Getting ready to think of Outdoor Christmas Lighting?

Every year just a few weeks prior to Christmas a few of our friends and we ride through our subdivision and enjoy the beautiful lights of the season. By the end of the ride, everyone is in a jovial mood just observing the decorations that everyone has put up. It’s just a tradition with us. It’s a great idea to get an early start planning holiday lighting. If you look hard enough you might find some offseason sales on just what you need. With so much being said this year about energy conservation, getting an early start will help you to locate just the perfect lights for your house, and be aware of choosing energy conservative ones. One particular light this year that is extremely energy saving are the LED strings

First, decide what your theme will be this year

Since it?s been such a poor year economically, you may decide to use some of the lights you had last year, but because you see the need to put up the spirits of your family and others, you know you will be adding a few extras as well. The Santa Clause theme is always good and a great idea if you have small children. Some people use the old standby, Rudolph the red nosed reindeer as a focal point. Literally, there is no limit to the ideas that can make your home the brightest and most cheerful in the neighborhood. Professional help is great to help you decide on amounts of lighting you will need, but certainly not necessary.

Too much lighting may be ?too much?

Unless you?ve decided to have your yard included in the ?tacky light tour? this year, maybe you won?t want to include too many lights or too many plastic lighted characters, or inflatable cartoon characters. Too many figures in your yard can be in poor ?taste? for such a lovely season of the year. If you have doubts about how much is ?too much?, talk your design plans over with a lighting specialist at your local lighting store. An electrical professional can also direct you in how to avoid wiring issues in your setup. And so, early planning is a good thing. With some creative thought, your outdoor Christmas lighting this year can be the most attractive, most energy efficient ever

Outdoor christmas tree lights and more about outdoor led christmas lights safety.

“Load up the car or van and see the holiday lights”

Sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas Day, a group of people get together to experience a Christmas tradition. They go out in buses or vans to take a look at how people have decorated their property this year. It’s more like an event than a tour for most people who go out. Especially the senior citizens living in retirement homes look forward to this excursion every year. It is one of their expected outings. At the beginning of the light tour season, there is a published list of homes that should be viewed on the tour that have especially gone out of their way to decorate in as tacky a way as possible. This is called the “tacky light tour”. It is one of the fun things people like to do, especially in Virginia. The “tacky light” neighborhoods deliberately set up the display every year, just as amusement for (probably themselves) those who make it a point to ride by. Everything in the yard is blinking and blowing about with figures of all types and descriptions included. Some of them with no connection to Christmas whatsoever.

Viewing Christmas lights , whatever type they may be has become a tradition…one that lots of people look forward to. After their light tours, many stop off for hot chocolate or at a Starbucks for a latte. It is a kind of fun thing to do.

Do you set up your same favorite display each year?

There are as many different styles of lighting displays as there are homes to display them. The icicle lights have become very popular that are draped across rooftops and give a very realistic icicle look. Homes with particularly interesting architectural features make especially good examples for that type of light. Many people find that not only are the lights expensive, but the installation is quite tricky, so they choose to leave them up year round. They of course, don’t usually leave them on all year, but you get the idea. It’s too much trouble to take them down. People who live around lakes place the lights around small piers at the lake’s edge for an especially beautiful effect at night. And, many of these do turn their lights on year round.

Maybe you’d like the LED lights this year

The newest innovation of LED lights that use roughly 80% less energy is very good to consider for your lighting. With all the recent talk of “greening up the planet”, this is a fine start to working toward that goal. Take measurements with you to your local lighting expert in order to purchase the correct length of lighting that you will need for your particular application. Ask about sturdy electrical extension cords that are suited to using outdoors and make sure everything that you buy for your Christmas outdoor lighting display is UL approved. Whatever you use for your Christmas lighting display this year, put your heart and soul into it. There are a lot of people this year who need to catch the holiday spirit.

White outdoor christmas lights and more about clear outdoor christmas lights safety.

