Fireplace Cover

Cozy winter fires can cool a room when not in use unless you have a fireplace cover. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Fireplace Cover

The forecast is for more snow, which I love - let it snow as long as we don’t get ice along with it. The forecast includes a few record cold weeks ahead so here’s how to make sure you stay cozy when you don’t have your fireplace going.

Some fireplaces have glass covers that keep cold out and harness the heat. If you don’t have a fireplace cover, this will come in handy when you are not at home and want to prevent cold air from coming in. This also works for covering your fireplace at nights when you don’t have the fireplace in use.

Whether you burn real wood or use gas in a fireplace with an opening to vent to the outside, the fireplace opening in your house can be a huge source of heat loss when not in use.

To keep your fireplace from loosing heat, you can make a fireplace cover. This one is made out of black quilted fabric with a quilt batting fill.

Cut the cover a good 4-6 inches larger than the opening on three sides.

Measure ties on either end that will attach to the fireplace cover grill to keep the fireplace cover safely in place.

This quilted fireplace cover with ties sits on the fireplace opening when not in use. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Measure quilting fill to place inside. You can use sewn batting remnants together or double up batting.

Sew the batting to one side of the fireplace cover to keep batting in place. Then sew the back side onto the front, reverse it and finish by sewing the opening shut.

Add the ties. Once tied onto the metal grate, the metal grate is tucked up against the fireplace opening, sealing the opening so that cold weather doesn’t enter the room.

The fireplace cover keeps cold air from entering through the fireplace. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wigigns)

If you want something fancier, you could use the front of the fireplace cover for a design out of fabric and leave the back quilted.

I like the black quilted cotton fabric because once it is tied to the metal grate and tucked up close to the opening, you can’t even see that the opening is covered.

We often hear advice about wearing more sweaters and turning the thermostats down to cut down on heating costs. This little trick will also help keep you warm and cozy.

Charlotte

Last Minute Gift Idea

A good friend gave me this lovely bee skep ornament this year. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Last Minute Gift idea

Ever since early December, the emails and calls have been coming in from last minute shoppers wanting help with their gift giving. Maybe this year more than in previous years we want our gift giving to be comforting and hopeful.

So what to give if you have put off buying something to the last week before Christmas, or need to pick something up for someone at the last minute?

One of my all-time favorite gifts, whether you put off getting it until the last few days of Christmas or not, are Christmas tree ornaments. Especially ones that have a special meaning to the receiver.

It may be a little challenging to order it online at this point so look to your local retailers for possibilities. Antique and thrift stores usually have a nice interesting selection, as do pharmacies, home and garden centers and pet shops.

For a newlywed couple, give them a half dozen ornaments that mark the beginning of their lives together: a house ornament is a good place to start.

For that relative with a new baby, first baby’s Christmas ornament is a favorite addition to any tree. One of my friends gave her son one ornament a year that represented something special that year as he was growing up. When he finally married, he had a nice collection of ornaments for his first Christmas tree as a married couple.

Don’t forget the pets, an ornament marking who they are can become a favorite.

To make this a family activity and gift, shatterproof tree ornaments are readily available at most retailers. Let kids decorate them with magic markers, glitter and their own designs. This would work well for your own family Christmas tree.

Remember to date the ornaments on the bottom before giving so the receiver will have a little help later remembering what year the personalized ornament joined the others.

And as far as the bee skep ornament, it was a gift from a good friend and beekeeper. And I can personally attest to it as a gift, I love it!

Charlotte

How to Get It There by Christmas

Helps to look at the calendar to get the best estimate of shipping dates. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

How to Get It There by Christmas

To no one’s surprise, this year’s holiday shipping season is also very different from past years. In addition to a temporary price increase over the holidays, most of the shipping companies are suggesting the earlier you ship, the better.

To make sure your packages arrive before December 25th, here's when US Postal Service recommends you ship by:

• First Class Package: Ship by December 18th.

• Priority Mail: Ship by December 19th.

• Priority Mail Express: Ship by December 23rd.

• Media Mail & Parcel Select Ground: Ship by December 15th.

Keep in mind these are delivery estimates, not guarantees.

Frankly I have all of my personal packages, and Christmas cards, shipped. With the package traffic up by a good 30% this year, I want to make sure my packages and cards arrive on time.

For customers looking to ship something after December 10, I recommend shipping overnight fully realizing “overnight” does not mean next day, it could take 2-4 days for it to arrive at the destination.

One option is to take a picture of the item you want, put it in an envelope under the tree and order it after the holidays. Not as much fun as having it under the tree but it is an option especially if you want to make sure the colors are correct.

Charlotte

Covering Stains

Somehow I ended up with a stain on a favorite lightweight jacket. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Covering Stains

Do you ever get stains on your clothes?

