Switching from Gardening Outdoors to Holiday Decorating

Switching from Gardening Outdoors to Holiday Decorating

by Kim Earley, Gardener

While the gardens outside are quiet, things are beginning to bloom indoors! We have potted up several hundred forcing bulbs for bloom during this winter season! The paperwhites are blooming now giving off their heavy aroma! Hyacinths, tulips, daffodils and amaryllis are beginning to show signs of life! It's so nice to enter the sunroom in mid February to see spring flowers blooming, not to mention the beautiful scent of the hyacinth!

The exterior of the Lodge is dressed for the winter season with its over 475 feet of hand tied balsam garland. it takes about two weeks to complete this task and every year we say "didn't we just do this a couple of months ago"! Amy helped Hal and me this year so we were able to get it done more quickly! The wreaths are decorated and hung to greet every guest and employee! Mike and Will worked for several days attaching clear lights to the trees and shrubs! There are 35 trees on the decks at the Lodge with little twinkling lights (its always a challenge to keep them upright on a windy day!)

The poinsettias have arrived and provide a nice holiday atmosphere at the Lodge. Hal and I are decorating Christmas trees at the Lodge, Delibakery and Fitness Center. We hope to have them all in by the 22nd! There will be a total of eleven themed trees inside the Lodge. Pam and Amy, our floral designers/decorators are using their talents to add festive accents to mantles, windows and dried arrangements. There will be a flurry of activity on New Years Eve day as we add extra decorations for the New Year's Eve celebration.

So, after the holidays I will begin to disassemble the Christmas trees, clean up the greenhouse, care for the houseplants and get my colored pencils out to begin planning for the gardens in the Spring! Those seed catalogs have arrived and my wish list is getting longer every day! I am hoping that I will have the opportunity (and energy) to get out to ski this winter. it's always fun to ski to the cabin to enjoy a bowl of soup and to visit with Hal and Mike! Happy Winter!