The countdown is on: if you haven’t started Christmas shopping or decorating, what are you waiting for? From blooms for a festive home, to gifts for that hard-to-buy-for one on your list, here’s a sampling to get the holiday happening in your home.
“Now’s definitely the time to get a poinsettia, while the weather isn’t minus 30,” said St. Albert Grower Direct owner Linda Borschneck, who points out that the tropical bloom, the favourite of all Christmas florals, doesn’t like to get a chill. “Poinsettias can last for a month or more, but you have to keep them away from heat and drafts – not up against a cold window and not over-watered.”
The local florist is already taking orders and walk-in business for the traditional red poinsettias, sold alone in six- or eight-inch sleeves from $32 and up, or as part of a basket arrangement with other tropicals. The mostly red, white and green displays make a beautiful centrepiece for the table or as a festive splash of colour in the home, according to Borschneck – making a welcome gift throughout the holiday season.
At The Enjoy Centre, Jim Hole is awash in poinsettias of every colour –deep reds, whites, pinks, salmon and speckled varieties, the last of which makes for a lovely addition to a less traditional winterscape arrangement. But have you ever seen a mini-tree poinsettia? Hole’s Greenhouses & Gardens has them – topiary-like poinsettias that are pruned and trained to grow into a tree-like form.
“These are a romantic, beautiful twist on a holiday favourite,” Hole said. “They come in a variety of colours to suit every taste, and there’s even a winter rose tree poinsettia, which features crinkled bracts (poinsettia leaves) that makes the plant look like red or white roses from a distance. It’s a stunning and unique choice for the holidays,” he said.
Need a unique gift for a friend or co-worker? If the recent craft show at St. Albert Place is any indication, a pair of Lisa Johnson’s hand-stitched Three Kittens Mittens will be under many a local Christmas tree this year. The busy nurse and mom, with master sewing partner Kelly Biegler, is right on trend with the ‘shop local’ and upcycling movements – using old wool sweaters found at local thrift shops, Johnson (with the help of daughters Sara and Hanna) washes, shrinks, cuts and lines the material with fleece to create a $30, one-of-a-kind pair of mittens, often embellished with the sweaters buttons, etc. and perfect for an adult female-sized hand.
“A couple of years ago, the gals at work started asking me to make a pair for them. The business has grown from there – we had 400 pairs to sell at the craft show this year, each as unique as the sweaters they come from, and everything is recycled,” Johnson said.
The mittens, all at least 80 per cent wool, should be hand-washed in cold water and laid flat to dry, Johnson said. To see if there are any left for this season, call Lisa at 780-902-1565, or email [email protected]
