Crabapple Tree, Malus

There was a big red crabapple tree in my childhood garden. In spring its tangle of branches overflowed with dark burgundy flowers, cascading over a garden wall. One year my father—a non-gardening, power-sawing weekend warrior—decided to tame that tangle by shearing it into an even line. The line ended where the wall began. When my mother came home and saw it she cried.

My mother, a lifelong gardener, knew the appeal of crabapples lies precisely in that characteristic fretwork of branches, festooned with flowers in spring and rich with leaf color and fruit at the end of the season, and into winter. My dad sheared that crabapple because the way it cascaded over the wall offended his sense of order, which only admitted straight lines and right angles. The tree did not recover its shape before we moved away to another city—but continued to bloom beautifully, ending abruptly at the wall.

This was a lesson to prune crabapples and other trees in keeping with their form. My dad, who died last week, learned to embrace the beauty of curves and natural form. We are arranging a memorial in my mom’s garden, which he loved, and never wanted to leave.

Read on to learn how to grow crabapples, ideal trees for beauty, multi-seasonal bounty, and resilience.

Photography by Marie Viljoen.

Above: Blooming as daffodils peak, crabapples are spring showstoppers, flowering profusely when planted in full sun. They also are ideal for wildlife-friendly gardens.

Above: Tough enough to withstand and grace even New York City streets, crabapples are tolerant of air pollution and heavy soil (as long as it drains well), and are cold hardy to USDA growing zone 4.

Above: Small to medium trees, crabapples’ height does not generally exceed 25 feet. While they can be rewarding for smaller gardens, the spread of these rounded trees can equal their height—take that into account when planning.

I often include crabapple trees in designs for rooftop gardens: smaller trees behave well in containers (not outgrowing them too fast), and they are hardy enough to withstand nippy winds on high floors.

Different species, and hundreds of hybrids and cultivars of the Malus (apple) genus offer gardeners a dizzying array of choice. Among our favorites in the garden are M. floribunda (Japanese flowering crabapple); M. angustifolia (the southern crabapple, which also is native to the Eastern Seaboard), and cultivars such as M. ‘Beverly’ which have pink buds that open to white flowers.

Above: The blossoms’ unique scent reminds me of the smell of fresh snow (yes, that is a thing).

At the peak of their bloom, very few other trees can equal the voluptuously airy appearance of a crabapple. Unlike their rival, the fussy ornamental cherry, crabapple’s spring petals are given a framing boost by emerging foliage.

Above: A densely woven tangle of branches gives crabapples their gorgeous form and a sense of character, even when they are young. Crabapples that begin in rosy bud and open to white include Malus floribunda and disease-resistant cultivars such as ‘Beverly’,  ‘Calocarpa’, ‘Dolgo’,  ‘Donald Wyman’, ‘Harvest Gold’, ‘Sparkling Sprite’, and ‘Sweet Sugar Tyme’.

Above: Disease-resistant crabapples whose flowers are pure white include the columnar ‘Adirondack’, ‘Harvest Gold’, and ‘Tina’.

Above: Crabapples with deep pink to burgundy blossoms include ‘Indian Magic’, Prairie Fire’, ‘Prince’, and ‘Radiant’.

Cheat Sheet

• Because of some crabapples’ susceptibility to diseases including fire blight, rust, scab and mildew, do some research before buying. Ask your local nursery to recommend cultivars that are resistant to regional health challenges.
• A growers’ chart can guide you to the right tree.
• To extend your season of flowering happiness, plant two to three different crabapples that bloom in sequence.
• The tiny fruit of crabapples is very high in pectin: add crabapples to jams and jellies to reach setting point naturally.

Keep It Alive

• Plant crabapples in full sun (six or more hours a day).
• Crabapples prefer slightly acidic soil; they will not thrive in alkaline soil.
• Crabapples will tolerate heavy and compacted soils as long as they do not have soggy feet.
• Prune any suckers back close to the ground.
• Prune branches lightly and judiciously (no power saws!) in late winter.
• Disinfect pruning tools to minimize the spread of pathogens.

Read more growing tips in Crabapple Trees: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design in our curated garden design guides to Trees 101. Read more:

• Back to Africa: At Home in My Mother’s Garden
• 10 Ideas to Steal from Botanical Gardens Around the World
• A Poet’s Garden: Edna St. Vincent Millay at Steepletop

There’s nothing better than a beautiful object that does double duty. Case in point? A stylish ceramic or enamel pitcher can be carried around the house to dose different plants with water one day, and on the next can sit on the table as a vase for flowers, or water, or wine, or… Here are our favorites.

Above: By Manufacturer of Digoin, the Pot Parisien Noir is made of deep black glazed stoneware in France; €49.50 at La Trésorerie.

Above: The Bellocchi Wine Pitcher is made by a family of artisans in the Marche near the Umbrian border in Italy. It’s available in three colors (shown in Yellow Speckle) for $175 at Il Buco Family.

Above: With a two-liter capacity, the Stelton Emma Pitcher “has a beautiful Scandinavian look combining beechwood with a glossy steel surface,” notes retailer Finnish Design Shop; $71.50.

Above: Made in County Sligo in Ireland by John Ryan Ceramics, the Petit Pichet Jry at La Trésorerie is €33.35.

Above: Made by Reiko Kaneko, the Terracotta Pitcher is made in Suffolk, England from terracotta and a milky white glaze; $100 at Horne.

Above: At London shop Labour and Wait, the Reiss Large Enamel Jug in burnt orange, as shown, is £26.

Above: From Sydney-based Mud Australia, the Carafe is available in a wide range of matte-finished glazes; shown in Dust. It’s $86 at Horne.

Above: The Pumpkin Pitcher, like the dark black pitcher first on our list, is by French brand Manufacture de Digoin. This one is a matte green glaze and is available for £85 at SCP and can be found at Nickey Kehoe (contact for restocking information).

Above: From ABC Carpet & Home’s own line, the ABC Cocina Ivory Pitcher is designed in Burgundy, France and made from sandstone extracted in the village of St. Amand and finished with a handmade glaze; $95.

Above: The stoneware Neu Pitcher made in Denmark by Ferm Living has a “rich gray reactive glaze,” according to the manufacturer. It’s €55 for the large size pictured at Ferm Living.

Above: A galvanized steel 9222 Classic Jug watering pitcher from Haws can be used as a vase for cut flowers and is available in five powder coated colors including Sage as shown; £15.99 at Haws.

Above: The Antique Small Terra Cotta Water Pitcher is $325 at Il Buco Family.

Above: The Astier de Villatte Large Rose Pitcher is made from the line’s black terra cotta clay and milk-white porcelain glaze. As it’s Astier de Villatte, it’s on the higher end of the pricing spectrum for $298 at ABC Carpet & Home.

Above: The Falcon tall and slender Large 3 Pint Jug, shown in Samphire Green, is $43 at Falcon Enamelware.

Above: The Barcelos Green Jasper Pitcher is €12 at Merci in Paris.

Browse our newly updated 10 Easy Pieces archives for Firewood Log Carriers, Wire Mesh Doormats, and ore winter essentials including Wellington Boots. For more watering vessels, see our posts:

• 10 Easy Pieces: Garden Watering Cans
• 10 Easy Pieces: Black Watering Cans
• 10 Easy Pieces: Glass Watering Bulbs
• 10 Easy Pieces: Terracotta Plant Nannies

Is there a houseplant lover on your holiday gift list? Whether you’re shopping for a green thumb with a thriving collection of greenery or a first-time plant owner, we’ve rounded up 10 of our favorite presents to fit any budget, at prices ranging from $8.50 to $195.

Self-Watering Plant

Above: Sealed inside an airtight glass jar, a Pikaplant coffee plant (also shown in the top photo of the post) creates its own ecosystem and never needs to be watered. “All of the water inside a jar’s ecosphere stays inside, and the plants continuously recycle the water they have. All you have to do is give your self-sustaining plants a nice place to live, and enjoy the view,” notes the manufacturer; €57.84.