So do I. Even worse, I sometimes get them on favorite pieces of clothing, usually ones I can’t easily replace. Since I shop at thrift stores, many of my favorite clothing pieces are not easily replaceable.

This lightweight beige jacket has been a wardrobe staple for years. Wish I could remember how it was stained but I frankly don’t know. What I do know is that the stain made the jacket unwearable.

Well, for a short time.

I took the jacket to my favorite embroidery shop and asked them to cover the stain with a floral pattern. After going through a number of pattern books, we settled on a design. The original order was tone on tone but a miscommunication gave me a red rose.

An embroidered red rose now covers the stained area. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The left stain was not as easy to see as the right one. They added another embroidered rose pattern to the left side, nicely covering that stain.

Two roses now cover the jacket stains. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The embroidered jacket is now back in use, the red roses a new favorite. And no thorns!

Charlotte

Last Flowers of Season

Zinnias and lantana in the last cut flower bouquet of the season. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Last Flowers of Season

The first frost came early this year; about two weeks earlier than the usual Halloween frost that marks the first hard frost of the season. I live in USDA Hardiness zone 5 where we have four distinct seasons. With our rapidly changing climate, springs and falls are getting longer while summers and winters seem shorter.

I started bringing in my tropical plants a few weeks back which includes pots of annuals including geraniums, lantanas and salvia. The pots of zinnias have not survived well inside in the past so those are cut to preserve the last flowers of the season.

If you want to enjoy a few more cut flowers from your garden, cut them as you would any time of the year. Early morning is best, and use pruners or flower scissors to make a clean cut on the stem.

Lantana flowers are annuals that have a sharp scent as cut flowers. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

This time of year you can also cut the buds. In the case of zinnias, the buds very nicely open up inside to form full flowers in a vase.

You can cut zinnias in bud; they will unfurl into full flowers in a vase. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Remove leaves from the stem bottoms.

Change water every day or so to keep the flowers blooming.

If the stem is collapsing, recut so the flower can still absorb water.

If you get the stems too short, consider putting them i a shorter flower vase instead of throwing them out.

You can also add wildflowers currently in bloom. The combination of annuals and wildflowers can make lovely combinations. Since I was cutting these flowers in the middle of the night I chose not to go looking for wildflowers. Wildflowers will make it through a frost much better than these tropical annuals.

Enjoy, and start planning next year’s garden!

Charlotte

Picking Throw Pillows

Pick a favorite theme and work off the colors. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Picking Throw Pillows

I forget what well-known designer said it but someone recently was quoted as saying solid color throw pillows are a sign of laziness.

Well, unless you’re buying the same patterned pillow, trying to collect interesting complimentary throw pillows can be a challenge. Or an adventure, depending on your point of view.

The advantage of collecting different complimentary pillows is that it quickly adds interest to a chair and sofa. The disadvantage is that it can take a little time and treasure hunting.

To start, I pick a throw pillow I really like. I found the outdoor bird pillow in the photo for my deck at a local sale. The colors are complimentary to the outside rug and the theme is a personal favorite.

My outdoor deck with a few extra pillows tucked under the table. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I took a picture of the pillow and had it handy whenever I ran across other pillows.

A few weeks later, I found the outdoor throw pillow with the single bluebird. It’s not a perfect match but it is complimentary in colors, which means they look good next to each other in the deck chairs. And the bluebird theme is a personal favorite.

I’m good with these two bird-themed pillows for the deck. I have a few solid color outdoor pillows for when I need to add seating. I keep a couple of the solid outdoor pillows tucked under the deck table. I want it to be inviting and comfortable, not a place to collect pillows.

The end of the season is also a good time to shop for outdoor throw pillows on sale. Take a photo of one you like and have fun finding throw pillows that make you smile!

Charlotte

How to Get Blue Phlox

Blue flower colors can be hard to find to add to cut flower bouquets. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

How to Get Blue Phlox

It can be challenging to find blue flowers for home decor bouquets. When I think of blue flowers, bluebells from Texas come to mind but they don’t grow well in Missouri. Virginia bluebells do bloom here in spring but they disappear by June.

By happenstance I discovered that with a little patience I can have blue phlox for flower arrangements.

These lovely blue-toned flowers are actually native Missouri pink phlox, the original flower species that is the basis of all hybrid phlox varieties.

The blue cut flowers come from native Missouri pink phlox. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you leave the pink phlox inside in a flower vase with fresh water every day or so, the pink will fade to a blue, giving you the option to add a blue-toned flower to your cut flower arrangement.

This is such an easy way to get a hard to find blue flower for home decor!

