Decorating for New Year's Eve

Love your Christmas decorations but have a New Years' Eve party to prepare for?  Good news - the hottest trend for this year's New Years' parties is silver and gold so the transition can be festive and fabulous!

Greens from pine roping can be used to make your own centerpiece.  Gold and silver decorations make perfect touches, especially in glassware.  Candles add elegance to any design and our flame-less candles make your creation party-safe.

Frosted branches can mark that transition from Christmas to Winter Wonderland fun.  Silver beads enhance that icy look but don't forget red candles for a pop of color to warm up your setting.

Have fun and have a very merry New Year!

Make your own Yule Log

Yule Logs are a fun and festive addition to any holiday decor.  With a history that goes back to the most traditional Christmas celebrations, the modern version is easy to create at home with your own personal touches and starts a family activity that embraces the spirit of the season.

Candles can be any color that suits your room but are typically green and red.  The candle on the left is in recognition of the gifts that have been given over the past year and the the candle on the right represents hopes for the upcoming year.  The candle in the center is in gratitude and love. The candles may be lit each day for a brief period during the week leading up to Christmas and on Christmas Eve they are allowed to burn themselves out.

The first step is to find a small section of wood with a sturdy flat bottom - you don't want your log to roll!  A little sanding can even the base and create a solid foundation.  Oak or birch are the most commonly used woods but you can use any kind that pleases you.

Once you feel comfortable with the base of your Yule Log you'll want to drill holes for candles.  Chime candles are the easiest to use and require less drilling.  Make three holes in the top of your log evenly spaced and just deep enough to hold the chime candles securely.  Please follow all appropriate safety measures when making the holes.

You are now ready for the fun part - decorating!  Use greens, holly, mistletoe, ribbons or any other touches that suit your taste.  Please do not leave candles unattended or place any decorations too close to the flames.

Have fun and have a wonderful holiday season!

Ever wondered how pine roping is made?

We did and recently we were fortunate enough to see General Manager, Tom Rush, making pine roping with greens that had just arrived.

It's a fascinating (and great smelling!) process as the best pieces of greens are selected and bundled to be wired.

The pieces are tied together in a bundling machine with a rotating arm.

Parcels of perfectly mixed pine are continually added to create a rope.

The final product is a secure, beautiful roping ready for any decorating ideas you had in mind.  Check out our Christmas board on Pinterest for fun ideas!

Richmond's Favorite Poinsettia

We've tallied all the votes; and the winner is

Polar Bear earned more votes than any other poinsettia, making it our overall winner as well as our winner for the Whites category.

In second place, and winner for our Pinks category, is Luv U Pink.

Coming in a close third is Ice Punch, the winner of our Novelties category.

Our most competitive category was our Reds, with tight voting until the end.  Dramatic Red earned the most votes and is our winner for the Reds category.

Thank you all for participating in our Poinsettia Trials.  We still have a gorgeous selection of poinsettias available; come on down and pick out the perfect one for your home!

Express your Christmas Creativity with a fresh cut Virginia grown wreath

The smell of a fresh wreath is irresistible.  The mix of greens bring spice and warmth to any location.

Making your own wreath enables you to utilize colors and smells that speak to you.  Our wreath makers use the freshest greens on frames of different sizes.

The result is the perfect canvas for your creation.

Be sure to spray the greens with Wilt-Pruf to maximize water-retention in the wreath and to prevent the needles from browning and falling off.

Have fun and add any items that speak to you, from holly to pine cones to ribbons!  If you have any questions be sure to stop by our wreath makers and see some of their beautiful pieces.

Fall Decorating

Fall is such a FABULOUS time of year!

Here at Strange's we love the change of weather- the crisp, fresh season of Autumn brings such exciting new opportunities in the gardening world. But we don't just love the plants, we have SO much fun decorating for Fall! 

Finding beautiful combinations of Fall plants, ceramics and natural items is our idea of a good time:

And we love the vibrant colors of Fall:

Pumpkins and gourds are GREAT for decorating a space for the season! And the best part is, they're perfectly appropriate from September through November- talk about cost-effective decor!

And of course, a Mum will complete any Fall decoration!

Do you love decorating for Fall? 

We've found a few blogosphere friends that do:

If you'd like to check out some fun Fall Decorating ideas, like this one from The Lettered Cottage, click here to see how other people are decorating this year!

Happy Gardening Decorating!

Keys to Success: Fall Bulbs

It's Fall, Y'all! 

Since Fall is such an exciting time of year for gardening- festive plant colors and textures, ideal temperatures, increased rainfall, etc.- we thought we'd share a Fall-tastic series of posts for you on how to make sure your gardening efforts are successful this Autumn! We're calling it the 'Keys to Success' series, and we'll be posting on a new, Fall-specific topic each week. We hope you enjoy!

Up next in our series is Fall Bulbs!
Nothing says Spring like the perky yellow daffodils, graceful tulips & precious crocuses that add so much cheer to the tired, late-winter landscape! To introduce a few of these beauties to your garden, you'll need to start now! Fall is the time to plant those early-spring bulbs, so we've come up with some quick tips for easy, successful bulb planting. Enjoy!

1. Pick the right spot

Most bulbs do best when planted in a sunny, well-drained spot. Picking a good spot goes a long way in bulb success!

2. Use Bulb Tone

Applying a natural feeder product like Bulb Tone helps newly-planted bulbs establish more quickly and produce bigger blooms. Use Bulb Tone at the time of planting for best results.

3. Got Voles?

The best way to prevent voles from munching on your irresistibly fresh bulbs (short of investing in a cat) is to amend your bulb planting holes with some Permatil.

4. Got Squirrels?

Voles aren't the only critters tempted by your bulbs- squirrels are often the culprit of missing or moved bulbs (that's right- don't be alarmed if the clump of daffodils you plant this fall showcase a few hyacinths from another part of your garden come Spring!) The best way to keep squirrels from rearranging your bulb design is to soak your bulbs in I Must Garden's Squirrel Repellent for 5 minutes. Once they've dried, plant them as your normally would. This should deter the squirrel-sponsored landscape re-designing this winter. 

Thanks for dropping in for our tips on planting Fall Bulbs! We hope you're inspired to envision and plant a beautiful container or bed space for early spring with some beautiful Fall Bulbs!

Happy [bulb] gardening!