By this time of year, many people are running out of gift ideas. Well, if you have a gardener (or a potential gardener) among your friends and family, we have a few ideas for you!

You can always buy a plant for your gardener. But that's too easy--let's be a little more creative.

If you know a fellow gardener who would like food plants but just can't resist those beautiful flowers and decorative plants, plan a decorative food garden for them! Many vegetables and herbs have lovely flowers or foliage. Ornamental kale, for instance, is often grown simply as an ornamental but it is both pretty and nutritious. Many herbs have not only pretty flowers but also edible flowers! Plan and design the garden, slip a gift card to your favorite nursery into the plans, and you've got the perfect garden gift.

Some herbs grow well inside, too; you might also consider designing and planting a decorative herb planter for the kitchen. Pretty, and nicely fragrant as well!

A gardening book can rarely go wrong. You might want to buy them something about an aspect of gardening that they haven't tried yet. Do they have limited space? Perhaps a book on bonsai and a starter plant or two would be just the thing.

If you still are looking for ideas, we invite you to come in and look around--we're sure you'll find some here!

Mistletoe, in older times, was believed to have protective properties and was hung to ward off evil spirits. Celts believed that mistletoe, a parasitic plant that grows on trees, had special powers that could heal diseases, make poisons harmless, protect against evil spells and bring fertility to childless women. For many years, Christian places of worship did not allow it inside because of its pagan associations. But nowadays it is mostly used as an excuse to steal a kiss.

The origin of our tradition of kissing under the mistletoe is lost in the mists of antiquity. Some say it probably stemmed from the Druids, who considered it sacred and would declare a truce in an area where it grew.

Others say the custom comes from the old festival of Saturnalia, and still others claim it comes from old Norse mythology and the tale of Baldur's death from a twig of mistletoe. Legend has it that the tears of his mother, Frigga, changed the berries of the mistletoe from red to white.

Whatever the origin of the tradition, most consider it a good deal of light-hearted fun to steal a kiss under the mistletoe. Just be careful whom you kiss--a jealous spouse may be lurking.

Despite its use as a holiday decoration and its association with love, peace, and stolen kisses, mistletoe is actually a parasite. It lives on trees and shrubs, tapping into the plant's nutrients by sending its roots under the bark. Mistletoe can weaken, or even kill, a plant. It is also poisonous (all parts), so keep it out of the reach of children and pets!

• The first commercial Christmas cards were commissioned in London, in 1843, by Sir Henry Cole, with illustration by John Callcott Horsley. President Dwight D. Eisenhower issued the first official White House card in 1953.

• "Rudolph" was actually created by Robert May for Montgomery Ward in the late 1930's as a holiday promotion. The song was written later by Johnny Marks, and recorded by Gene Autry in 1949; it promptly sold about 2 million copies.

• Christmas became an official national holiday in the USA on June 28, 1870.

• Poinsettias are the most popular Christmas plant and are the number one "flowering" potted plant in the United States.

• Franklin Pierce put the first Christmas tree in the White House (in 1856), for a group of Washington Sunday School children. Benjamin Harrison is credited with starting the tradition of the White House tree, being the first to have a decorated family Christmas tree in the White House in 1889, and Calvin Coolidge put the first National Christmas Tree on the White House lawn (not in the White House) in 1923.

• The first reported electrically lit Christmas tree was in December, 1882. The world's first practical light bulb was invented by Thomas Edison in 1879, and a mere three years later, in 1882, an officer of Edison's electric company, one Edward Johnson, electrically lit a Christmas tree for the first time. In 1917, after a tragic fire in New York City that was caused by Christmas candles, Albert Sadacca (fifteen years old at the time) invented safety lights for Christmas trees. Decorating a live Christmas tree outdoors became popular, and eventually moved to indoor trees. The outdoor lights also moved onto houses, and decorating houses in lights became (and has remained) popular.

• Christmas trees are grown in all 50 states, including Hawaii and Alaska.

• In 1979, the National Christmas Tree was not lighted except for the top ornament. This was done because of the American hostages in Iran.

• According to the Guinness World Records, the world's tallest cut Christmas tree was a 221' Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) erected and decorated at Northgate Shopping Center, Seattle, Washington, USA, in December 1950.

• By the way, NORAD tracks Santa around the world every Christmas. If you'd like to find out how they do it, and how you can follow along, check out NORAD's website here.