Charlotte

Repurpose Birdhouses

This old wren house now sits on my deck table as a flower vase. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Repurpose Birdhouses

Do you have a favorite birdhouse birds are not using? Or maybe one that is starting to fall apart but you want to keep it around a little longer. That’s what happened with this small grey wren house that now serves as a flower vase on my deck.

The birdhouse had served as a home for birds for many years. One spring, though, I noticed the roof was disintegrating and I didn’t want to risk having baby birds being unprotected from the elements.

After removing the resident nest, I washed the birdhouse in hot water with a dab of bleach to remove any remaining undesirables.

Wear gloves to protect your hands from the bleach.

An old toothbrush works well to scrub out both the inside and outside.

Once dry, I sprayed it with a light coat of a clear poly satin to slow down the wood deteriorating.

It is stored over winter and brought out in the spring time to hold flowers.

The missing roof piece is wide enough to squeeze a small plastic cup. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

To use the birdhouse as a flower base, I added a small plastic cup that would fit through the missing roof line.

Spanish moss fills in where the flowers run out.

This year the birdhouse has extra decor. Did you see him?

This tree frog is also making the birdhouse a home. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

A Missouri tree frog seems to have moved in and decided to make the birdhouse home. He’s been greeting me every morning now for almost a week, watching me from the old birdhouse entrance.

I suppose frogs don’t mind when it rains although he has a good half of the birdhouse that stays dry.

Guess it’s time to give him a name!

Charlotte

Dry Catnip

It’s time to dry catnip for winter tea and handmade cat gifts. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Dry Catnip

It seems early to think about Christmas but if you make gifts for cats, this is the time to get that homegrown catnip dried.

Catnip is a perennial herb that, when dried, most cats love. Catnip also makes a nice winter tea.

To pick the catnip at the best time, you want it before it starts generating flowers, that’s when the catnip will be strongest. That’s about this time of year where I live in USDA Hardiness zone 5.

I also leave a separate patch of catnip to flower since bees love it. See the tiny flower heads on the top?

Cut catnip before it blooms to retain its strongest flavor. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

How to Dry Catnip

Cut the catnip stalks about 4 inches from the bottom. Catnip stalks, like most mints, will have square hollow stalks.

Carefully remove leaves. Only use leaves from plants that haven’t been treated with pesticides or other chemicals.

Place catnip leaves in an open weave basket lined with a paper towel or a cotton napkin. You want a container where air can travel through it. Glass and porcelain containers retain moisture.

If you have saved those little silica gel packets that come with shoes and other items, this is the time to use them. Tuck them under the paper towel to help speed up the catnip drying process.

Silica gel packets will help speed up the catnip-drying time. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

You want the catnip leaves sitting on top of the paper towels. The paper towels will help absorb moisture as the leaves dry out.

Place the basket in a warm spot. I place my drying baskets on top of my refrigerator.

Turn them every day or so until they are dry.

You can wait to remove plant stalks until after they are dry. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you use cotton napkins, those also make good reusable drying surfaces for catnip.

You can also dry catnip on cloth napkins placed over silica gel packs. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Once dry, you can easily remove the dried stalks. Store in an airtight container for later use. I also sprinkle cat toy storage containers with the freshly dried catnip to refresh catnip toys.

And those catnip-infused baskets?

I let my cats enjoy playing in them, that helps me to ensure the quality of the dried catnip.

Boo Boo Bartholomew, left, trying to curl up in a small catnip-infused basket. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

You can also buy dried catnip for homemade toys. Over the years, though, friends and family have told me their cats didn’t like catnip until they tried my toys. I am convinced it is because my toys are made with homegrown fresh catnip.

Christmas is only six months away!

Charlotte

Gourd Bird Houses

The bee birdhouse was purchased ready made and on sale. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Gourd Bird Houses

Whether you buy ready made or make one yourself, gourd bird houses are a fun way to provide your natural pest patrol with homes.

Contrary to some assumptions, gourd bird houses can last for several years. The trick is to clean them out in fall and store them in a safe place over winter.

You can grow your own gourds or buy gourds at your local farmer’s market, usually at the end of the growing season. Kids can have fun decorating the gourds. Once dry, apply a coat of clear acrylic to help preserve the art work.

Do not spray the inside of the gourd.

The biggest question I get about my bird house gourds is what size is the entrance. Different birds like different sizes. I like having Carolina wrens around my garden so my gourd entrances are 1 1/4 inch, which is their preferred entrance size.

That tends to be the size in pre-made gourd birdhouses because it also attracts titmice and chickadees.

The gourd bird house entrance is a 1 1/4 inch circle. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you want a simpler painting scheme, start by painting your gourds fruit colors. Apples are fun and provide a quick pop of color. I painted these home grown gourds red and added painted leaves on the top and back. They now hang from my dwarf apple trees, housing a resident, and very vocal, wren.

