Bringing Your Garden Indoors
By Susan Boeschen, U.C. Master Gardener

It's cold and often wet outdoors now. It's a good time to think about bringing some of the beauty of nature indoors to enjoy. Stores are filled with glitzy, often garish and usually expensive decorations this time of year. With a little imagination and some foraging in your yard for fruits, flowers and other plant material, you can create an infinite variety of colorful, graceful, and appealing arrangements.

One of my favorite plants for use this time of year is the pomegranate (Punica granatum). A simple bowl filled with pomegranates, a few nuts in their shells and some glossy leaves makes a lovely centerpiece. Or try making your own pomegranate wreath by wiring air-dried pomegranates to a metal wreath frame trimmed with evergreen boughs or moss. Pomegranates do well here in the Napa Valley. "Wonderful," the best-know fruiting variety, is an arching shrub or small tree to about 10 feet. It has narrow, glossy leaves, red-orange flowers and brilliant yellow fall color. It performs best in full sun and well-drained soil but will tolerate less favorable conditions as well. Fruit ripens approximately six months after flowers appear.

To test for ripeness, tap lightly. A ripe pomegranate will have a slightly metallic sound. You want to harvest before the fruit splits, which is usually caused by the first rainfall. I generally manage to miss the first rainfall, but the fruit tastes fine even when split. And even split pomegranates look lovely in arrangements when strategically arranged to hide the split. When using pomegranates in arrangements, it's best to air dry them for a couple of days before placing in the arrangement.

Many varieties of citrus are beginning to ripen in our area. I'm picking Improved Meyer lemons now. Meyer lemons are a hybrid cross between a lemon and a sweet orange, and they are juicier and less acidic than true lemons. They are a good choice for our area because they are more cold tolerant than true lemons. It is still a good idea to provide some frost protection for young plants when the temperatures dip below freezing.

For a dazzling arrangement, tape floral foam that has been pre-soaked in water into a large bowl or vase. Insert a variety of greenery: camellia, sweet bay (Laurus nobilis), Pittosporum and other evergreens with varied textures work well. Attach lemons to wooden skewers and insert at various heights among the greens. Or make a wreath by starting with an artificial wreath base and layering eucalyptus leaves or sweet bay on top in a circular pattern in the same direction. Attach lemons with pipe cleaners among the greens.

I have only a few plants still flowering in my garden. One of the most festive for this time of year is Camellia sasanqua "Yuletide." Right now it is covered in a profusion of bright red single flowers with cheerful yellow centers. It is an upright plant that is very cold hardy and tolerates more sun than many of the Camellia japonicas. A few flowering branches in a glass vase will brighten any room on a dark winter day.

In spite of the rain and cold, a few alstroemerias have persevered. These are the flower workhorses in my cutting garden. They have a long bloom season, are hardy in cold winters if mulched and like full sun and moderate water. They come in many shades, but I especially like the deeper reddish shades for arrangements this time of year.

One tip for creating professional looking arrangements is to use a wide variety of floral material but in only a single color. For instance, I combine the deep red alstroemeria with a few purchased flowers such as red carnations, mums and any other red berries or pods available.

Alstroemeria has a long vase life, but you can prolong the life of any cut flower by following a few basic guidelines. Cut flowers early in the morning or at dusk, and plunge stems in tepid water immediately. Carry a water-filled bucket to the garden to make this easier. When ready to arrange your flowers, recut the stems under water to keep air from blocking the water intake, and remove any foliage that will be below the water line. Add a commercial flower preservative to the water in the vase, or make your own by mixing one part of any lemon-lime soda with three parts of water. Do not use diet drinks because they do not contain sugar or colas because they are too acidic. And a quarter teaspoon of bleach to a quart of water will help keep the water clear.

So enjoy the holidays even more by bringing a celebration of nature that appeals to all of the senses into your home. Wishing you and yours a very lovely, nature-filled holiday season.