Flowering plants and tropical foliage plants make wonderful holiday gifts provided a few precautions are taken to deal with cold temperatures. If you are delivering a plant yourself be sure to warm your vehicle first. Then make certain the plant is wrapped or even double-wrapped, with a large plastic bag trapping air around it to provide insulation. When choosing flowering plants, keep in mind that some will hold their blooms much longer than others. Poinsettias can be expected to look good for months, given the right care and location. Depending on bud count, cyclamen may bloom for months. Bromeliads don't produce what we think of as "typical flowers," but their flowering spikes have been known to last six months or more.

Other plants will get you through the holiday season, but not much longer. Chrysanthemums should last three weeks or so: azaleas, about the same - if you have a relatively cool place to display them. Christmas cactus only bloom for two to three weeks, but may be kept and made to re-bloom for years to come.

If at all possible, buy flowering plants with only some of their buds wide open and others still beginning to open. Then you - or the person you give them to - can enjoy watching the blooms expand. A plant with all its flowers fully open may be showier at first, but generally won't last as long. Of course, if you don't have a bright place for the plant, flowers from buds that open in your home may be smaller and less colorful than those that grew in the greenhouse.

Poinsettia

Greenhouse growers have poinsettia production down to a science, and it shows in the final product. Not only are there new and more beautiful varieties each year, they seem better adapted to growing under ordinary home conditions.

Christmas Cactus

Anyone who's seen a large Christmas cactus loaded with buds and jewel-like blossoms will find it hard to resist smaller versions so commonly available this time of year. And they're not difficult to grow.

Understanding that Christmas cactuses -- unlike most other cactuses -- are not desert natives, but hail from the humid environs of tropical and sub-tropical forests, gives us clues as to their care. When blooming, place them in bright filtered light rather than a sunny, south-facing window. Keep the soil relatively moist at all times, fertilizing it lightly every two to three weeks. Buds will hang on better and open flowers will last longer if warm daytime temperatures drop to 60 - 65 degrees at night. Once flowers fade, allow the soil to dry more between watering.

Florist's cyclamen are available in an array of stunning colors ranging from pure white to pinks, reds, and fuchsias. Don't base your choice solely on the handful of blooms you see held high above the foliage, though. Gently move a few leaves apart to look for lots of developing flower buds beneath them. The more buds you see, the more potential for prolonged bloom time.

Photo by Ana Bonstedt

I grew up in a part of the continent where coniferous trees are only known by pictures or movies showing landscapes of their natural habitat. So when it was the time to put up a holiday tree at home, my only option was an artificial one.

Since I live in Maine and have the opportunity to have a fresh real tree to decorate for this holiday season, I've decided to buy one. But first I need to follow some useful tips listed below to ensure I will get the best tree for my house.

Space available: Measuring the selected space in the living room to set up the tree is a critical step. Doing so will help determine what size tree will fit the space. The height and width are important measures to consider because a tree that will fit vertically will not necessarily fit horizontally.

Tree Species: Pick the type of tree that works best for you. But be cognizant of fragrances that some family members may be sensitive to. As trees may cause

For more information click here.

Thanks to these basic tips, I feel more confident about making the best choice for my first fresh Holiday Tree.

The Piscataquis and Penobscot Counties Gardening Newsletter (PPCGN), now received by over 1,200 readers, has been offered as an educational resource by University of Maine Cooperative Extension for over 10 years. As of January 1, 2015, the PPCGN will transition to electronic-only delivery. There will still be three ways to receive the PPCGN from your local UMaine Extension:

1. Piscataquis & Penobscot Counties Gardening Newsletter is available online for free! You can sign up to receive the newsletter through your email or view the archived issues anytime at free e-mail newsletter. If you currently do not have an email, you can get one for free from several email hosts. If you do not have a computer, community libraries have computers for you to use to access information on the Internet and to view your email.
2. Those without an email can opt to pay an annual subscription to receive the newsletters by regular mail monthly for $15/year. More details on how to subscribe will be available in our December issue.
3. A third option is to come into the Piscataquis or Penobscot County Extension Office and pick up a free printed copy of the newsletter.

We appreciate our readers referring others to the newsletter, and sharing it with their family and friends.

Thank you for your continued support of the PPCGN, valuable gardening information from Extension for folks in the central Maine area since 2003.

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension is conducting a Consumer Pesticide Survey to get opinions on how consumers would feel about paying a small fee on their pesticides going toward Extension in the possibility that the State of Maine will implement one.

To complete the survey online, please click on the following link Consumer Pesticide Survey. If you do not have access to the Internet, or prefer to answer the questionnaire on paper, please click here to print it and mail the complete questionnaire to:  

James Dill

PSEP Program Coordinator

University of Maine Cooperative Extension

Pest Management Office

491 College Ave.

Orono, ME 04473-1295

Phone: (207) 581-3880 or 1-800-287-0279 (in Maine)

E-mail: james.dill@maine.edu  

Your answers will be completely confidential.

Thank you in advance for your participation in this important survey.

The University of Maine Cooperative Extension has an opening for a temporary, part-time Community Education Assistant II. Employee will work 28 hours per week to support 4-H activities through the Communities Central grant project. A high school diploma or equivalent; three years experience in youth development or related field, basic computer skills; strong organizational skills; the ability to work well with a diverse population in a variety of settings and ability to work independently is required. Some evening and weekend work required.  Ability to travel in Maine and reliable transportation is required.  Driver's License Background and State Bureau of Investigation Background check required. To apply, submit resume to barbara.baker@maine.edu (put "CEA position" in subject line of e-mail) or submit hard copy to: UMaine Cooperative Extension-Penobscot County, 307 Maine Avenue, Bangor, ME, 04401. Completed resumes must be received by December 12, 2014.  The University of Maine is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer.

Photo: Ana Bonstedt

Grow it Right 2015 - Plant Sale Benefits UMaine Master Gardener Volunteers!

 http://www.mofga.org/Events/tabid/78/Default.aspx

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Upcoming programs at Hirundo Wildlife Refuge

Upcoming programs at Fields Pond Audubon Center