This homemade apple gourd has the same sized entrance. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Also remember to add a hook at the top so that you can easily and safely hang the gourd.

I screwed in an eye hook and then glued around it to ensure it safely holds the gourd’s precious cargo.

Remember to plan for hooks to easily hang your birdhouse gourds. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Homemade gourd bird houses also make for nice garden gifts. When painting yours, make sure to make a few more to share with family and friends. Your birds will appreciate it and they will help keep garden bug populations under control.

Charlotte

Homemade Face Masks

Reversible homemade face masks with filters. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Homemade Face Masks

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends wearing basically a face mask when coming in contact with others when, for example, grocery shopping.. With predictions that COVID 19 will peak in Missouri mid May, I decided to make a few face masks.

There are a lot of patterns making the rounds, from red bandanas with hair ties to ones with replaceable filters. I decided to tackle a reversible, reusable one with replaceable filters and here it is.

To make, I washed purple quilter’s cotton in hot water to shrink the cotton fibers. Quilter’s cotton is one of the best cottons to use because the fibers are tighter. Once washed, I dried in a hot dryer, again to tighten the cotton threads, and then ironed it.

For the adjustable nose pieces, I used the small gauge wire I had in my goodies drawer for house projects.

The 1/4 inch elastic was in my sewing supplies.

I did buy the Dupont 9600 furnace filter and Tool Box Shop towels, both recommended in a Business Insider article about household items tested for filtering particles. For a 20x20x1 furnace filter, I cut out 36 face mask filter replacements. Be careful as you remove the filter; I would cut it out of the cardboard frame instead of trying to tear it out. I ripped a corner before I took scissors to it.

Also use a piece of cotton when trying to iron out the furnace filter or you won’t be able to flatten the filter without burning it.

Iron out furnace filters by placing cotton on the filter. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wigigns)

The Tool Box shop towels come in rolls and can easily be cut from the rolls.

Homemade Face Mask Pattern

After doing some research, I decided to use this pattern from University of Minnesota alum Shannon Williamson. She has degrees in apparel design and medical device innovation. She works as a user experience designer with the cardiovascular group at Medtronic.

While DIY masks are not as effective as surgical or N95 masks* in preventing the spread of COVID-19, some doctors and other health care professionals are wearing them over the top of the higher-tech masks to increase durability. And use of these DIY masks, by lower risk populations, free up N95 masks for health care professionals and others who are at high risk.

Only two patterns, this is for cutting out the filters. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

“This mask is deliberately more complex than those that are circulating on the Internet,” says Williamson. Her design provides a more secure fit and includes a filter pocket.

She created the design after consulting with everyone from quilters and seamstresses to physicians and engineers. But, she says, it’s important for people not to go out and get supplies in order to create these.

She recommends people use what they have on hand, from unused fabrics to cut-up furnace filters, or even vacuum cleaner bags, for the filter pockets. You will find the pattern and instructions here:

https://twin-cities.umn.edu/news-events/diy-face-masks-during-covid-19

Here’s the reversible mask I made for myself, it’s purple for Easter. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

 Additional Notes

After washing and drying fabric in hot water and hot heat, iron it. All of that heat will make the fabric fibers tighter.

Once you sew the curve edges together, make little cuts along the curve so the fabric will fold better. It’s hard to iron the seams open so this step will help you skip trying to iron the seams open.

I did try a bread tie in the first one and liked the small gauge wire better. Use the bread tie if that’s the only thing you have. Pipe cleaners and floral wire will also work.

To keep the wire in place, I added a little sewn in wing at the end of where the wire ends to make sure it stays in place.

If you are not sure of head size, make fabric ties instead of using elastic. The ties will provide the wearer more flexibility and be more comfortable for long wear.

The furnace filters are easier to insert than the Tool Box Shop towels. Both are easy to breathe through and have been confirmed as filtering a high percentage of virus particles.

Mask liners made from furnace filters and shop vac towels. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The homemade face masks do look a bit like a bra cup. These masks don’t sit flat on your face, they stand out to allow you room to breathe without getting fabric in your mouth on the intake. At one point I was tempted to make one out of yellow like a duck bill, then came back to my senses.

Don’t forget to make a few extras to share with family. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

You are wondering, though, why purple?

I actually made two different colors. No, make that three. One set was made out of yellow bee fabric, another one was made out of pink fabric for a friend, and then there are these purple ones. Reversible with a solid purple on the other side.

It’s Easter. Purple seems to be a good compromise, not too pastel but still a nod to the season.

Happy Easter and stay well!

Charlotte

How to Set Up Home Office

This was my first home office set up in a vintage desk in a guest bedroom. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

How to Set Up Home Office

As many people scramble to set up home offices, here are some tips from my experience setting up, and having, a home office for some time now.

