Take Inspiration

This will be my last blog entry until February. I am taking a Winter break from plants and will be spending much time around large piles of manure. Why on earth would I do that you ask? The answer is because the manure will be coming from the thirteen elephants at Riddle's Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary located an hour North of Little Rock, Arkansas.



I will be an intern there for a month. I will live in a dorm, cook my meals in a community kitchen, and help care for their incredible residents. They are a nonprofit organization that takes in elephants that have been given up by zoos,retired from circus life, or even orphaned in the wild.

'Tis the season of giving. What inspires you? What would drag you away from your loved ones for a month? What would light you up inside?

Merry Christmas! See you next year! -Christine

Riddle's Elephant Sanctuary

Gardening Through Winter

A lot of people welcome a winter break from the yard and garden chores, but there are some thrill-seekers that venture on through this chilly chapter of the garden journal. When it is cold we want to stay in our beds,and we should. Only, I am talking about our flower and shrub beds!
Now is a good time to dig up, rearrange, and ammend the soil. You may think that your plants are getting by on the sandy Savannah soil that has been there since the War Between The States, however they could be doing so much more with a little help from you.
Ammending soil is not an exact science. Everyone has their secret ingredient that they feel works the best. It is a good idea to have your soil tested by the County Extension Service. (The link is on this blog.) There is a small fee, but it is well worth it for the information and advice that they will send you. You can come in to our store with their information, and we can get you started with the right additives.
If you prefer to do your own way, we can suggest common additives for a variety of situations. For example, Garden Gypsum is known to break up clay soils. Lime helps tame our naturally acidic soil. Superphosphate improves the number of blooms has down the road. Just let tell us about what your planting, and we can help.
Once you realize the benefits of improving your soil, you may want to look into starting a compost pile in your yard.

For Composting Info Click Here
Earth 911 Making Every Day Earth Day-Good Info!
Composting For Kids

Don't Stress!

It was the day I had to pick my mom up at the airport, for our families' early Christmas celebration, that I decided to clean the interior of my car. It looked like a hamster cage. I wouldn't have been surprised to find a chewed up toilet paper roll in the clutter. Heck, even a hamster wouldn't have been all too alarming. What was wrong with me? Why had I let my car fill up with soda cans, pay stubs, books, shoes,and goodness knows what else? It was when I was vacuuming the pea gravel out of the trunk that I decided,"Enough!" I gave the car a final spray of Trapp's Mediterranean Fig air freshener and slammed the hatch down. Phewww. My car was the last of a laundry list of chores that I had assigned myself AND my husband for our holiday festivities, and I was ready to be DONE!
Doesn't cleaning just bring out the best in our personalities? Or rather the need to clean? My husband and I had begun the pre-holiday muttering at one another.
I couldn't TELL you what he was muttering about, but I started down this road,
"If you don't use the crevice tool, it means you haven't vacuumed." I called my sister on the phone as I loaded the dishwasher. "It's like they don't see the same stuff that needs to be done." She chuckled in recognition.

Her annual Christmas letter hadn't gone out yet, and that was a bull that her husband usually took by the horns. "He spent the evening loading music on to the computer," she commisserated. "Then he wanted to go to bed-at 8:30!" The thing is that our husbands are great guys, but the holiday stress had my sister and I lining them up against car thieves and people that dot their i's with little smiley faces, both of which are highly disturbing.

When my family eventually arrived, I made great attempts to keep my stress at a level managable by Advil and a few glasses of wine. I decorated the Christmas tree with my mom and my aunt, and only a few times replaced their ornaments to "safer" branches;cat-resistant branches. I was filled with so much warmth from the holidays and a 2004 Syrah that I hardly noticed the smudges from cat noses on the dining room windows. I didn't even flinch as a hair ball rolled by me like a Tumble Weed in Death Valley. Oh no. I was merry, and consequently, everyone else was too! Now there will always be slip ups. Outbursts like, "Yes I need that! That's why I put it on the list!" are bound to occurr. As are the, "I TOLD you-put the potatoes in the BLUE dish.Geeeez."
Christmas comes without Windex, or Tile-x,or sheets for the Swiffer. It comes without emmaculant counters-though some beg to differ. You see, Christmas is something that doesn't come in a sprayer! Christmas, it turns out, is meant to be gayer!