Not a plant for the beginner, but a most rewarding exotic plant for the. person who can provide the correct conditions and the extra bit of care that is wanted. To mention a few of the common names will give an indication of how exotic it is: glory pea, parrot’s bill, red kowhai and lobster’s claw. Again, they are multi-purpose plants which may be planted in the border in the garden room, grown in pots, or used in hanging baskets, where they are even more impressive as one can see the exciting flowers much better than when they are in pots or against a wall.

Water sparingly in winter and more freely at other times; good drainage is important so one should ensure that water soaks through the compost quite quickly after watering. Avoid the temptation to pot on too frequently, as fully mature plants several years old need only be in 7-in. pots. And plants do look so much more elegant when growing in pots that are in proportion to their leaf development.

The common name gives a clue to Codiaeum; and it is indeed a plant of many colours that outshines every other species in foliage colouring. For years now we have been advised that codiacum is the proper name, but the old one of croton is still favourite with both nurseryman and general public.

Clerodendrum Thomsanae is a climbing shrub which can produce the most spectacular amount of flower during the summer months. The white flowers with crimson centres are produced in large clusters on individual stems all the way up the plant from the base of the stem to the uppermost branches. If kept on the dry side the plants may be grown at lower temperatures than that specified above, but foliage takes on a harder appearance and they are generally less attractive. Clerodendrums are excellent subjects for fanning out against a wall, or they may be used as a central feature if placed in 10-in. pots or in tubs. If the latter method is chosen it is wise to push four or five 6-ft. canes into the compost close to the edge of the pot, pulling the canes together at the top and tying them securely. Growth can then be wound around these supports and a much more impressive plant will result. Plants will require ample moisture and feeding from March through to September, with moderate watering until about the beginning of November when they will have shed most of their leaves.

The large, strap-like leaves of the clivia which are naturally glossy green make the plant attractive in itself, but added to this there is the excitement of a succession of orange-coloured flowers in the spring and early summer. A slight drawback with these plants is the fact that they produce a substantial amount of root, so to get the best from them they need to be grown in relatively large pots. Because of the vigorous root system they also need a fairly rich and heavy compost. The nurseryman would use something akin to J.I.I.P.3 into which he would work a little dried cow manure. (A very old-fashioned commodity, but it works wonders for some of those plants which do better in a rich compost). Potting on should he done in February and, should additional plants be wanted, root clumps can be divided at this time and planted up individually in smaller pots. Keep just moist in winter and water freely at other times, and place the plants in a light position.

For the owner of the new garden room wishing to fill the growing space quickly and cheaply in the first year Cobaea Scandens could well be one of the chosen plants. Easily grown from seed sown early in the spring they can become quite rampant in agreeable conditions. However, should growth be excessive for the garden room, plants can be put out in the garden where they are perfectly hardy during the summer months. Though perennial, these plants are best treated as annuals and disposed of at the end of the summer. Once established all that is required is to keep them well watered and fed in order to be successful. Pot plants into larger containers as soon as they have sufficient roots; this will ensure ample growth. Once in pots of 10-in. size regular feeding will maintain them in good condition.

Climbing roses are popular both with people whose enthusiasm is for old roses and with lovers of the new. Most derive from a group of wild species called the Synstylae, which have lots of small white flowers in large clusters.

By the last quarter of the 19th century, it was dominated by French Hybrid Perpetuals and Tea roses. Then a change began to take place.

Plant hunters had for centuries introduced new plants into cultivation From other parts of the world. The expeditions and their botanical booty increased enormously towards the end of the century, and introduced a large number of new rose species from eastern Asia.

During the 19th century these sports appeared from time to time among other hybrid groups with China roses and Tea roses in their ancestry – hence climbing Bourbons and climbing Hybrid Pcrpetuals. Later came climbing Polvanthas, climbing Hybrid Teas (`Climbing Peace’), climbing Floribundas (`Climbing Iceberg’), climbing Grandifloras, and even climbing miniatures.

Any rose raised in the last 100 years that does not fit neatly into a defined category is called a shrub rose. This includes primary hybrids like (Dupontir, over-large Floribundas like ‘Fred Loads’ and most of the super-hardy Buck, Explorer, and Parkland roses.