When you first set up, you are going to make do. Do not, I repeat, do not place your coffee, tea and water next to your temporary computer space.

As you find what doesn’t work, you will adjust so don’t expect to get it right the first time, keep adjusting.

If you don’t have a computer and are buying one, get a laptop, it’s more portable and easier to place. You can always add a larger monitor or two if you need them.

1. Set up your work space separate from other home activities. Good places for home offices are guest bedrooms and a corner of your unused living room.

2. Wherever you set up, make sure you have electrical outlets close by. If not, thread the extension cord under rugs to make sure the work area is safe.

3. If possible, set up close to a window. Having a connection to the outdoors is spirit-lifting, even if you spend all day on a computer.

4. Move dictionaries and other reference material to your work space. Be creative about how you make them easily accessible. Boxes make excellent temporary files assuming the cat doesn’t find it first!

5. You will need a printer so plan space for one, and a good lamp to minimize eye strain.

6. Include a safe area for your cup of coffee, tea and water. Keep as many of your office routines as you can and bringing a cup of coffee back to your work space is a common one.

My writing work space in a living room corner. Took me a couple of weeks to find a way to fit my reference materials in the small wire book case underneath. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Quick and Dirty Home Offices

Those home offices are well worn and established but what if you don’t have a desk, or space.

It took me awhile to settle into those home work spaces so here are some of the other ones I have successfully used in the interim:

Sofa tables make handy temporary work spaces if you don’t immediately need a printer. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

With portable laptops, a sofa table will work quite nicely as a temporary office to hold your laptop, phone and glasses. The sofa table makes it easier to establish a working spot in the middle of the usual family chaos. Make sure kids know not to touch what is on the table.

Sofa tables do not have enough room for everything listed plus a printer so this is a working space only. Helps to have a coffee table nearby for your other necessities including pens and a cup of tea.

I sometimes use this sofa table for online conference sessions. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you don’t have a sofa table, try a bed tray with legs. You can set these up at a chair or sofa corner to give yourself an even platform.

These are only good options if you are not setting up monitors and printers, these work well for portable laptops.

This bed tray has been an excellent portable home office. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

While you are shopping for a sofa table and bed tray, your dining room table will work quite well especially if you have a larger monitor.

Just make sure you have your basic office necessities close by. I use an old tray and ceramic vases to hold pens, pencils, paper clips and a small stapler.

Dining room tables can easily be set up for temporary work spaces. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Other Home Office Considerations

Some other things to consider as you set up your home office.

1. Get up and dressed for work; then go to your work area and appreciate that you don’t have a commute.

2. Discuss with family that when you are in your work area, you are only to be disturbed in an emergency. A friend has set up a little office area for her daughter so that both of them can “go to work” together.

3. If you are set up in an area with a door, walk out when you are done for the day and close the door or you may be tempted to go back in and work more.*

   *This is an advantage, and the challenge, of working at home. It took me several weeks working at home to identify stopping points on projects so that I could in good conscience put off the project work until the next day. In other words, having the work at home can make it easier to just keep going but try for balance.

4. Set up your work hours and stick to them with colleagues. Realize you have some flexibility with your individual work hours but start first with the hours you are accustomed keeping. Then move to a flexible schedule as needed and appropriate.

   Who Are You Going to Call

Discuss with co-workers how you will communicate:

1. Agree on how you will keep up to date on projects; end of day email summaries work well.

2. Collaborative platforms like Slack, Zoom, Free Conference Call and Google will work only as well as how comfortable the people are using them. Agree to try them out and then decide what works best for the whole group.

3. Keep your weekly meetings as much as possible; it will make the changes seem more normal.

Impact You Will Have on Pets

You know this will impact your family but it will also have an impact on your pets.

My two cats had an established routine when I worked away from home. Once I started working all day at home, it took them awhile to settle into a revised schedule, most of it of their own making.

Shirley Honey keeps me company at one of my desks. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

One cat files herself away in a desk drawer whenever she gets the chance. The other cat periodically cruises by for some attention and lap time before heading for a nap in a chair. Frankly having pets close by is one of the biggest perks of working at home!

Charlotte

Re-Blooming Amaryllis

Apple Blossom Amaryllis bulbs starting to re-bloom late winter. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Re-Blooming Amaryllis

When you think of late winter flowers, maybe a tree is on our minds but how about these lovely flowers?

You see the bulbs that grow these flowers offered for sale around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Amaryllis are a popular flowering gift and one that people tend to toss after it flowers. I know because I happily adopt bulbs people don’t want any more over the years.

Amaryllis can re-bloom with a little care and patience, and they are well worth the effort.

Amaryllis are South American cousins to the North American Surprise lilies. Surprise lilies grow the green leaves first; the leaves die back and then the flower stalk shows up mid-July, blooming on naked stems. In Missouri, these lovely pink flowers are also called naked ladies.

