To make the holiday season less hectic and to help get some of those details out of the way early here are some planning tips from our years of experience at Wegman’s.

As you are thinking of your holiday decorations remember that Wegman’s will have a full selection of wreaths, garland, swags, centerpieces and mantle pieces. We hope that we can make this area of your holiday planning and preparation a little more stress free.

Nursery founder, Rudy Wegman continues his annual tradition of hand crafting wreaths. Rudy learned his craft years ago while apprenticing in his native Switzerland. Each year you are invited to come into Wegman’s to see him at his work table and place your order for your custom, handmade wreath.

These custom-crafted Advent, tabletop and door wreaths that range in sizes from 10 inches in diameter and up can be ordered now. Rudy's wreaths are truly personalized. He has built wreaths from noble fir, redwood, holly, bay laurel, hydrangeas, pine boughs, nandina, mixtures of fall colored leaves and even straw! If you have a form of foliage you would like made into a wreath bring it in for Rudy to evaluate. The Advent wreaths come with the traditional three purple candles and one pink, but Rudy has personalized them to all red or all white, whatever you wish.

Advent begins Sunday, November 30 so call and order your personalized wreath today.

Wreaths from our suppliers, both decorated and undecorated, in sizes ranging from 12 inches and up will be available Wednesday, November 26. We will also have fresh garland by the foot, which can be cut to exact needs, mantle pieces, swags and centerpieces in various sizes for your special home trimming needs.

Decorating the house with fresh greenery is one of the oldest winter holiday traditions. Americans have been decorating with greenery since the 1600s, with some homes elaborately decorated with garlands of holly, ivy, pine and mistletoe hung from the ceiling. Other homes went a simpler route, with greenery and boughs in the window frames and holly sprigs stuck to the glass.

Today, decorating for the holidays with fresh greenery is more prevalent than ever. Greens such as cedar, ivy, pine, and holly add a fresh look and natural scent to our homes, and are safe to use since they dry out slowly and hold their leaves well. Redwood, spruce, and broadleaf evergreens such as magnolia can also be used, but will last longer if used outdoors.

In addition to using greenery in traditional methods such as wreaths, garlands and table centerpieces, you can create beautiful arrangements in window boxes, pottery or vases. The key is to either immerse the cut ends in water for 4 to 6 hours before arranging or place them in a block of oasis inside the container, which will hold the plant material erect and moist. Plant material in water should have one-quarter to one-half inch trimmed off the ends every two days.

Besides the more commonly used evergreens, consider using other plant parts such as acorns, berries, dried flowers, cones, seed pods and branches of dormant plants to give added color and texture. You can even incorporate fruits such as lemons, limes, apples, pears, kumquats and pineapple.
It’s important to decorate safely during the holidays. Dried evergreens can become flammable when in contact with a heat source such as a candle flame, space heaters, heater vents or sunny windows. If you use lights near your green arrangements, use low voltage or LED lights which will not generate much heat and, if outside, that they are rated for exterior use.

Nothing can beat the look of leafy greens arranged throughout the house. The aroma of pine and other conifers will do much to liven the holiday season. You can find all kinds of fresh greenery here at Wegman's Nursery, so come in and join us in celebrating the holidays

 

Warning, warning, warning!

Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila); Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata); and English Ivy (Hedera helix) are three rugged vines which can be trained on any wall without having to use a trellis. As these plants grow, their stems will touch the wall and sprout adventurous roots at the point of contact. These adventurous roots secrete an adhesive which holds the roots and stem to the wall. Within a few years and with good care, the vine can cover the entire wall. Boston Ivy is deciduous and has beautiful fall color. The other two are evergreen and can become invasive.

Mr. Ed has seen them grow up the wall of a house, under the eaves and between the shingles on the roof. Unfortunately, they can loosen and displace the shingles. When one attempts to remove these vines, the roots remain attached to the wall and are almost impossible to remove, especially on stucco. This presents a serious problem when it is time to repaint that wall. If a brick wall has ivy growing on its surface and develops cracks in the mortar, the roots of the ivy will invariably grow into those cracks. The carbon dioxide produced by the roots of the ivy combines with moisture in the air and produces carbonic acid, which accelerates the breakdown of the mortar between the bricks. So the vines do their job and cover their wall, but be aware that there can be problems as these vigorous plants make themselves at home on your home.

With winter rains around the corner here are some ideas for Erosion Control--

Jute Mesh for Erosion Control
Jute Mesh “Soil Saver” is the original 100% biodegradable brown, open weave, light duty erosion control matting made from jute fibers which are separated and woven into this jute mesh product. It is an ideal reinforcement mesh for hydro-seeding and bituminous applications. When used for erosion control, the weave openings act as tiny check dams which inhibit the flow velocity of water.

$1.49 per yard or 4 foot by 225 foot rolls for $106.99.

Winter Cover Crop
This legume based crop puts nitrogen back into the soil.

$4.99 per pound. One pound covers 300 square feet.

Santa Cruz Erosion Control
A pasture mix grass seed.

$8.99 per pound. One pound covers 670 square feet.