The definition of a shrub rose incorporates no indication of size, flowering habit, hardiness, or other essential characteristic. It follows that, before acquiring a shrub rose, you need to know what you arc letting yourself in for. They include, however, some of the most rewarding of all roses. Some are separated out and given distinct names, like the early Scotch Roses, bred from Rosa spinosissima.

Rosa multi flora gave us the Multi flora ramblers and Rosa wichurana the Wichurana ramblers. Many were bred from ‘Turner’s Crimson Rambler’, a Chinese hybrid between the two species with a dose of Rosa chinensis in its make-up. They burst into gardens in the early years of the 20th century and changed their design to incorporate rose-covered arches, pergolas, walls, and trelliswork: thus were their long, flexible branches shown to best advantage.

Many consider beauties like Abraham Darby, Graham Thomas, and Mary Rose as the best of the old roses. It would be truer to describe them as the best of the new.

Unlike the oldest China roses, no European rose cultivar can be traced back before about 1400. There is nothing to link the simple Gallicas and Albas that can be identified in late medieval paintings to the roses of ancient Greece, Rome, or Persia. Gallica roses may indeed have been cultivated 2,500 years ago, but we can put no names to them. They are selections and hybrids of Rosa gallica, a short suckering rose which is native to southern and central Europe from Spain to Slovakia and eastwards to Turkey. They were greatly developed by French hybridists in the early years of the 19th century, and their large, sweetly scented flowers place them among the most beautiful of all garden plants. They make medium-sized bushes – very hardy, once-flowering, and tolerant of poor soils.

The development of rose breeding started with the import into Europe of a handful of Chinese garden roses some 200 years ago. These roses were crossed with European cultivars to produce the great variety that emerged in the 19th century. The unsung heroes of rose breeding are the gardeners of ancient China who made it all possible.

The most important cultivars for the history of roses were called ‘Hume’s Blush Tea-scented China’ and ‘Parks’ Yellow Tea-scented China’; both were introduced to Europe from southern China early in the 19th century. They get their name from their characteristic scent of China tea leaves, which is also found in many China roses. They tend to be very tender (only a few are hardy in Zone 7), but are tolerant of drought.

They do, however, have a convenient and practical logic which it is worth trying to understand. One of the most useful divisions, though rather arbitrary, is between old roses and new, or modern, ones. Old roses are those introduced before 1867, or 1900, or 1945, according to an individual’s point of view.

Sometimes they are called Old Garden Roses, Old-fashioned Roses, Antique Roses, Heritage Roses or Historic Roses. Many types are onceflowering, including the Alas, Boursaults, Centifolias, Damasks, Gallicas, and Moss roses. The repeat-flowerers are the Bourbons, Chinas, Hybrid Perpetuals, Noisettes, Portlands, and Tea roses.

They vary enormously between the classes and it is worth studying the characteristics of each class, so that you know what to expect of them. The ancestors of our garden roses are the wild roses from which all our cultivated varieties are descended.

Noisette roses are hardy climbing roses or semi-climbers, with masses of small flowers in large clusters, produced all through the growing season, or continuously in hot climates.

They are naturally variable, even within a single species. Rosa canina, for example, can have flowers of dark pink, mid-pink, pale pink, or white. Old roses tend to make bushy plants, and their flowers are often most beautiful when fully opened out. They also have thinner petals and do not stand up so well to rain. Opinion is divided on whether they are naturally healthier than modern roses or not, and whether they are more strongly scented, and there are exceptions to every rule – old roses excite passion. Almost every country has a society or group dedicated to them.

Glorious in flower, on occasions regally temperamental, this richly endowed genus must surely lay strong claim to contain the most beautiful climbers ever to grace our gardens. As I stand each spring under a 30-ft. high hawthorn through which has intertwined a Clematis montana Elizabeth I would be the last to disagree. The white of the hawthorn and pink of the clematis intermingle to make the complete floral curtain.

I always use a soft string which will not chafe even the most tender bark and, which is perhaps more important, it will rot after a year or two. When indestructible material is used I grow careless about the annual inspection to ensure the stem is not being constricted by the tie. All wall plants must be looked over at least twice a year to make certain the stems are not being chafed or strangled by the supporting media.