The flowering “energy” is stored in the bulbs. To get Amaryllis to re-bloom, the idea is easy: they have to recharge their bulbs.

Surprise lilies, the North American cousins to Amaryllis. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

One of the big mistakes people make is planting the bulb too deep. Amaryllis bulbs need to have roots in soil but the bulb sitting on top. My bulbs have at most the bottom half in soil.

Amaryllis bulbs need to sit on soil with the roots buried. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The roots also need to get moisture. To make sure the roots are kept hydrated, I have a plastic bottle full of holes sitting in the middle of the large pot. This helps ensure the water gets evenly distributed through the soil.

Buried plastic bottles with holes keep soil hydrated. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Once an Amaryllis finishes blooming, long leaves will grow out of the bulb. Keep those leaves well-watered and fertilize the bulbs until the leaves die back.

The leaves will turn sunlight into sugars which are stored in the large flower bulb.

Amaryllis bulb leaves will recharge bulbs. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Once the leaves die, let the bulbs “rest’ for a couple of months without watering. I mark my kitchen calendar when the leaves have died back and periodically check to make sure it’s not too dry.

At this point, the bulbs can be stored in a cool place but no colder than 50F. I just leave them in their pots until I am ready to get them blooming again. Then I either repot or just start watering. When I see the tips of the flower buds coming out of the bulbs, I know the plant is re-blooming. I then move them to where I can enjoy the flowers.

Amaryllis will do best in indirect sun while they bloom.

Several re-blooming Apple Blossom Amaryllis bulbs. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The Amaryllis in the photo is an Apple Blossom. I have 8 Amaryllis bulbs in the pot, each bulb producing 4 flowers.

Here’s another view showing at least 12 Amaryllis flowers in bloom and more to come. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Once the bulbs finish blooming, the pot will go outside to spend summer on my deck collecting energy into the bulbs through the leaves. I will also keep it fertilized with added compost.

When they come back inside late fall, leaves will still be growing. I will keep watering until the leaves turn yellow.

The leaves of this Apple Blossom Amaryllis bulb collection died back over Christmas. Once the leaves turned yellow, I cut back on watering for a couple of months to give the bulbs a rest.

Some years I dig out the top few inches of soil and give the bulbs new soil without disturbing their settled roots.

Amaryllis flowers make lovely cut flowers, too. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you can’t place the Amaryllis in a pot where you can enjoy it, Amaryllis flowers can be cut and enjoyed in a flower vase.

Amaryllis will make new bulbs and keep growing year to year if you give them the right growing conditions.

This is the same Apple Blossom Amaryllis bloom from the top now mature. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

These bulbs are so easy to grow. I love having mine but if you want to get rid of yours, you know where to find me!

Charlotte

Plant Pussy Willow Branches

Pussy Willow branch flowers look like tiny magnolia flowers. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Planting Pussy Willow Branches

If you ever come across, or are gifted, cut pussy willow branches for home decor, enjoy them for a couple of days and then find a place to plant them. By getting them to root, you will then have a source of pussy willow branches for years to come.

There are a number of different pussy willows. Any willow (Salix) with relatively large or striking furry flower clusters is likely to be considered a pussy willow. The “fur” is usually silvery to white hairs, likened to a kitten’s fur. The furry nubs are called a catkin, a word derived from old Dutch for kitten.

Unlike most flowers, catkins have no petals. Their covering of dense hair is designed to protect the delicate flowers inside. In this case, the flowers are white resembling magnolia tree blossoms.

A few more blooming pussy willow flowers on cut branches. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I discovered these lovely flowers last fall when I found a stash of cut down pussy willow branches. Not knowing they would bloom once cut and brought inside, I would check them every day to see how and why they were blooming.

That means I was hooked. And I have a number of good reasons. Besides this being a plant often associated with cats and the vintage post cards my grandmother used to send me, willows are also excellent bee food.

After a few days of enjoying the white blossoms, and after a good soaking rain, I headed outside with my vase of pussy willow stems to get them in the ground.

Pushing pussy willow branches into soft ground to grow. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I grouped three branches per spot, gently pushing them into the ground until the lowest growing node was covered. Pussy willows have both male and female plants. Since I don’t know which is which, I increased the chances of the two different plants being close by grouping them together.

A good dose of water and I was done. I love planting in spring, most plants started this time of year nicely make it with very little effort.

And before I headed back inside, I enjoyed looking at the lovely white pussy willow flowers one last time.

Another lovely white flower on these cut Willow branches. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I am counting on being able to have the next flowers blooming on rooted pussy willows!

Other favorite home decor plants that are easy to start through cuttings include forsythia and berries.