So gather your loved ones and let go of the stress. Besides-I'm sure nobody will notice that spot on your dress!

The Twelve Days Of Christmas H&Z Style

On the first day of Christmas my garden center gave to me-
Some Citrus Food for my orange tree.

On the second day of Christmas my garden center gave to me-
Two Topiaries and some Citrus Food for my orange tree.

On the third day of Christmass my garden center gave to me-
Three Flats of Pansies
Two Topiaries and some Citrus food for my orange tree.

On the fourth day of Christmas my garden center gave to me-
Four Nerdy Birds
Three Flats of Pansies
Two Topiaries
And some Citrus Food for my orange tree.

On the fifth day of Christmas my garden center gave to me-
FIVE BALES OF STRAW!
Four Nerdy Birds
Three Flats of Pansies
Two Topiaries
And some Citrus Food for my orange tree.

On the sixth day of Christmas my garden center gave to me-
Six sacks of Scratch Feed
FIVE BALES OF STRAW!
Four Nerdy Birds
Three Flats of Pansies
Two Topiaries
And some Citrus Food for my orange tree.

On the seventh day of Christmas my garden center gave to me-
Seven Bulbs a blooming
Six sacks of Scratch Feed
FIVE BALES OF STRAW!
Four Nerdy Birds
Three Flats of Pansies
Two Topiaries
And some Citrus Food for my orange tree.

On the eighth day of Christmas my garden center gave to me-
Eight Indian Hawthorns
Seven Bulbs a Blooming
Six sacks of Scratch Feed
FIVE BALES OF STRAW!
Four Nerdy Birds
Three Flats of Pansies
Two Topiaries
And some Citrus Food for my orange tree.

On the nineth day of Christmas my garden center gave to me-
Nine cats meowing
Eight Indian Hawthorns
Seven Bulbs a Blooming
Six sacks of Scratch Feed
FIVE BALES OF STRAW!
Four Nerdy Birds
Three flats of Pansies
Two Topiaries
And some Citrus Food for my orange tree.

On the tenth day of Christmas my garden center gave to me-
Ten hanging baskets.
Nine cats meowing
Eight Indian Hawthorns
Seven Bulbs a Blooming
Six sacks of Scratch Feed
FIVE BALES OF STRAW!
Four Nerdy Birds
Three Flats of Pansies
Two Topiaries
And some Citrus Food for my orange tree.

On the eleventh day of Christmas my garden center gave to me-
Eleven Black-Eyed Susans
Ten Hanging Baskets
Nine cats meowing
Eight Indian Hawthorns
Seven Bulbs a Blooming
Six sacks of Scratch Feed
FIVE BALES OF STRAW!
Four Nerdy Birds
Three Flats of Pansies
Two Topiaries
And Some Citrus Food for my orange tree.

On the twelve day of Christmas my garden center gave to me twelve yards of ribbon
Eleven Black-Eyed Susans
Ten Hanging Baskets
Nine Cats Meowing
Eight Indian Hawthorns
Seven Bulbs a Blooming
Six Sacks of Scratch Feed
FIVE BALES OF STRAW!
Four Nerdy Birds
Three Flats of Pansies
Two Topiaries
And some Citrus Food for my orange tree.

Excuse Me While I Slip Into Something Christmas-ie!

As we scoop the last of the Sweet Potato Souffle out of a chilled Corning ware dish, and digest the time spent with family and friends, it is time to change gears once more. It's time to climb the attic stairs,fiddle with fake snow,and, for crying out loud, set our hearts aglow!

Feeling Grinchy? A little bit?


It's understandable. There's a lot to think about and a lot to do. It is for that reason that I've made this list of typical holiday woes, and how WE can solve them!

In no particular order...

My mom is coming to town, and she's this super gardener. My thumb is black! My house is as cold as a doctor's office! Help!