We’ve rounded up more of our favorite self-watering planters in 10 Easy Pieces: Self-Watering Planters.

Watering Pitcher

Above: A Pumpkin Pitcher by French brand Manufacture de Digoin has a matte green glaze and is for £85 at SCP and also can be found at Nickey Kehoe (contact for restocking information).

For houseplants that don’t live in their own self-contained universe, a watering pitcher makes life easier (and can double as a vase when it’s not on irrigation duty. See more of our favorites in 10 Easy Pieces: Watering Pitchers.

Gardening Scissors

Above: With heat-treated stainless steel blades, a pair of Small Gardening Scissors is the ideal tool for the job of clipping houseplants and removing yellowed leaves. A pair is $22 from Barebones.

Modern Bonsai

Above: Meet ‘Fred’ the Mugo Pine, a potted bonsai tree with a spiral trunk and a penchant for partial sun. Available in three sizes and two planter colors (gray and white), this modern bonsai tree costs from $120 to $195 depending o size at Dandy Farmer.

See more bonsai ideas at Shopper’s Diary: Mini Bonsai Trees from Dandy Farmer.

Mountable Grow Light

Above: A birch wood Grow-Anywhere Herb Growbar from Modern Sprout can be mounted to the underside of a cabinet and is “outfitted with an LED light with a built-in timer, so parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme get all the light they need to thrive,” notes retailer Food52; $99.

Plant-of-the-Month Subscription

Above: From NY-based The Sill, a plant-of-the-month subscription can be customized to deliver Low Light Plants,  Pet-Friendly Plants, or Plants for Beginners in 5-inch earthenware planters (available in five colors including mint as shown); $35 a month.

Leaf Dusting Brush

Above: From German specialty brush maker Redecker, a Leaf Dusting Brush with goat hair bristles will gently massage and reinvigorate the foliage on houseplants as it cleans. It is $58 from Terrain.

We are longtime admirers of the leaf dusting brush. See our previous coverage at Coddle Your Houseplants with a Devoted Leaf Brush.

Hanging Planter

Above: A textured ceramic Almas Hanging Flowerpot has a leather string (and is suitable for outdoor use in summer months). It is $48 from Amara.

Vintage Plant Books

For any plant lover on your holiday list, consider a one-of-a-kind gift of a vintage book. I adore my own library of quirky, out-of-print houseplant and gardening books which I consult for advice from time to time, my favorite being a circa-1940s hardcover copy of The African Violet that arrived on my doorstep with a lovely surprise. I found tucked inside the pages a time capsule: notes and tips from a previous owner, typed on onion skin. Here are a few volumes I’d be tempted to add to my own collection:

Above: Published in 1963, a vintage hardcover copy of A Gardener’s Book of Plant Names is a “handbook of derivations, meanings, and uses includes over 4,000 botanical names, with a cross-index of common names, and a variety of enlightening information on plants in our history.” It is $8.50 from Seeker Mercantile via Etsy.

Above: A collection of five vintage Plant & Garden Books bundled together by the seller because the colors of the covers complement each other includes volumes devoted to chrysanthemums, foliage plants, and orchids as houseplants. It is $36.34 from Book Styles via Etsy.

Still shopping? See more Gift Guides, including this year’s roundup of 7 Beautiful Books Every Houseplant Lover Needs. For more ideas, see:

• Gift Guide 2018: 15 Stocking Stuffers for Under $15(ish) on Remodelista
• Botanical Art: Portraits of Houseplants from Dutch Painter Maaike Koster
• An Insider’s Guide to Getting First Dibs on the Best Ikea Houseplants

Virginia Creeper, Parthenocissus quinquefolia

When it comes to vines and climbers, would you rather have a pet leopard or a house cat? This is the difference between Virginia creeper and Boston ivy, two plants frequently confused because of the similar shapes of their leaves and the tendency of both to turn a brilliant scarlet in autumn. But remember: Virginia creeper is less commonly cultivated in domestic situations for a good reason. It has a wild nature.

Native to Virginia but not a creeper (unless you consider its way of traveling underground, with spreading rhizomes), Parthenocissus quinquefolia is a bit like the leopard in Bringing Up Baby; it is only just manageable. Following is some advice, then, if you happen to have Virginia creeper, without necessarily seeking it out (remember Cary Grant’s predicament with Baby: “I won’t take him” and Katharine Hepburn’s response: “You got him.”)

Photography by Britt Willoughby Dyer, for Gardenista, except where noted.

Above:  Virginia creeper kept in check. Sort of. Photograph by Kendra Wilson.

Native to the eastern United States, Virginia creeper is not always welcome elsewhere, because it tries to escape into the wilderness. The Royal Horticultural Society advises considering alternative climbers, described in a useful booklet published in collaboration with Plantlife called Gardening without Harmful Invasive Plants. One suggestion is grape vine, which is part of the same family as Virginia creeper.

Like its other close relation Boston ivy, Virginia creeper is hardy all over most of the the United States (in USDA growing zones 3-9). It is even more vigorous than its relations, reaching heights of from 40 to 50 feet and setting up camp at the tops of trees. However, with a little care, it can be kept within a restricted area, like the specimen next door to me (pictured above). Where its climbing ambitions have been frustrated—on the second floor—it hangs down in vines like a curtain.

Above: Virginia creeper’s foliage is arranged around five lobes, instead of Boston ivy’s three.

For information on tamer Boston ivy, see: Gardening 101: Boston Ivy.

Above: Flaming embers of Virginia creeper in the fall.

Virginia creeper is heaven for birds and insects, providing food and roosting opportunities where it is allowed to flow freely. Native plants host a wider variety of native wildlife, and climbers are particularly noted as shelter for invertebrates. For a wild garden, or a relaxed front path, growing Virginia creeper is an act of generosity.

Above: Virginia creeper in fill autumn color drapes luxuriously over a stone wall at the Rousham estate in the English Cotswolds.

Cheat Sheet

• Virginia creeper grows up buildings just as happily as trees, attaching itself with aerial tendrils and adhesive pads. It does not damage mortar but its weight, if allowed to hang down in vines, can be problematic when in leaf.
• Like Boston ivy, Virginia creeper is deciduous, putting on a spectacular display in the fall. A west- or south-facing aspect is most effective in encouraging color.
• With a resemblance to poison ivy, it is not poisonous as such but can cause a rash, so gloves are a good idea when handling Parthenocissus quinquefolia. Its small dark blue berries, which look good against the flaming reds in autumn, are toxic.

Above: Common ivy.

Keep It Alive

• Virginia creeper is as undemanding as common ivy (pictured above), thriving in any kind of soil, with any level of acidity. (Ideally soil would be well-drained and moist.)
• It is fully hardy and puts up with exposure. Grown against a building, it has cooling properties in summer. Untrimmed, it looks like a shaggy beard in winter.
• Virginia creeper is difficult to get rid of, not least because of its habit of spreading through rhizomes, which result in unscheduled appearances above ground. Keep the vines in check, chop its stem at the base if you must, but try not to poison it.

See more growing tips at Virginia Creeper: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design in our curated guides to Vines & Climbers 101. For more ways to add curb appeal to Exteriors & Facades, see:

About a month ago, while walking our dog, I happened upon one of our neighbors frantically watering a mound of dirt, piled high, in the strip of grass between the sidewalk and the street. Curiously, newsprint peeked out from under the soil. Was I witnessing the actual death of print?

“I have to get to the airport soon!” she said to me, by way of explaining why she was stress-gardening.

Confused but not wanting to trouble her further, I nodded and walked on. Then I promptly went home, opened up my laptop, did some online sleuthing, and emerged with this phrase: “lasagna gardening.” What is it? Read on.

N.B. Featured photograph by Lori L. Stalteri via Flickr, from Landscape Design: 10 Gardens Transformed by Raised Beds.