Charlotte

Homemade Flower Catnip Toys

Finished homemade flower catnip toys ready for gift-giving. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Homemade Flower Catnip Toys

Every Christmas for a number of decades now, I make homemade catnip toys for the cats in my life. Some live with my brothers, others are with friends. And then I live with two cats that couldn’t imagine opening their Christmas stockings without finding fresh catnip toys in them.

Seems a little early to be talking about homemade catnip toys, doesn’t it. Well, it isn’t because you need to plan ahead. First step, plant the catnip this spring. I grow not only my own but one of my cats enjoys eating the fresh leaves when I bring a sprig inside.

Catnip is a perennial herb so once you plant it, it should come back over the years. Don’t use chemicals oh them and you can easily pick, and dry, for homemade catnip toys.

Homemade Flower Catnip Toys Inspiration

This past year, I made these homemade flower catnip toys out of felt. Buy felt out of season and it will be less expensive than getting jt around Easter and Christmas.

After drying the catnip on top of my refrigerator, I store it in an old coffee container and glass jar so I have it ready to use.

The dried catnip goes t into the circular flowers after the yellow centers were sewn on. The stem and leaves are one felt piece.

Easy to make homemade flower catnip toys out of felt. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If the long stems and leaves are too challenging, just cut out a tiny green leaf that can be added when the flower is stitched closed.

So where is the catnip? You can put it inside the yellow circle or you can sew the larger flower petals together and sneak it between the petals.

You can also make the catnip toy flower with a short leaf. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Store these homemade flower catnip toys in an airtight container with dried catnip. That’s also how you can refresh the toys periodically.

Do cats like them?

I have been making homemade catnip toys for decades and my cats have enjoyed a variety of designs. Even cats that haven’t responded to store purchased catnip have a different reaction to fresh dried catnip.

Shirley Honey even seems to think she can warm her paws on one made for her birthday!

One of my cats seemingly warming her paws on a catnip toy. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

You can make these as simply as a felt square that you fill with dried catnip and then tie with a ribbon. Or you can be creative with a different design.

Oh. One more thing. Keep an eye on the cat if you have one, mine have been tempted to “help.” I have lost a number of felt pieces that way!

Charlotte

Dry Catnip

Baskets to capture the refrigerator heat are an excellent option to dry herbs. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Dry Catnip

I have been drying catnip for my cats, and for cat gifts, for as long as I can remember. Fresh dried catnip is much stronger, and more appreciated, than anything you can buy in the store. Although some cats do not respond to the enticement of catnip, all of my cats, and those of my family, have had a run of the sillies when enjoying homemade catnip toys.

The catnip I grow is a perennial so it comes up every year. I also don’t use chemicals in my garden so I know when I harvest it to dry, it will be safe for kitty consumption. My cats actually enjoy both fresh catnip during the growing season as well as the dried option.

To dry catnip, break up the stalks into sizes that will fit your drying baskets and make sure they are free of unwanted hitch hiking bugs. The baskets are nothing fancy, I found these baskets at a thrift store. I picked something I enjoy looking at because I dry the catnip on the top of my refrigerator, where the refrigerator heat helps to speed up the process.

It also keeps the catnip away from wondering paws.

I also save those silica gel packets that come in shoes and other shipments and use them in the baskets under either paper towels or cotton napkins. You can keep re-using the packs to help dry out a variety of herbs including catnip.

Save those silica gel packets to place under paper towels. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you don’t have silica gel packs, not a problem. You can place the catnip on cotton napkins, which will help wick away moisture.

Fabric napkins can also help dry out herbs such as catnip. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Once dry, you can store the herb in containers for use later. I label mine so I know when I placed the dried catnip in the containers; the fresher the herb-drying the better.

On a cold winter’s night, I bring out the drying baskets to let my resident experts sample the goods.

Catnip customers enjoying a supply during a cold winter night. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

To refresh old cat toys, you can also store the toys in a container with freshly-dried catnip for a couple of days. That will easily re-invigorate the toys.

I also use dry catnip to make yearly toys for our families cats including a couple of resident ones.

i would say we have at least one happy customer, wouldn’t you?

Charlotte

Are Mums Growing?

One of the mums in a flower bed on my Missouri hillside. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Are Mums Growing?

Mums, short for chysanthemums, are a popular flower in gift bouquets because they are long-lasting. As a gardener, these are also excellent garden plants because they not only deter bugs but they are very easy to grow.

One of the more popular times to plant mums is in the fall, leaving the gardener to water the plants through winter until they get well-established. Once settled in, mums come back every year, providing continuing fall color for years.

So how do you tell if your mums are still alive?

At first glance, this dried up mum in my flower bed looks dead. As you get close, you will see green, signs of growth around the base of the plant. That’s how you know your mum is settling in.