No problem! You just need a little color! Our Poinsettias are in! A LOT OF THEM! We also have these cool decorative tins to doll them up even more!


Oh, and as for the bologna about them being poisonous?
READ THIS!

Ok, I have pets. They mess with my house plants and decorations. How can I make my house festive and animal resistant?

Tricky, but not impossible! These tin signs are a charming option!


I always forget to water my Christmas Tree! Then, when I do, I have to move all of the presents and decorations! Isn't their an easier way?

You bet there is! For $19.99 you can buy the Ever-Green Seasons watering system! It looks like a present beside your tree, but pumps water into your tree stand!


I cannot make a bow to save my life!

Mary-Ann can make you a bow that will make you want to slap your mama, and look at all of the ribbon you can choose from! BOW-daceous!


How can I protect my tender plants from a freeze? That way they still look great for company?
You need a "Planket". It's the material used by professional growers! No more throwing heirloom quilts over orange trees and Sponge Bob Square Pants sheets over the Petunias! Don't make your yard look like a flea market! Use what the pros use!
La Planket!

STAY TUNED FOR MORE PORBLEMS AND ANSWERS!!!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like...

If our store was a woman, it would need some Lycra, because we are busting out all over the place with cool stuff. You're probably considering things like what to put on your mantle or how to make your table look fabulous and unique. I'm telling you, now is the time to stop by!

We just received an order from Wickermania! That means baskets, but these aren't your grandmother's baskets. These are chic and waiting to go on a book shelf, in your powder room,or even on your wall! Baskets can hold plants, but that is just the beginning! Every room in the house has some clutter that gets shoved in a drawer before company comes over. Put the clutter in a basket-and voila! You're not messy; you are marvelous.



How many gardeners does it take to screw in a Paperwhite Bulb? Zero. These bulbs are so easy to plant that even beginners can enjoy their fast growth and fragrant blooms. At 99 cents a pop these bulbs are affordable gifts and fun projects for kids. For only $16.99 you can have two bulbs creatively planted in a vase with colorful stones,beads,or ornaments. Your family will be so impressed, and all you had to do was bring it home!



(If you are planting bulbs in the yard, don't forget your Dutch Bulb Food! It's better than bone meal and won't attract the neighborhood pooches to your yard.)


There is nothing like a crisp morning and the sound of church bells. Here in Savannah, the crisp morning might be hard to come by, but the bells are not. Our new line of "Corinthian Bells" (chimes) are of the highest quality. Don't think Tinker Bell here. Think French Monestary. Their sound is hauntingly beautiful, and they are waiting here to help you ring in the holiday season.



There are many new finds in the store. We hope to see you soon! Make sure to check out the secret word on this blog. Come in to the Wilmington Island location and say it, and you'll receive 10% off your next purchase! (Excludes pinestraw.)

Kristen Speaks to Whitemarsh Garden Club

Every woman knows that it is all about the shoes, and our Kristen got to try on a new pair that was given to her by the Whitemarsh Island Garden Club. Colored with more personality than Lady Chablis, the formerly-canvas loafers made Kristen feel like Dorothy in Oz.



The garden club members were not witches, but wise-cracking women ready for a good time.



We're not talking styro-foam cups and Chex Part Mix. Oh no! A snack associated with Super Bowl parties and March Madness would not suffice for these stylish dames.
China, or at the very least dishes that would shatter, was brought out for She-Crab Soup,cucumber and tomato sandwichs,and some white wine. With all of the sensory stimulation, it's a wonder Kristen could remember her professional task to educate the merry group.Indeed she did, though.

Kristen covered everything from preventing cold damage to eye-catching Fall plantings. The garden club was understandably wooed by the golden blooms of the Cassia Tree, and who wouldn't be? They are stunning. They were also delighted by the "You Pick It-We Pot It" service Hester and Zipperer offers. They will likely be bringing in their containers, and searching for new ones, to be planted for the upcoming holidays.

Kristen sends her thanks for a wonderful time! It was very memorable.