What is lasagna gardening?

Above: At White Flower Farm, nursery manager Barb Pierson layers six to 10 sheets of newspaper under the flower beds, wetting each sheet with a hose. “I do it everywhere because I don’t have time to weed,” she says. Photograph by Sara Barrett for Gardenista, from Flower Borders: 10 Essential Tips from White Flower Farm’s Barb Pierson.

Just like the baked dish with which it shares its name, lasagna gardening involves layers. It’s also known as “sheet composting” and “no dig” gardening, which captures the main reason people continue to be enamored by it some 20 years after Patricia Lanza wrote an entire book—with a very compelling title, might I add—about the method: Lasagna Gardening: A New Layering System for Bountiful Gardens: No Digging, No Tilling, No Weeding, No Kidding!

Think of it as an all-in-one gardening method. With a lasagna garden, you’re basically composting and planting in the same spot.

What are the layers in a lasagna garden?

There are essentially four types of layers in a lasagna garden: newspaper or cardboard; dry, brown stuff (peat moss, pine needles, dried leaves, straw, sticks, wood chips, saw dust, and the like); wet, green stuff (for instance, compost, vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, and grass clippings), and gardening soil. The best time to start your lasagna garden is in the fall, when the brown stuff is readily available in your yard.

Start by laying newsprint (five- to 10-sheets-thick) or cardboard directly on flat ground. Soak it well to encourage decomposition. This bottom layer acts as a barrier against weeds and will smother any vegetation underneath it. Next, alternate brown carbon-rich layers with green nitrogen-rich layers; each brown layer should be about twice as high as a green layer. Once you’ve reached a total height of about two feet, water the raised bed deeply. Then the waiting game starts as the layers “bake” and decompose to create fluffy, nutrient-rich soil.

After a few months, the mound will have lost some of its height; simply add more layers. In the spring, top with gardening soil (about four to six inches), and you can start planting.

What are the drawbacks to lasagna gardening?

Build it and plants will thrive with little intervention? Seems too dreamy to be true? Well, there are drawbacks. It takes about a year for the lasagna garden to truly decompose. You can start planting before then, of course, but your plants won’t be able to enjoy the full benefits of lasagna gardening until later. And every fall, you’ll have to gather the ingredients to create the layers again.

For more on using newspaper in your garden, see Gardening 101: How to Sprout a Seed.

For more Garden Decoder posts, see:

• The Garden Decoder: What Are ‘Biennials’?
• The Garden Decoder: What Does It Mean to ‘Naturalize’ Bulbs?
• The Garden Decoder: What Happens When Edible Plants ‘Bolt’?

How does Christmas cactus know the exact perfect moment to burst into bloom? Thermo-photoperiodic bloom cycles, of course. (As days get shorter and darker in winter months, the lack of light triggers Schlumbergera bridgesii to burst into flower.)

How does Ikea know the exact perfect moment to add potted Christmas cactus to the selection in the houseplant department? I think we know the answer to that question. And right now, the canny retailer has three colors of Christmas cactus on offer in Ikea stores around the world: for $4.99 a plant.

Above: Christmas cactus is a succulent plant that hails from tropical climes. Native to Brazil, it enjoys sitting on a windowsill in bright light (but needs cool temperatures and darkness at night to stimulate it to bloom). Read more growing tips in Christmas Cactus: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design. Photograph via Ikea.

“The Christmas cactus is a plant of magic and mystery,” writes Annie, who remembers fondly one from her childhood: “A large sprawling specimen that lived in a terra cotta pot and would drop red blossoms onto the windowsill every winter.”

Above: A white Schlumbergera in a 4-inch pot is $4.99 at Ikea.

Above: The Ikea collection also includes other flower colors, including pink Christmas cactus plants and salmon-colored Christmas cactus plants.

See more growing tips in Christmas Cactus: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design in our curated Garden Design 101 guides to Succulents & Cacti. See more:

• Gardening 101: Christmas Cactus
• Read about a cousin of Christmas cactus in Easter Cactus: A Succulent with Springtime Flowers
• Poinsettias: Rethinking a Christmas Cliché

‘Tis not the season to repaint the front door or replace the fence. But a well-placed garland over an entryway or the golden glow from a candle in the window can add instant curb appeal (and make guests feel welcome). Here are 11 ways to spruce up for the holiday season:

Outdoor Ornaments

Above: See more of these coppery outdoor ornaments in DIY: Christmas Windowboxes. Photograph by Liesa Johannssen.

You also can hang baubles on a tree or shrub near the front door.

Red Ribbons

Above: One red bow is all it takes to make visitors feel welcome at an entryway. Laurent Franchini of The Cook’s Atelier delivers an armload of  firewood at home in Burgundy.

See more at Christmas in Burgundy: At Home with the Expat Family Behind the Cook’s Atelier on Remodelista. Photograph (and the featured image at the top of the post) by Anson Smart, courtesy of The Cook’s Atelier.

Light the Way

Above: Botanical ice lanterns; for step-by-step instructions, see DIY: Botanical Ice Lanterns.

Place candles, lanterns, or luminarias on stoops or alongside paths.

Swag Swagger

Above: Photograph by Erin Boyle.

For step-by-step directions to make tiny holiday swags to hang outdoors or in, see

DIY: Holiday Decor for Small Spaces.

Tiny Trees

Above: Photograph via Terrain.

Put a miniature holiday tree on the front porch.

White Lights

Above: Photograph by John Merkl.

If your house is painted white, add a snowy touch in any climate with more tiny white string lights.

Wintry Window Boxes

Above: Photograph by Erin Boyle.

Add evergreen boughs, small birch logs, and twinkly lights to create a woodland vignette in a window box.

Fire Escapes

Above: Photograph by Erin Boyle.

Garlands and a strand of little white lights goes a long way in the city.

Candles in the Window

Above: See more at Christmas in Burgundy: At Home with the Expat Family Behind the Cook’s Atelier on Remodelista. Photograph by Anson Smart, courtesy of The Cook’s Atelier.

Put a candle in the window–or even better, several candles in several windows–to welcome guests with golden light.

Show the Way

Above: Photograph by Erin Boyle.

Even before it stops snowing, shovel a narrow path on the stairs or front walkway to make it look like you’re ready for company–and to make easier for the mail carrier to deliver holiday cards.

For more holiday curb appeal inspiration, see:

• House Call: Christmas Decor by Loppelilla in Norway
• Curb Appeal: 11 Ways to Make Your House Look Welcoming in Winter
• Garden Visit: At Home at Juniper Hill Farm in New Hampshire

From cozy to classic, the Remodelista editors this week made a wishlist for holiday gifts. Silver that glints in candlelight is the top item:

Vintage Silverplate

Above: Vintage Silver-Plated Spreaders—hand-picked in France by the team at Elsie Green—are sold individually for $16 apiece at Food52.

Gift Guide 2018: 15 Stocking Stuffers for Under $15(ish)

Task Lamp

Above: A classic, the Grasshopper Table Lamp was designed by Greta Grossman and produced by Gubi. It is available in seven colors including blue/grey as shown and is $580 at DWR.

For more lighting designs by Greta Grossman, see Steal This Look: A Bungalow Bedroom in Malibu, California.

Fabric Covers for Leftovers

Above: Planning a holiday party? Show love to your leftovers with 6 Favorite Fabric Covers: A Better Way to Wrap Leftovers on The Organized Home.

6 Favorite Fabric Covers: A Better Way to Wrap Leftovers

Stuffed Animal

Above: Founded by three high school friends with a fondness for crocheting, Krochet Kids is on a mission to see Northern Uganda transformed by hook and yarn, as the owners say. Crocheted in Uganda, the Kitty Stuffed Animal is $35 and is hand-signed by the creator.

See more gifts with a mission at Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 9 Gifts That Give Back.

Hot Water Bottle Cover

Above: Hand-knitted in Hertfordshire from heritage cotton, a cream-colored Hot Water Bottle Cover is £34 from Aerende.