While the poinsettia remains the most popular of the holiday plants, a healthy Christmas cactus in full bloom is a great gift idea for that special gardener. It is easy to care for and can be grown indoors throughout the year. The flowers range in color from yellow, orange, red, salmon, pink, fuchsia and white or combinations of those colors. Its pendulous stems make it a great choice for hanging baskets.

The "Christmas cactus" that is grown commercially is actually several closely related species of forest cacti that grow as epiphytes between 3,000 and 5,000 feet above sea level in the Organ Mountains north of Rio de Janeiro in southeast Brazil, South America.

We typically think of cacti as being heat tolerant, but Christmas cactuses will keep their blossoms longer in cooler temperatures. It is important to keep plants in a well-lit location away from drafts of heater vents, fireplaces or other sources of hot air. Drafts and temperature extremes can cause the flower buds to drop from the plant before they have a chance to open.

The Christmas cactus is a tropical type plant, not quite as drought tolerant as its desert relatives and, in fact, may drop flower buds if the soil gets too dry. Water thoroughly when the top inch or so of soil feels dry to the touch. The soil should be kept evenly moist for best growth.

Christmas cactuses will do best in bright indirect light. They don't need to be fertilized while in bloom, but most gardeners enjoy the challenge of keeping the plant after the holidays for re-bloom the following year. While plants are actively growing, use a blooming houseplant-type fertilizer and apply monthly until blooms set the following season. If taken care of properly, a single plant can last for many years, providing many seasons of enjoyment.

We all look forward to the many traditions of the Christmas season, in particular the arrival of the tree! We bundle up the family, drive out to the country to the tree farm that we visit each year, where every member of the family has a different opinion as to which tree to cut down, and bone-rattling cold usually drives us to go back to the tree lot by our house, which is where we should have gone in the first place to purchase our tree!

Then we look at each and every tree, carefully shaking them (as we've been instructed) to ensure that no needles fall off, and once our choice is made, home we head, dragging our wet tree behind us, or freezing as we've secured the unwieldy growth to the top of our car and the windows are open for the ropes. Before the act of trying to get it to remain upright in the stand, we carefully cut the base, and religiously replenish the water in it daily.

After what seems an incredibly short time, the season is over, our tree is dropping its needles all over the carpeting daily, and now it has become a fire hazard, due to the warmth of the home. So we drag it out to the curb or wrap it in an old sheet and take it to the nearest dump.

Say goodbye to the limit of Nature's designs.

Remove the hassle from this part of your holiday decorating; why not try an artificial tree? They have come a long way from the aluminum whimsies of our youth, with their rotating color wheels. Whether you live in an 8,000 square-foot mansion, or a 900 square-foot apartment, there's a perfectly sized artificial Christmas tree awaiting you. Gone are the hassles that twelve months made us forget. Also gone, for those with allergy and asthma sensitivities, are the sneezing and watery eyes.

Today's artificial trees are so realistic it's unlikely that your guests will even know the difference! And they come in such a vast array of choices; traditionalists can experience the extraordinary beauty of a decorated Scotch pine, Douglas fir, Noble fir, Fraser fir, Virginia pine, Balsam fir, or white pine. These contemporary LED trees can come pre-lit, the tree stand housing the electric wires. They are not only fire-retardant, but because the LEDs produce more light per watt than traditional bulbs and can last up to 30 times as long, they are a welcome energy-saving choice. This writer's office is home to a 36" high fiber optic tree that employs the concept of the color wheels of the 1950s--softly shimmering multi-colored lights that please and inspire.

Which is not to say that you can't enjoy both! Place your new artificial tree by the fireplace, where it won't present a fire hazard, and coordinate the tree's decorations with those on your mantel! And add a cut tree to the family room, or place a table top cut or artificial tree in the dining room where all can enjoy the salubrious spirit of the season without being locked into remaining in one room. While the initial price may give you momentary pause, remember that today's artificial trees have a lifespan of a decade; compare that to the cost of purchasing a cut tree year after year.

With artificial trees that come pre-lit or ready for your own personal touch, slim and corner trees for homes with limited space, and flocked, gold, and even tuxedo black trees available, your only hassle remaining will be in deciding which ones to buy!

We wish you the happiest, and safest, of holidays!

When is the best time to prune roses?

Answer:
Regular "deadheading" should be a regular activity throughout the blooming season and will result in better continual blooming. But more severe pruning should be done between December and February, when roses are at their lowest activity level. In really cold climates, it is best to wait until the main cold season is over and then prune the roses back so tender new growth won't be damaged by late cold snaps.

While sealing the canes with pruning sealer after pruning during the growing season is optional, we definitely recommend doing so to protect the canes after dormant pruning.