I grow C. alpina through and amongst deciduous rhododendrons. It comes so readily from seed that -some x)f my experimental plantings border on the reckless. Nothing, however, matches a plant I saw in the wild growing through Rhododendron ferrugineum. The blue flowers with a, central boss of white stamens overlaid the brick-red blooms of the rhododendron like a SpaniSh mantilla.

Few things are harder to make an impression on than a well-seasoned oak stump. It took several heart-rending hours with an axe to convince me of this. Eventually I planted a x jouiniana in front of it and now the stump is hidden by a sprawling network of branches which from July to August are covered by white, lilac-tinted flowers.

Climbers need not be confined to walls. Stumps of old trees, venerable apple or other fruit trees, chain-link fencing, indeed anything capable of supporting the extra weight. For climbers some support will be necessary and modern invention provides a richly varied choice. A well-made wooden trellis, plastic-covered mesh, vine eyes with wire stretched between, or a nail hammered in where required – there is something to suit every depth of pocket.

Although ceanothus can be grown as a bush in the open garden, it is only happy in the colder gardens when given wall protection. However, it is worth all the devotion lavished on it. I remember a very old house in Hurworth, County Durham, which supported an enormous specimen of the variety A. T. Johnson. The brick mellowed by age to a warm buff pink made an ideal background to the blue flowers. See main list for full description.

For much of the year it is quietly lovely, especially in spring time. There are five dwarf rhododendrons which grow only 12 to 18 in. high – Rhododendron sargentianum with yellow flowers, R. pemakoense, lilac pink, R. keleticum, purple-crimson, and two blue- flowered R. fastigiatum which have in addition grey leaves.

As a contrast I included a Berberis gracilis nana which for two years sat like a vegetable owl, but now has taken a fresh interest producing each April a most creditable crop of yellow flowers. Another berberis, verruculosa, is 30 in. high, a dome of hard green leaves which are silvered beneath.

Conifers make all the difference to a winter escape. There are varieties of all sizes from use suitable for growing in a window-box to the largest suitable for property many acres in tent. Remember, however, that it is easy to err plant and render the landscape formless. All mention only two groupings as examples of hat for me are meant by garden silhouettes. The groupings like so many other garden features are with one shrub, a specimen of Chamaecyris pisifera plumosa, conical in outline and with very green foliage.

Cornus canadensis is not I suppose in the strict sense of the word a shrub as it dies back to soil level each year. I planted this along the beech hedge which borders one side of the plot, and now from a carpet of leaves it is starred with white flowers from late spring through to mid-summer. I also get the clustered heads of scarlet fruits.

Finally, in the coolest corner of the acid soil, I planted a Mitchella repens. This has proved almost too invasive, the procumbent stems rooting as they grow. However, the flowers and foliage are so quietly charming that I permit it to be rather more freedom than would be allowed to a lesser personality.

Because this setting lacked a certain buoyancy I planted a silver birch behind and now find a great deal of pleasure from what is in effect a simple composition.

It can be generally assumed that any plant with large leaves can be grown into mature specimens if time and conditions are available.

But if a plant collection is to be kept, it should be looked after and removed when, as so often happens, the plants have died and the collection becomes little more than one of flower pots with dry, baked compost and no plants in sight.

Philodendron bipinnatifidum are a dark, glossy green in colour. Excellent plants fir situations by a large pool, particularly if it is possible to allow the aerial roots into the water.

When selecting plants for offices it is particularly important to ensure that they will at least be reasonably suitable for the conditions that prevail. Although light is important, exposure to full sunlight on the south side of the building would quickly prove fatal to the majority of indoor plants.

But if a plant collection is to he kept, it should be looked after and removed when, as so often happens, the plants have died and the collection becomes little more than one of flower pots with dry, baked compost and no plants in sight.

To impress visitors it is important to provide a display of plants in the office or hotel reception area. In recent years it has been proved, however, that it is equally important to provide amenable conditions where the actual work is taking place in the offices themselves.