“What to get the do-gooder in your life?” Julie asks. She rounds up 9 Gifts That Give Back.

Whether you’re getting a tree this weekend, celebrating the start of Hanukkah, or just reveling in the season, here are 9 festive things to note.

Above: ‘Tis the season for bundling up to source the perfect Christmas tree—or just a brisk winter walk in the woods. Photograph by Justina Bilodeau from Shopper’s Diary: A Christmas Tree Farm in Maine.

• Want to go the eco-friendly route this year? Get a Christmas tree you can plant in the garden.
• A botanic garden worth visiting in the dead of winter.
• The future of gardening, according to Ikea.
• Adding this to the must-reads on our bedside table: Around the World in 80 Trees.
• Forget about winter, it’s drive-in movie season in Australia.
• This Christmas cactus will change your life.
• Thinking ahead: five ways to store ornaments.
• How a Netflix star uses houseplants to make her rental her own (and 15 other inexpensive tips).
• And, a miraculous pumpkin chiffon cake to make this weekend.

Previously in Obsessions:

• Current Obsessions: After the Feast
• Current Obsessions: At the Table
• Current Obsessions: First Frost

Every year it seems we go a little crazier with the outdoor holiday lights. This week, we’ll be sharing tips and tricks of the trade (along with more ideas for holiday curb appeal):

Above: Our friends at Terrain rounded up their best outdoor holiday decorating tricks in a new book, Terrain: Ideas and Inspiration for Decorating the Home and Garden. We’ll be sharing their tips in a post later this week. Photograph by Isa Salazar for Terrain, courtesy of Artisan Books.

More stories coming up this week:

• Alexa discovers 10 favorite hand splitters for firewood. Is there a woodsman or woodswoman on your holiday gift list?
• The world’s best source for Charlie Brown Christmas trees (to plant outdoors after the holiday season ends).
• Everything you ever wanted to know about amaryllis bulbs.

In case you missed it last week:

• Christmas Cactus: A Houseplant That Will Change Your Life
• Gift Guide 2018: For the Plant Lover
• 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Succulents

A Charlie Brown Christmas tree may be the antidote you need to the commercialism of the holiday season.

Maybe you had to stand in a Black Friday line to buy neon-glow hatching baby animal toys (“Hatchimals,” to those in the know). Or perhaps you are still on the hunt for Poopsie Surprise Unicorns or a Scruff-A-Luv fake rescue pet toy. Are the letters to Santa making you question the true meaning of Christmas?

A tiny, lopsided, live seedling can remind you of the holiday’s magic. Hang one small, shiny glass ball from a fragile branch and listen to Emmylou Harris sing “Silent Night.” Then start thinking about the best spot to plant your little Charlie Brown Christmas tree, come spring.

We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite Charlie Brown Christmas trees from the Jonsteen Company, a tree grower on the northern California coast (headquartered in McKinleyville, north of Eureka). For more than 25 years, in addition to raising seedlings the company has worked to be known for “teaching about trees and their many benefits to people and the planet; and for supporting, in perpetuity, the folks giving, selling, and growing its trees.”

As Linus might say, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

Balsam Fir

Above: A Balsam Fir Large Tree Seedling is $24.99 from the Jonsteen Company.

Widely considered the most fragrant Christmas tree (thanks to the aromatic resinous substance it emits), Abies balsamea “is shade tolerant, has a relatively shallow root system (typically reaching no lower than 3 feet), and can live for 200 years,” notes the Jonsteen Company. Balsam fir can thrive in USDA growing zones 3 to 6.

Coast Redwood

Above: Think carefully about where to plant this tree after the holiday season. Grown from seed in Northern California, a Coast Redwood Live Seedling (Sequoia sempervirens) can at maturity reach a height of more than 386 feet with a trunk diameter of 20 feet. It is $49.99 from the Jonsteen Company.

“Fossil records also indicate that the species is among the most ancient of trees; its lineage dating back 160 million years,” notes the Jonsteen Company. See more growing tips for California’s majestic trees at Giant Sequoia Trees: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design.

Montezuma Cypress

Above: a Montezuma Cypress Tree Seedling was grown without pesticides in Jonsteen’s nursery on the California coast; $49.99.

The national tree of Mexico and native to central America and southern Texas, a Montezuma Cypress (Taxodium mucronatum) will be happy outdoors after the holidays in USDA growing zones 6 to 9.

Are you thinking about adding a tree to your landscape? For inspiration, see our curated guides to Trees 101. Read more:

• 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Christmas Trees
• How to Successfully Grow Trees: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design
• Specimen Trees: Are They Worth It?
• How to Pick the Perfect Christmas Tree

History tells us that the first person in the US known to decorate an evergreen tree to celebrate Christmas was a Harvard professor. In 1832 Charles Follen (who had brought the idea with him when he immigrated from Germany) attached candles to branches and lit them to celebrate the holiday. Live flames on the tips of tree branches? You would think a college professor would know better.

The audacious idea caught on, but thankfully the invention of electricity eliminated the use of open flames to light Christmas trees. And as more decades passed…well, you may think know the rest of the story of Christmas trees.

But there’s a lot about yuletide decor that nobody tells you. Here are 10 things to talk about while you are hanging tinsel on a Christmas tree this holiday season:

1. Christmas tree farms are actually good for the environment (and the economy).

Above: See more at The Old Farm Christmas Tree Place in Maine. Photograph by Justina Bilodeau.

Christmas tree farms grow trees for a specific purpose and cutting one down does not harm real forests or wild landscapes. Acreage devoted to growing the trees is land protected (at least for now) from development.

After cutting down Christmas trees, farmers will plant plenty more next spring (often on rocky or steep land where other crops won’t thrive). Like all trees, as they grow Christmas trees will clean the air by absorbing pollutants such as ozone. Plus, their leaves and bark capture particulates, filtering the air.

After typing all those benefits Christmas trees bring to the world, I’m tempted to get two this year.

2. Cutting your own Christmas tree reduces your carbon footprint.

Above: See more in Christmas in Burgundy: At Home with the Expat Family Behind the Cook’s Atelier on Remodelista. Photograph by Anson Smart, courtesy of The Cook’s Atelier.

Americans purchased 27.4 million real Christmas trees last year. The closer your Christmas tree was grown to your home, the less fuel was necessary to transport it to your living room.

3. Fake trees can be environmentally friendly.

Above: I say faux, you say fake, but we can agree this artificial Alpine Balsam Fir Christmas tree has an appeal. Available in six heights (from 4.5 to 12 feet) and with an option of pre-strung clear LED fairy lights, the tree’s price ranges from $129 to $799 at Balsam Hill.

Americans are purchasing more fake Christmas trees every year (last year the total was 21.1 million, up from 18.6 million in 2016) and if one of them is yours, the way to make it a sustainable purchase is to keep using it year after year. “Depending on how a real tree is disposed of, an artificial tree would only have to be used for 3.6 to 4 years before there was a net benefit with regard to contribution to global warming,” notes the American Christmas Tree Association, a trade group for manufacturers.

4. Some Christmas trees drop needles faster than others.

Above: An Alberta spruce tree. See more tips for choosing a tree in How to Pick Your Perfect Christmas Tree. Photograph by Michelle Slatalla.

The pointy, short needs of Norway spruce trees (Picea abies) are notorious for dropping quickly. Slower to shed are Fraser firs (Abies fraseri) and blue spruce trees (Picea pungens).

5. You can buy a 7-foot live Christmas tree on Amazon (with Prime shipping).

Above: From Hallmark Flowers, a 6- to 7-foot Balsam Fir Real Christmas Tree is $109.99 (and eligible for Prime shipping). Also available for the same price on Amazon are a Fraser Fir and a Black Hills Spruce.

The live Christmas trees are “freshly cut, double baled with twine, and boxed from a U.S. family owned farm direct to your doorstep,” notes Hallmark Flowers.