Underneath the dry top, signs of new growth. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

It can take a little time for the new growth to show up. Another mum outside my front door looked dead for months. Now I find new growth appearing at the bottom of that plant as well.

New later growth on another mum. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you have mums in water, also check the bottom of the stems. You may find that your cut mums are developing roots in water. Did I mention mums are easy to grow?

So don’t get discouraged if the top of your mums look dry and dead at the moment. Underneath, new growth should be getting established to grow later this year.

Here are some of my favorite mums, yellow ones, that have returned for several years in one of my garden path corners.

These mums have returned in this same spot for several years now that they are established. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Mums are not only pretty and helpful in the garden but their daisy-shaped flowers make excellent cut flowers.

Charlotte

Sweet Santa Gifts

Chocolate Santa arrives on a chocolate sleigh carrying - well, yes, chocolates! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Sweet Santa Gifts

One of my neighbors and her grandson sang “We wish you a Merry Christmas“ as they dropped off this charming chocolate Santa on a chocolate sleigh. It reminded me of one of my favorite holiday lap quilts with Santa in a woodland setting. Maybe it’s because we both enjoy our hillside wildlife, we often exchange stories about what creatures have been spending time in our hillside gardens.

Tag these to make later this year, so cute and easy.

Looks like you will need:

Hershey chocolate bars

Chocolate Santas

Chocolate goodies for the

Drawstring bag

Candy canes the length of Hershey bar

Some tinsel

Glue

A wrapped chocolate bar glued behind Santa helps him stand up. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

In the drawstring bag, a little collection of more sweet goodies. The bag was also glued to the Hershey bar top and it was quite easy - too easy - to remove.

A drawstring bag holds more chocolate gifts. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

And what luck, Santa and his sleigh very nicely fit into my little winter scene with snowman cat, Christmas trees and the framed Christmas card collection next to my front door.

Chocolate Santa sleigh joins my other Christmas scene members. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Charming way to be greeted every morning as I come down my stairs!

Charlotte

Winter Rose Poinsettias

These interesting ruffled poinsettias are called “winter rose.” (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Winter Rose Poinsettias

I have to confess, I have been curious about this new poinsettia variety. I first saw one last year at one of our local home and garden centers, prompting me to think I need to get one when they are next on sale.

This year, a friend gave me one for Christmas, a medium-sized plant with 3-inch flower “heads” that indeed resemble roses. He called them a “ruffled poinsettia.”

This new poinsettia species resembles roses. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

According to my research, this plant was first developed by the Paul Ecke Plant Company. The leaves and bracts on the Winter Rose poinsettia variety are smaller and tend to curl under. The plant is usually shorter than regular poinsettias. More interesting to me, the plant is supposed to hold its colored leaves through May, a good couple of months longer than standard poinsettias.

The “flower heads” are actually plant bracts, or leaves that surround the tiny yellow centers that actually hold the flowers. The leaves are triggered to change color by exposing the plants to 14 hours of darkness from September to November. I have a standard red poinsettia from last year that is turning color after this light deprivation.

Besides red, Winter Rose poinsettias are available in white, pink and marble.

Now let’s see how long these “winter roses” last!

Charlotte

Last Minute Shopping

Last minute gift ideas don’t always come in gift-wrapped boxes. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Last Minute Shopping

The call came in late last night, a male customer clearly exasperated with Christmas gift expectations.

Four daughters. One doting aunt. I waited to hear about a wife but there was no mention so I took him to be a single Dad.

At this point in the season, with five days until Christmas, I understood some of his frustration so I made the current suggestion of 4 gifts per person:

Something they want,

Something they need,

Something to wear,

Something to read.

There was silence at the other end. Oh, he said, that’s good “that gives me a place to start.”

Then we headed into each category for suggestions. He had the first one covered for the daughters but not the aunt. How about a framed photo of the four girls, does she have one? He liked that idea; he said the girls would have fun setting up the photo shoot. Framed photos are always a good choice!

In terms of what they “needed,” he made it clear he was a good provider. I suggested writing each of them a letter explaining what each meant to him and the good wishes he had for them as they grow up. It was something he could slip in their stockings and I guaranteed it would be something they would cherish. He loved that idea. It was something he “could make” for them.

We both groaned at the “what to wear” one although I said a good pair of winter gloves and a scarf for each qualified. “Sold” he said.

The reading list was frankly the toughest one but we sorted out favorite likes and hobbies that he now can use to shop online for books to match.

The relief in his voice was palpable. “So you make money doing this” he asked.

I laughed. No, I said, but hopefully the next time he needed a personalized birthday gift he would think of us.

He thanked me again, said he was going to “double check” his list and hung up, off to shop online for books, he said.

He will make it. Merry Christmas!

Charlotte