurs on December 21st, and to celebrate I'm posting a photo-a-day countdown with some of my favorite photographs of 2014.  Enjoy!

Saturday, December 13, 2014

2014 Solstice Countdown . . . 8!

Artichokes are beautiful edibles!
Those of us  who are avid gardeners living in the Northern Hemisphere can't wait for the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Then the days will begin to lengthen and we can look forward to the gardening season once again. Whoo-hoo!  This year the solstice occurs on December 21st, and to celebrate I'm posting a photo-a-day countdown with some of my favorite photographs of 2014.  Enjoy!

Friday, December 12, 2014

2014 Solstice Countdown . . . 9!

Crocus, a cheery sentinel of spring
Those of us  who are avid gardeners living in the Northern Hemisphere can't wait for the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Then the days will begin to lengthen and we can look forward to the gardening season once again. Whoo-hoo!  This year the solstice occurs on December 21st, and to celebrate I'm posting a photo-a-day countdown with some of my favorite photographs of 2014.  Enjoy!

Thursday, December 11, 2014

2014 Solstice Countdown . . . 10!

A nice place for a winter stroll; Denver Botanic Gardens at Chatfield
Those of us  who are avid gardeners living in the Northern Hemisphere can't wait for the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Then the days will begin to lengthen and we can look forward to the gardening season once again. Whoo-hoo!  This year the solstice occurs on December 21st, and to celebrate I'm posting a photo-a-day countdown with some of my favorite photographs of 2014.  Enjoy!

Tuesday, December 09, 2014

Bling!


I enjoy creating winter container "gardens" for my front porch, but I'm not much for baubles and bows. This year I tried a new idea and added just a bit of glam to my landscape cuttings with glitter glue. This product makes it pretty easy to apply some bling  right where you want it without the mess of spray paint or loose glitter (which will end up everywhere, despite your best efforts to corral it).

I worked outdoors on a covered patio table, but this would be a fun indoor project on a cold day. Warmer working conditions will get your glue dry more quickly, too. I used Elmer's brand* glitter glue right out of the bottle, as I just wanted to dab the glitter here and there, not completely cover the branches.

 cuttings from a compact burning bush



Keep in mind the the glue carrier dries clear, the blue coloring indicates the predominant color of the glitter in the mix and allows you to place the glue more accurately. If I wanted more coverage, I would use a cheap, throwaway brush to apply the glue over a large area more quickly.


While my glittery branches were drying, I started assembling my pots with other cuttings from the garden. Unfortunately, I have two, strongly contrasting colors of brick to contend with, so I try to incorporate both dark and light foliage/bark etc. into the arrangements, adjusting the scale of the materials to the size of the container:
red stem dogwood for height, Oregon grape holly for fill
next, light green Sarcoxie euonymus and silvery dwarf butterfly bush
 a hint of glitter from the burning bush branches
Finally, I dabbed more glitter glue here and there on additional branches, buds, and seed heads on the finished arrangements.

Could my "branch bouquet" have more bling? Of course! This is more my style though, and it will last as a colorful, natural porch decoration all winter long, not just during the holidays.

Tell me about your winter container gardens...what's your style?

*this is not a paid endorsement