Buyers, take note: Amazon customer reviews for live Christmas trees range widely, from five stars (“Smells amazing, is alive and soft and green, very full branches”) to one star (“The entire tip of the tree was broken off!!”).

6. You can rent a fully decorated Christmas tree (skirt included).

Above: You can sew your own Christmas tree skirt with our easy step-by-step instructions at DIY: Burlap Christmas Tree Skirt. Photograph by Sarah Waldo Jagger.

Want to rent a live Christmas tree? New York City-based Rent-a-Christmas offers “all-inclusive live Christmas tree packages with lights, ornaments, skirt, star, and tinsel. All packages include free delivery, set up, take-down and removal by the Rent-A-Christmas elves.” Price range from $599 for a 4-foot tree to $1,099 for a 9-foot tree.

7. The first year a Christmas tree was decorated with electric lights was 1882.

Above: In Remodelista founder Julie Carlson’s Mill Valley house, a Christmas tree is decorated with white lights and foraged finds. Read more in Holiday Decor: The Foraged Christmas Tree on Remodelista. Photograph by Meredith Swinehart.

Soon after Thomas Edison invented the incandescent light bulb, his business partner Edward Hibberd Johnson decorated a Christmas tree in his Manhattan townhouse with 80 hand-wired, blinking red, white, and blue lights. The tree, which was mounted on a motorized base, revolved slowly to the delight of holiday party guests, according to a newspaper report.

8. Before electricity caught on, Christmas trees were dangerous enough to kill people.

Above: A decorative copper four-leaved Candlestick Flower is 95 SEK at Zetas. Recommended use is not on a Christmas tree (despite photograph). The “decorative four-leaf candle holder in copper fits perfectly in the moss-filled leather pot with a single white light,” notes Zetas.

Although the invention by Frederick Artz of the clip-on candle holder in 1878 made Christmas tree candles less likely to topple over and set the room ablaze, safety problems remained.

In 1894, for example, a Pennsylvania schoolteacher dressed up as Santa was severely burned after his fake beard caught on fire while he was lighting candles on a Christmas tree. He was “quickly enveloped in flames,” the New York Times reported. “His face, neck, forehead, and arms were severely burned before the fire could be smothered with rugs….He will be permanently scarred.”

9. The inventor of the Christmas tree lot was a 19th-century woodsman.

Above: See more at The Old Farm Christmas Tree Place in Maine. Photograph by Justina Bilodeau.

New York City’s first Christmas tree lot opened in 1851, operated by woodsman Mark Carr, in downtown Washington Market (a wholesale produce market demolished in the 1960s), according to History Matters. (Thanks also to History Matters for the story of America’s first decorated Christmas tree.)

10. The average price of a live Christmas tree is $75.

Above: Homemade garland and DIY acorn ornaments are a charming addition to any Christmas tree. See more in DIY: A Living Christmas Tree. Photograph by Justine Hand.

Maybe you’ll pay more than $75, maybe you’ll pay less. But now you know, courtesy of the National Christmas Tree Association.

Did this story put you in a holiday mood? Maintain the buzz with:

• Christmas Cactus: A Houseplant That Will Change Your Life
• Christmas in a Tiny Apartment
• DIY: Plant Your Christmas Tree in the Garden
• Christmas in Detroit: A Pilgrimage to Gardeners’ Midwest Mecca
• Christmas Cactus: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design
• Christmas Miracle: 5 Poinsettias That Aren’t Tacky

There’s a backyard farmer in everybody’s life. Family, friend, or neighbor, this person is easily identified as the one trying to foist gigantic zucchinis on passersby in late summer.

This holiday season, say thank you for all those zucchinis (and lay a foundation for getting some of your backyard farmer’s best beefsteak tomatoes next year) with a gift that says, “I appreciate all that you grow in your edible garden.”

Here are 10 holiday gifts any backyard farmer will appreciate:

Slate Plant Markers

Above: Similar to the slate plant markers shown in the top photo in the Obama White House edible garden, a hand-cut Nutscene Slate & Twine Gift Set quarried in Scotland  includes an assortment of reusable slate plant markers, two spools of three-ply twine, and a jute sack for storage. The set is £26.50 from Ceci Paolo.

For US gardeners, a set of 12 Slate Garden Plant Labels by Garden Basix comes with two chalk pens and 15-inch-tall stainless steel poles; $28.99 at Amazon.

Row Marking Line

Above: Two wooden pegs and a long string make a low-tech (and classic) edible garden tool. A Garden Row Marking Line identifies a row where you’ve just planted seeds. It “lets humans know where not to step, and helps deter birds from pecking out your painstakingly placed seeds.” It is $12.95 from Gardener’s Supply.

Portable Greenhouse

Above: Give tender seedlings a head start by protecting them from chilly winds in early spring. With two hinged lids, a Portable Wooden Cold Frame Greenhouse by Giantex measures 35.4 by 31.3 by 23 inches; $67.99 from Amazon.

See 10 Easy Pieces: Portable Greenhouses for more pick-up-and-go greenhouses where backyard farmers can sprout seeds in early spring.

Potato Grow Bag

Above: A good gift for an apartment farmer is a soft-sided nine-gallon Potato Planter Grow Bag from Bloem with a side flap to harvest potatoes. A self-contained vegetable garden, it is available in eight colors, including Union Red as shown. It is $14.99 to $21.99, depending on color, at Amazon.

See more choices at 10 Easy Pieces: Potato Growing Kits.

Heirloom Seeds

Above: A packet of from 45 to 50 Orient Wonder Yard Long Beans seeds is $3.79 at Kitazawa Seed Co. Photograph by Janet Hall.

From its inception in 1917 in a San Jose, California warehouse, Kitazawa Seed Co. has specialized in selling  seeds of traditional heirloom vegetables of Japan. With a selection of hundreds to choose among—including Purple Vienna Kohlrabi and Ichiba Kouji Japanese Melon—you can surprise your favorite backyard farmer with edibles she or he has never grown before.

At prices below $5 apiece, a packet of heirloom or organic seeds makes a great stocking stuffer. Often the seed packets themselves are works of art, with lovely illustrations and colorful copy to describe the food you are about to grow. See more of our favorite seed companies at 10 Easy Pieces: Heirloom Seeds.

Seed Spacing Ruler

Above: From Intervale, a Seed and Plant Spacing Ruler labeled for common edible plants comes with a dibbler to make it easy to plant seeds at the correct depth. “Moisten planting area, place ruler where you want seeds to grow, poke dibbler through the appropriate hole to create an indentation, then drop one or two seeds through the opening. When you’ve reached the last hole, remove the ruler, cover your seeds with a thin sprinkling of compost or soil, and wait for them to sprout,” notes retailer Gardener’s Supply; $12.95.

Bamboo Hand Rake

Above: As anyone who ever has tried to tease out tangled leaves from beneath a strawberry patch can tell you, a Bamboo Hand Rake is the right tool for a delicate job; £10 from Niwaki.

Watering Cone

Above: A Terracotta Watering Cone is a useful tool because it “will water a plant when one is away on a short holiday or is otherwise unable to perform the task,” notes retailer Manufactum. “The cone is equipped with a connector that fits onto most commercial water bottle caps. One simply makes a few holes in the cap, screws it on a bottle filled with water and pushes it into the cone, which together with the water bottle is pushed into the earth in the pot.” It is €10.

Plant Labels

Above: Does your backyard farmer like color-coded organizing tools? A set of 68 Plant Labels made of beechwood comes in a metal box with a wax crayon to write plant names; €20.50 at Manufactum.

Planting Guide + Seeds

Above: A Fall Forager Kit comes with a year-round garden planner with a sliding frost date feature that makes it useful for all regions in the US. It also comes with eight packets of heirloom vegetable seeds (handpicked for a fall and winter garden) and five seed-saving envelopes; $35 from Seattle Seed Co.

