I’d like to post a quick note today, to say, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, to my clients, friends, family, and plant enthusiasts out there that have visited my blogs!  This month has been filled with decorating with evergreens and making container gardens, wreaths, swags, and other fun inspirational creations to dress up homes and businesses for the holiday season.  It all kicked off with a class I held in early December on making holiday kissing balls and candle centerpieces with various evergreens and festive embellishments.  17 ladies attended and I could not have asked for a more fun group – each of them offering me inspiration as well.  It was a great way to kick off the decorating season, something I couldn’t live without this time of year.  For me, the decorations set the mood, welcome guests, and bring cheer.  Next year, I am planning to add wreath making, as suggested by an attendee, and I’ve also been coming up with new tips and ideas that I will focus on sharing and teaching at next year’s class.  In the meantime, the horticultural work has not slowed down this winter. I will be designing two new landscape designs as soon as the holiday vacation is over.  One for a fundraising organization in my hometown focused on building a skatepark for kids, and the other for a business client in a nearby town.  Then it is onto working on Hartford’s annual flower show, helping the CT Horticultural Society as a current volunteer to organize some hosts for their amazing display.  Come visit us again – each year is just more fuel to charge the plant person’s soul.  And I am offering an upcoming class in January on creating encaustic treasures to be taught by an artist I met at a garden show this summer.  A detailed flyer will be issued to all current clients so you can see what this fun class will be all about (see DIY CLASSES).  Booking hort trips to places like the Philadelphia Flower Show is high on my list too, and hopefully taking some snowshoe adventures in between – if the snow ever arrives this winter!  It won’t be long when the evergreen decorations have to be dissembled, yet, more  fun decorations for the new year will be created, and next thing you know – spring will arrive.  Use your evergreen dissembled boughs to warm and insulate your perennial garden as a winter mulch. It seems there is never a dull month when it comes to working with plants and plant people.  Some of the activities I calender each year are listed on this blog, under CALENDAR, fyi.  But all this activity for me, as part of my small business and constant hobby, couldn’t happen without the support of my clients and friends.  So many of you have cheered me on, appreciated my efforts and style, visited my booths at some summer shows, given me ideas and suggestions from your own creations and gardening.  And to those who asked me, “Where is your store?”, Well, I dream about that – someday – somewhere, I hope.  I’m truly blessed.  As we approach the end of 2011, again, I want to say Thank You for all your support and I truly hope I will see you again now and in the new season for anything plant related.  Keep your ideas coming. Happy Holidays everyone, and P.S., the green color on my blog wall is just for the rest of the holiday season.  Figured green and red is a little bit of color blast for the last two weeks of December.  If anything, it will wake you up after drinking eggnog.  Cheers, Cathy T

GrapeVine Wreath