Just hear those sleigh bells jingling! I don't know about right this very minute, but when the wind shifts around to the north and the temperature falls into the 30s, it feels like Christmas!
 | | Yum. |
I hope by now you've gotten your holiday chores done and you're finding some time to relax at home with your favorite Yuletide beverage. Me, I'm snuggled up with a cup of hot coffee and about a million seed catalogs. I love daydreaming about the garden I'd create if I only had more land. And I mean acres more...
Don't forget, many of the local independent garden centers will be closed between Christmas and New Years, so if you really must have a flower or two, now is the time to go get it. And if you can't stroll through the grounds of a garden center over the holiday, you can visit one of our local plant paradises.
Open during the holidays:
Bayou Bend - The garden is open December 24 (until 3 p.m.), December 26-29, December 31, and January 1-6.
Moody Gardens in Galveston is open all through the holidays and the Festival of Lights continues through January 4.
And if you need a little road trip to calm your nerves, the Mast Arboretum on the Stephen F. Austin campus in Nacogdoches is open too!
I hope the holidays find you peaceful and contented, resting up for an exciting 2014. Who knows what gardening adventure await us?
Thanks again and garden on! |
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December Scrapbook
Oh, you don't know how much I wanted this article to be about the holly and the ivy. A botanical Christmas carol! But you know what? Most ivies don't look their very best in December. And the ones that do, the evergreen fig ivy or English ivy, are prone to get way out of hand. (I know, I have fig ivy all over the front of my house. A constant reminder to think harder about vines before I plant them.)
 | | Indeed, the Pride of Houston |
But the hollies are looking quite lovely and the camellias are gathering their forces for the traditional mid-winter show.
 | | The Queen of the Garden |
If you don't know what the scrapbook is, you can read about it here.
And without further ado, here are my pictures from the December scrapbook.
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Field Trip: The Gardens at Bayou Bend
Bayou Bend, the former home and garden of Miss Ima Hogg, is famous for its camellia collection, so that's where I went to find pictures for the December scrapbook. If you've never been to visit the gardens, you absolutely must go! And if you've only been there for the Azalea Trail or the spring bulb display, I think you'd enjoy the peace and serenity of a quiet winter day. Bayou Bend, now part of the Museum of Fine Arts Houston, is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00am to 5:00pm, and Sundays 1:00pm to 5:00pm.
 | | Oh how I love a hill! |
Here are the plants and garden scenes that delighted me, one recent winter day.
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Thanks for reading,
Elizabeth Barrow
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