Still shopping? See more of our Gift Guides and don’t miss:

• 7 Beautiful Books Every Houseplant Lover Needs
• Christmas Cactus: A Houseplant That Will Change Your Life
• 10 Easy Pieces: Watering Pitchers
• Tool Porn: A Look Inside Sheila’s Garden Shed

Amaryllis, Hippeastrum

Do you throw away your amaryllis bulbs after they finish flowering? If so, repent. There is no reason for Amaryllis to be pigeonholed as a disposable Christmastime novelty in the US (or other regions colder than the flower’s native South America).

“It is almost criminal…to discard the bulb once the magnificent flowers are past,” wrote the newspaper columnist Henry Mitchell. “Any simpleton can grow the bulbs year after year with scarcely any bother, once he gets the procedure in his head.”

With theatrical trumpets of flowers—red or white or candy-cane stripes are the most common colors sold in the buildup to the holiday season—amaryllis bulbs can bring you pleasure for years to come. They are a lovely alternative for people averse to the scent of paperwhites. And with an extended season of bloom (my amaryllis bulbs stay in flower for weeks at a time), they last far longer than other forced bulbs such as tulips, hyacinths, or Muscari.

Read on for tips to grow and care for amaryllis:

Above: Photograph by Cristina Sanvito via Flickr.

Technically, the tropical amaryllis bulbs that bloom in northern climates in pots or vases during winter are not actually amaryllis. They are hybrid varieties of Hippeastrum. But we commonly call them amaryllis and in truth the trumpet flowers are very similar to those of Amaryllis belladonna, which you may have in warm climates blooming on leafless stems (its common name is naked lady lily).

Above: A glass Amaryllis Bulb Vase available in two sizes and in three colors including clear as shown is from $28 to $34 depending on size at Terrain.

There are hundreds of Hippeastrum hybrids, with new ones being introduced every year. Among our favorites are miniature ‘Baby Star’ (with red and white stripes), ‘Alfresco’ with tight clusters of white blooms, and the delicately pink-veined ‘Striped Amadeus’.

Above: See more of these spectacular striped amaryllis flowers at DIY: A Wild and Foraged Christmas Bouquet. Photograph by Sophia Moreno-Bunge.

If you want to keep an amaryllis alive after it finishes flowering, gardening columnist Henry Mitchell offers two techniques (one is for people who have gardens and the other for apartment dwellers with no outdoor space).

If you have a garden, the goal is to plant the amaryllis—in its pot—outdoors in late spring. Until then, keep the soil moist (but not too wet—you don’t want to rot the bulb—and offer the amaryllis bright, indirect sunlight. After you “plant” it outdoors, fertilizer it every couple of months until late autumn. Then dig up the pot and bring the plant back indoors, where it will flower again in winter.

In an apartment, “simply keep the plants growing indoors,” Mitchell recommends. Make sure the soil in the bulb’s pot is moist before giving it fertilizer: “The whole idea is to grow the leaves as large and as plentifully as possible during the summer.”

Above: A Waxed Amaryllis Bulb available in five colors including white as shown is $36 at Terrain.

Cheat Sheet

• If you buy an amaryllis bulb (or someone gives you one as a holiday gift), it will be primed to bloom on its own. All the nutrition and water it needs is stored already in its bulb—no need to put it in water or soil unless you are doing so for aesthetic reasons.
• Although red, white, and red-and-white-striped flowers are the most common, you can find amaryllis bulbs that bloom in a striking range of colors including white, chartreuse, orange, yellow, and pink.
• A single bulb will make a theatrical, sculptural display with a cluster of long-lived flowers; give it pride of place on a coffee table or mantel and you really won’t need any other holiday decorations.

Above: For step-by-step instructions to make this holiday floral arrangement, see DIY: A Wild and Foraged Christmas Bouquet. Photograph by Sophia Moreno-Bunge.

Keep It Alive

• Hippeastrum will grow as a perennial in warm climates (USDA growing zones 8 to 10). Elsewhere, treat it like an annual (see above for instructions if you want to grow an amaryllis bulb in a garden bed).
• Indoors, cut off the spent blooms after the plant stops flowering but leave 2 inches of stalk until it yellows to help the bulb produce food.
• Give an amaryllis at least four hours a day of bright, indirect light. Feed it with a general purpose fertilizer (24-8-16) to encourage new growth.

Above: An amaryllis bulb makes a lovely last-minute holiday gift. See more in DIY Gift: Potted Amaryllis Bulb. Photograph by Erin Boyle..

You can fine a large selection of amaryllis bulbs online (seasonally) at shops including White Flower Farm, Terrain, and Gardener’s Supply.

Above: Photograph by Alejandro Bayer Tamayo via Flickr.

See more growing tips at Amaryllis: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design in our curated Garden Design 101 guides to Bulbs & Tubers. Read more about forcing bulbs to flower:

• DIY: Bottle-Fed Paperwhites
• Houseplants: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design
• Flowers in the House, 9 Ways

Chopping wood isn’t as easy as it looks. At least, that’s what my older brother once told me when we were kids after a piece of splintered wood flew up and nicked him in the forehead. With an axe, chopping wood can be a real chore, and a potentially hazardous one if you don’t know what you’re doing. (Sorry, brother.) With a manual wood splitter, the chore gets downgraded to a safe task as you split log after log with a little more ease. Here are our favorites.

Above: Our top pick is the Cast Iron Wood Splitter made in Scandinavian (designed in Sweden with cast iron from Denmark) for 25 years. From the manufacturer: “Piece by piece the wood to be cut is placed down on the rungs of the steps, and, with the help of the blade, the wood is split effortlessly with a hand strength of up to 100kg and a splitting power of up to 2.4 tons.” It’s $179 at Manufactum.

Above: The Sylvan Arms Heavy Duty Drill Screw Cone Driver Wood Splitter works with a hand drill or impact drill. This version is a little more risky than the full-proof option above, but has good reviews and costs considerably less; $79.99 at Amazon.

Above: The robust Heavy Duty Lumberjack Manual Log Splitter from Titan is designed for placing logs under the wedge and striking the top with a hammer; $59 through Sears (currently sold out, contact for restocking) or at Harbor Freight.

Above: The compact Eastwing Sure Split Wedge is a 5-pound wood splitting tool with forged steel construction. The weighted wedge design makes it easy to split logs with a mallet or hammer; $17.30 at Amazon.

Above: The Kindling Cracker King Firewood Kindling Splitter is designed making kindling with “less force than a standard axe” as the company says. It’s a heavy cast iron design (21 pounds) for indoor or outdoor use; $99.99 at Northern Tool + Equipment.

Above: The Spantan Double-Handled Kindling Knife Wood Splitter is a hand-held cast iron design used to “cleave through small logs and split them along the grain to make small sticks and wood shavings for kindling to light a fire,” the manufacturer says. It’s $32 at Etsy.

Above: The Smart-Splitter Manual Log Splitter has a combined splitting and splinting wedge and applies up to 14 tons of pressure; £62.50 at Spaldings in the UK.

Above: The Felled Manual Log Splitter Diamond Wedge has a 4-direction steel splitting wedge and works with an 8-pound hammer to split through oak, hickory, walnut, and sycamore (but not for knotty or large-diameter hardwoods); $14.24 at Amazon. There’s also a similar style in black, the Truper 33040 Super Splitter Wedge, for $19.06 at Amazon.

Above: The Jack Jr. Firewood Kindling Tool and Log Splitter from EasyGoProducts is made to twist firewood and split kindling easy. It can be portable, or stationary when bolted down by the four bolt holes onto a wood block or flat surface. It’s $46.99 at Amazon.

Above: The Handy 8 Ton Manual Log Splitter is the most heavy-duty, size-wise of the lot, weighing 29 kg (63 pounds) and applying 8 tons of ram force to each log. It’s only available in the UK, however, via Amazon, for £119.95.

