Greenscape Gardens Green Blog

LEWIS & CLARK EXPEDITION 200 YEARS AGO TODAY 12/17/1804

The temperatures plummet from -13 F at sunrise and drop to -42 F by 8 in the evening. The captains spend much of the day with Hugh Heney, who describes the bands of Sioux, corrects the corps misunderstanding that Cheyenne is the French "chien" (meaning dog). He also helps Capain Clark plot out a map of the land east of the Missouri River to the Red River, today's North Dakota-Minnesota border.

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Once again the Greenscape Gardens website hits another high. Today we recorded our 25,000 website view. Thank you and we'll keep adding new information especially over the winter months.

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CREATE HOLIDAY GREENERY FROM YOUR LANDSCAPE

Give your home the festive mood of the holidays by bringing a bit of your landscape evergreens indoors. Wreaths, swags, garlands and centerpieces can all be made from plants that are commonly found in the home landscape.

Some of the best materials to cut include, yew, holly, boxwood and juniper. Pines boughs are attractive in arrangements, but this is not a good time to prune them. Pine and fir branches are given away free at Greenscape Gardens from our Christmas Tree Sales. They are yours for the asking. Needles of hemlock and spruce drop easily and should not be used for indoor decorations.

Magnolia, privet, barberry, English ivy and rhododendron provide an attractive contrast to the needled foliage. Dried grasses, herbs, berries, cones and seed pods can help add color to a holiday display.
In the warm, dry environment of the home, cut greens will dry out very quickly, so keep the cut ends of the branches in water at all times. Sprays are available to help cut down on moisture loss and somewhat extend the life of cut greens. We highly recommend Wilt Pruf as an anti-transpirants. However, these sprays leave a slight sticky residue and should only be used if decorations will be placed outdoors or out of reach indoors.

Evergreen decorations can be a fire hazard as they age and dry. Avoid placing near fireplaces, heat ducts, televisions, candles or other sources of heat or flame. The key to keeping the decorations and your Christmas Tree fresh is by adding water or a homemade flame retardant of 4 tablespoons of boric acid, 9 tablespoons borax and 2 quarts of water can be sprayed on the foliage. Another recipe calls for 5 tablespoons of borax and 4 tablespoons Epsom salts in 2 quarts of water. These flame retardants are not foolproof, so the best precaution is to discard decorations before they become dry and brittle.

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SANTA CLAUS........FACT OR FICTION

There are currently 78 people named S. Claus living in the U.S. -- and one Kriss Kringle. (You gotta wonder about that kid's parents)

December is the most popular month for nose jobs.

Weight of Santa's sleigh loaded with one Beanie Baby for every kid on earth: 333,333 tons

Number of reindeer required to pull a 333,333 ton sleigh
(plus Rudolph): 214,206

Average wage of a mall Santa: $11 an hour.
With real beard: $20.

To deliver ALL his gifts in one night, Santa would have to make
822.6 visits per second, sleighing at 3,000 times the speed of sound.
At THAT speed, Santa and his reindeer would burst into flame instantaneously.

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GREENSCAPE GARDENS JOKE OF THE DAY!

Mike was describing a 30 pound Bass he'd caught recently after
fighting it for three hours.

Tom interrupted the story saying, "I saw the picture you took of that fish. You're lucky if it even weighed 10 pounds."

Mike replied, "Well . . . a fish can lose an awful lot of weight
during three hours of fighting."