The mood of despondency in the house plant grower must by now be almost complete at the prospect of having so many wee heasties crawling about the house. Let me again assert that it would be most unusual and something of a disaster for all these to be present, and the chances are that one is likely to come across nothing more than the occasional attack of greenfly. The foregoing information on pests is intended to make their detection easier and the ensuing advice, it is hoped, will help to keep them under control.

Greenfly are comparatively easy to eradicate, there being many brands of insecticide on the market that will quickly eliminate them. Larger plants can only be treated by thoroughly spraying the entire plant and repeating the process as necessary. Smaller plants, on the other hand, can be dealt with equally effectively by plunging the plant in a bucketful of prepared insecticide.

Do this by wrapping a piece of polythene around the pot so that the soil cannot spill out, then dip the plant in the insecticide and swish it around to ensure that all leaves and stems have been well saturated, not forgetting first to don rubber gloves. Keep the plant out of the sun and allow the foliage to dry naturally before replacing in position.

Another pest that is, fortunately, not so prevalent today is tarsonemid mite. Very minute, invisible to the naked eve, they concentrate their activities mainly on new young growth, ivies being one of their favourite hosts. Distorted and leafless young growth is an indication of their presence. Unfortunately, there is little one can do to eradicate, or even control these pests, as the one effective chemical is highly poisonous and not available to the general public. Drastic though it may appear, the only sensible course when mite presence haS been confirmed is to dispose of the plant, so reducing the chance of the trouble spreading and other plants in the vicinity becoming affected.

A fortune must be spent annually by growers of all sorts of plants in their efforts to keep red spider mite under control, so there is no lack of material when choosing an insecticide with which to treat them. It would be foolish to list the insecticides that are available as they are changing and, we are told, being improved upon all the time. The helpful plant retailer will be the best person to consult in order to obtain advice on the current popular product. Thereafter, follow the manufacturer’s directions, and be sure to thoroughly saturate the undersides of plant leaves. In order to discourage attack from red spider a moist environment should be maintained around the plants and dry atmosphere and arid conditions should be avoided.

Growing plants in difficult, dark locations account for many failures. The symptoms are discolouration and eventual loss of leaves, and production of small leaves on woody, thin stems. In very dark situations new leaves would be something of a luxury.

A number of indoor plants may be propagated by this method, and it is also an excellent way of reducing the height of rubber plants which are getting out of hand. Plants are air-layered simply by removing a section of the outer bark and wrapping a handful of wet sphagnum moss around the exposed area, or by making an upward cut through the main stem and wrapping wet sphagnum moss round the incision.

First remove a leaf at about the height you wish the new plant to be; the section of stem above this point should have at least three or four mature leaves. Make a cut halfway through the main stein about 1 in. below the joint of the leaf you have removed, bringing the cut up vertically through the actual node.

Fortunately, the majority of really poisonous insecticides are not available to the general public, but even those that are considered safe should be handled carefully. Certainly, when handling insecticides rubber gloves should be worn as general practice, and any plants that need treatment, particularly with a liquid solution that is sprayed on, should be treated out of doors.

Although many of these sprays are harmless they do have an unpleasant odour, which is ample reason in itself for treating plants in the open air, and they may well be fatal to a cage bird or small animal if used in the confined space of a room.

Inspection of the growing tips of hederas, for example, will often show colonies of greenfly feasting there. Greenfly should he looked for on buds and flowers of flowering plants – the hibiscus is a good example of a flowering plant which is vulnerable to greenfly attack. They may also he found under the leaves as well as on new growth, where they are very easily detected.

A further precaution is to ensure that the insecticide manufacturer’s instructions for. preparation and use of his product are followed to the letter. Often enough only a small amount of the solution is required, but it is better to mix the minimum amount stipulated by the manufacturer and dispose of any surplus rather than experiment with hit-and-miss smaller quantities in the belief that one is being economical. In almost every aspect of plant growing excess can be dangerous, and this is never more so than in the use of pest controls. Mixing insecticides to excessive strength may indeed put paid to the pest, but there is no benefit if the plant should succumb. in the process.