Prepping the hearth for winter? See our posts for more:

• 10 Easy Pieces: Firewood and Log Storage
• 10 Easy Pieces: Firewood Log Carriers
• DIY: Make a Roaring—and Eco-Friendly—Wood Fire
• Firewood: 5 Tips for Choosing Logs

For the loved one in your life who likes nothing more than to head out for a weekend trail run, watches gear reviews on YouTube with no shame, and was first in line for Free Solo, here are 10 holiday gift ideas to help him or her enjoy the great outdoors even more.

Above: From stylish outdoor living retailer Topo Designs comes this small but mighty Dopp Kit, handmade in Colorado, with a water-resistant interior and webbing pull tabs and wrist strap; $34.

Above: We like the petite proportions of Yeti’s Roadie 20 Cooler (the company says it can hold up to 16 cans of beer). It comes in white, desert tan, and ice blue; $199.

Above: Fourseven’s Brass Mini ML-X Flashlight, exclusive to Best Made, features three brightness levels and four modes (SOS, beacon high, beacon low, and strobe); $118.

Above: A roller is an active outdoorsperson’s best friend. The Morph Collapsible Foam Roller, available in multiple colors, from Brazyn makes traveling with one supremely easy; $68.

Above: Iverson has been handcrafting traditional wooden Snowshoes in Michigan for more than 60 years; a pair starts at $139.

Above: An outdoor photography coffee table book is for those rare moments when your favorite nature lover is homebound. Juniper Books’ Great Outdoors Books Set comes wrapped with a cord and carabiner; $200.

Above: Weighing in at just over a pound, ENO’s Appalachia Trail Conservancy DoubleNest Hammock can be scrunched down to the size of a grapefruit, making it a must-pack for overnight treks. It’s roomy enough for two and can hold up to 400 pounds; $69.95 at REI.

Need yet more holiday gift ideas? Look no further:

• Gift Guide 2018: For the Backyard Farmer
• Gift Guide 2018: For the Plant Lover
• Gift Guide 2018: 15 Actually Useful Stocking Stuffers, The Organized Home Edition
• Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 12 Petite Gifts from the Old Country (aka Europe)
• Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 9 Gifts That Give Back
• Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 15 Stocking Stuffers for Under $15 (ish)

Burro’s Tail, Sedum morganianum

Honestly, burro’s tail (which also goes by the alias donkey’s tail) can be a tricky succulent plant to grow indoors. My experience with Sedum morganianum as a houseplant has been mixed: Although it belongs to the hardy sedum family, this plant is physically fragile and prone to drop its leaves. That said, if you’re a confident houseplant collector, I don’t want to scare you away from this theatrical succulent, with its luxurious, pendulous stems covered in leaves that resemble plump grains of rice.

The problem? Those fall off burro’s tail very easily. Every time you pick it up, water it, or even look the plant directly in the eye as you walk past, you will be punished. Lots of little green rice will fall off whenever burro’s tail feels defensive. The best way to treat burro’s tail, frankly, is to ignore it. Put it in an out-of-the-way spot with bright, indirect light and then come back in a month or so to see if it needs a little water. Please, don’t even think about trying to repot it.

The good news? You can propagate new plants from each leaf. And I don’t want to scare you off, if you are the sort of houseplant whisperer that can keep anything alive. (Do your orchids bloom again and again? Have you had your African violet longer than your cat? If so, burro’s tail is the succulent for you.)

Would you prefer to grow burro’s tail outdoors in the garden? Read on for growing tips:

Above: This is my burro’s tail. Note the scabby bare spots (at right) where leaves fell off. Photograph by Mimi Giboin.

To recap: Don’t give burro’s tail too much water or it will rot. Don’t jostle it because its leaves fall off easily. Other than that, it’s an easy plant to grow: give it partial sun, cool temperatures, and well-drained soil.

Above: Depending on the cultivar, the leaves can be pointed or rounded; ‘Burrito’ is a variety known for its round, pillowy leaves. A Sedum Burrito is £8 from Folia Planting.

Above: Tiny red flowers (or sometimes white or yellow, depending on the cultivar) appear seasonally on burro’s tail succulents. Photograph by Manuel MV via Flickr.

Some prefer pointy leaves (grains of rice) and others prefer round pearls. Both versions of Sedum morganianum grow long, lovely tails.

Above: See more of this collection of succulents at Steal This Look: An Indoor Succulent Garden, Shiny Shelving Included. Photograph by Fiona Gilsenan.

Burro’s tail is easier to grow outdoors than in if you live in a warm climate (USDA growing zones 9 to 11). Sedum morganianum is a stonecrop, a family of hardy garden succulents. You can plant it at the edge of wall or in a well-drained container, allowing the stems to spill over the side,. Make sure  it’s protected from blistering hot sun and water it every month or so if necessary.

Cheat Sheet

• Burro’s tail is a showstopper in a hanging basket, where its long, luxurious stems can drape over the side. The stems are heavy with the weight of water-filled leaves,  but I’ve seen them grow as long as two feet without trouble.
• Depending on the cultivar, foliage can range from gray-green, to true green, to blue-green.
• Like many succulents, burro’s tail may produce a chalky white wax which protects it from sun exposure. Known as epicuticular wax, this layer also helps succulents retain moisture.

Above: A 2.5-inch Donkey’s Tail Succulent is $3.50 from Pigment.

Keep It Alive

• Burro’s tail is drought tolerant (those pillow leaves retain water). Don’t water it more than once a month. (Soak the soil thoroughly, then make sure to let the topsoil dry out completely before watering again.)
• For a container plant, choose a pot with a drainage hole and use potting mix suitable for cacti.
• Perennial in USDA growing zones 9 to 11, burro’s tail is native eastern Mexico and Honduras and accordingly, it expects warm temperatures year-round in the garden.

Above Propagate by cuttings. See more at The New Sharing Economy, Plant Swap Edition.

Discovered by American botanist Eric Walther while he was traveling through Mexico in the 1930s, burro’s tail came back with him to California, where it has been cultivated ever since. For more of the fascinating story of how Mr. Walther first saw the succulent growing in a small town near Jalapa, Mexico, see a report from the Cactus and Succulent Journal of America.

For more growing tips, see Burro’s Tail: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design in our curated Garden Design 101 guides to Succulents & Cacti. Read more:

• Stonecrop: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design
• 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Succulents
• Best Houseplants: 9 Indoor Plants for Low Light
• Now Trending: 11 Ingenious Ways Houseplants Can Make a Room Look Bigger

Considering how much I truly love the sight of a healthy, lush garden, it’s shocking how much I look forward to the winter months. That’s because when plants look brown and scraggly in the cold season, it’s not my fault. (Blame Mother Nature!) Just as baseball players take winter off to relax before spring training, gardeners also should be able to have an off season. No planting, no weeding, no watering, no stressing.

At least that’s what I thought. Michelle recently burst my bubble. She told me there actually are quite a few things I can do to in the cold season to ensure a healthier landscape come spring. She’s right, unfortunately.

Here, 10 things to do in the garden in December:

1. Prune and trim.

Above: Photograph by Jim Powell for Gardenista, from The Secret History: A Master Class in Gothic Pruning.

If you have fruit trees, bushes, shrubs, or roses, now’s the time to cut off dead branches and trim for shape. It’s easier to see what and where to prune in the winter, when there’s less foliage. See 10 Easy Pieces: Garden Pruners for some of our favorite pruning tools. Got a pine tree that could use a trim? See DIY: Pruning Pine Trees in Winter.

2. Clear the gutters.

Above: Mesh Gutter Leaf Guards snap into place on existing vinyl gutters and prevent a buildup of leaves and debris in your gutters. See 5 Favorites: Gutter Guards.

After all the leaves have fallen from the trees, be sure to have your gutters cleared. They are likely filled with dead foliage and twigs, clogging and preventing them from doing their job. See Hardscaping 101: Rain Gutters for more information.

3. Feed the birds.

Above: Photograph by Liv Unni Sødem via Flickr.

Birds can’t rely on worms and fruits in the winter for food. Instead they turn to seeds, and that’s something you as their human neighbor can help them stock up on. Make sure to place the bird feeder in a spot that’s sheltered from strong winds. See 10 Easy Pieces: Bird Feeders.

4. Protect fragile plants.

Above: A 12-foot-long Burlap Plant Cover with a width of 40 inches is $11.99 from Clever Brand via Etsy.

Most plants can weather the colder months just fine, but some need a layer of added protection. Spring-blooming shrubs such as azaleas and rhododendron, fragile blooms including dahlias, and citrus trees are some plants that could use an extra layer in the winter. See Garden Hacks: 10 Genius Ideas to Keep Plants Warm in Winter.

5. Mulch with straw.

Above: Photograph by Matthew Williams for Gardenista, from Straw Mulch, the Ultimate Winter Garden Blanket.

Gardeners add mulch in the spring to prevent weeds and lock in moisture, but mulch is also important in the winter. A layer of straw as mulch protects the soil from temperature fluctuations, so that the ground stays frozen—and the plants dormant.

6. Continue to compost.

Above: Chef Alice Waters keeps a compost bucket handy in her kitchen sink in Berkeley, California. Photograph by Daniel Dent for Gardenista, from 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Compost.

Yes, decomposition slows down in winter, but there’s no reason to stop composting. When warm weather rolls around, your compost will start cooking again.

7. Remove snow.

Above: Photograph by Joseph Valentine, from Garden Visit: At Home at Juniper Hill Farm in New Hampshire.

Go ahead and admire the all-white pristine landscape after a snowfall. Then head outside and brush the snow off tree branches, shrubs, and bushes; the added weight can bend and contort plants. (But do keep the snow on the ground as it acts as an insulator.)

8. Turn off sprinklers.

Above: A smart irrigation controller from Rachio. Photograph courtesy of Rachio, from Hardware 101: Smart Irrigation Controllers.

To prevent frozen pipes, shut off the water supply to the sprinklers. If you have an automatic irrigation system, shut down the controller. Make sure to empty and store hoses so they don’t crack from freezing temperatures.

9. Order seeds.

Above: A seed collection from Floret Flowers. See Seed Collections for Adventurous Gardeners.

Seed catalogs start coming out in early winter—just in time for some prime armchair gardening. Spend time planning your spring garden, then get a head start by actually ordering the seeds before they run out.

10. Prepare your tools.

Above: Photograph by Erin Boyle for Gardenista, from DIY: How to Clean and Care for Garden Pruners.

Take inventory of all your gardening tools. Replace or fix broken items, clean tools, and sharpen blades. When warmer weather rolls around, you’ll be ready to roll. No excuses.

For more in the Your First Garden series, see:

• Your First Garden: What You Need to Know About Cutting Back Perennials in the Fall
• Your First Garden: What You Need to Know Before You Plant a Tree or Shrub
• Your First Garden: What You Need to Do in Fall for a Lush Lawn in Spring

Beautyberry, Callicarpa

Beautyberry’s colorful berries are a psychedelic antidote for anyone dreading the dullness of the winter to come. As the year’s days shrink and nights grow long, this shrub which has remained in the anonymous green shadows of the summer garden (after a brief flirtation of small pink flowers) suddenly takes center stage. Stripped of its leaves by the cold, the long branches of beautyberry are now brilliant with electric lilac berries growing in tight clusters.

Read on to learn about the benefits of beautyberry bushes and how to grow this low-maintenance shrub.

Photography by Marie Viljoen, except where noted.

Above: While there are dozens of species of Callicarpa—the genus to which beautyberries belong—the one we recommend planting on its home continent is a North American native, Callicarpa americana.

Above: Fruit begins to set in summer while a beautyberry shrub is in full foliage, and gradually turns a bright, neon violet.

Above: The vibrant berries are even safe to eat: While not remarkable in flavor (they taste a little like a mild version of the Middle Eastern spice mahlab), they add  gorgeous color to jellies and infused drinks.

Above: Photograph by Mark Ahlness, via Flickr.

Birds love beautyberry, too, and the shrubs will feed resident and migrating populations in winter.

Cheat Sheet

• Callicarpa americana is native to southeastern North America
• For the best fruit display, plant shrubs in full sun (six hours-plus)
• Cross-pollination results in copious fruit production, so plant in groups of two or more for optimal results
• Backlighting is your friend; if possible plant where the setting or rising sun will make the berries glow
• Cut branches keep their berries for a long time; add them to holiday displays and wreaths

Keep It Alive

• Plant beautyberry in ordinary soil and water deeply until established
• Beautyberry tolerates clay soil, acid or alkaline pH, and requires only good drainage
• Callicarpa americana is hardy in USDA growing zones 7 to 10, and possibly in zone 6 (mulch well in winter)

Read more growing tips in Beautyberry: A Field Guide to Planting, Care & Design in our curated Garden Design 101 guides to Shrubs. See more:

• Curb Appeal: 11 Ways to Make Your House Look Welcoming in Winter
• Native Plants: 10 Alternatives to Garden Invaders
• Hardscaping 101: Hedges
• Landscaping Ideas: 10 Ways to Save Money During a Garden Remodel
• True Colors: 9 Best Shrubs for Fall Foliage

This week the Remodelista editors embraced old-world elegance (and ingenuity). Here are five design ideas to steal for Europe for the holidays:

Vintage Steamer Trunk

Above: In an apartment remodel in Kiev, Ukraine, a vintage steamer trunk that once belonged to the client’s grandfather is repurposed as a coffee table. Photograph by Mikhail Loskutov, courtesy of Emil Dervish.

See more of the architect-designed space in An Apartment Called Birdsnest: A Kiev Architect’s Well-Planned Lair for a Friend.

Shaving Soap

Above: Made for dry skin, Le Baigneur Shaving Soap comes in a porcelain case to extend the life of the soap when not in use; €39 at Zangra.

“One of the great joys of life is the pleasure of tiny fancy things,” writes Alexa. She rounds up 12 Petite Gifts from the Old Country (aka Europe) for our 2018 Gift Guides.

Advent Wreath

Above: The Austrian tradition of hanging a lighted Advent wreath adds a glow of candlelight (or faux, clip-on lights) to dark nights. See tips to make your own in DIY: Simple Advent Wreaths Made from Foraged Flora. Photograph by Justine Hand.

Annie rounds up her favorite European traditions for holiday décor (and tips for how to recreate the look) in The European Holiday: 14 Ways to Decorate the House, from France, Sweden, and More.

Ceramic Switchplate

Above: The Amerelle (3020DBT) Allena Biscuit Ceramic Duplex Wallplate is $5.49 at Wall Plate Warehouse.

Alexa deconstructs the details that add old-world charm to a kitchen remodel in an 1890s house in Catskill State Park, New York. See more details in this week’s Steal This Look post.

DIY $10 Mantel Garland

Above: “I have to admit, I picked up the $5 seeded eucalyptus branches from my local Whole Foods with the idea of incorporating them into a more lush display, but my minimalist tendencies won out,” writes Justine. Photograph by Justine Hand.

See step-by-step instructions to make your own minimalist Christmas decorations at DIY: Minimalist Holiday Mantel, $10 Edition.

Coffee Table Book

Above: Featuring 14 distinctive townhouses full of charm, character, and style, Perfect English Townhouse (Ryland Peters & Small) is $26.33 from Amazon.

“Design writer and former World of Interiors features editor Ros Byam Shaw is the creator of the “Perfect” series of books: Perfect English made its debut in 2007, followed by Perfect English Cottage, Perfect English Farmhouse, and Perfect French Country (all highly recommended),” writes Julie.

See more of Julie’s picks: She rounds up the best interior design books of the year in Holiday Gift Guide 2018: 9 Favorite Design Books of the Year.