With the holidays just around the corner, it's not too early to be thinking about specialty garden gifts or unique decorating ideas, such as citrus trees espaliered. Potted and espaliered dwarf varieties of citrus trees make excellent decorative "walls" or"dividers" and are a wonderful gift for the fruit-loving gardener with limited space.

Most citrus trees are just about to go into their heaviest fruiting period — Valencia and Washington navel oranges, tangerines, Meyer lemons, and kumquats, to name a few. Espaliered citrus can be very expensive if purchased ready made, but here's how you can make your own at a much lower cost:

• Choose bushy five-gallon dwarf trees and plant in containers (at least 14"-16" in diameter) using a good potting mixture such as G & B Potting Soil.
• Place a 3'x3' trellis against the flatter side of the tree.
• Gently spread the branches against the trellis and tie each one to the trellis with the green plastic tie tape (do NOT use metal twist ties).
• Trim any branches in the front of the trellis that won't lie flat. Be careful not to trim any with fruit on them.
• As an option, plant the area below the trellis with cool season annuals such as pansies, violas, and calendulas, or perennials such as scented trailing geraniums, tri-color sage, lemon thyme, scaevola, lamium 'orchid frost,' or iceberg ivy.
• Fertilize monthly with a liquid fertilizer such as Dr. Earth Liquid Solution 3-3-3.
• Place your espalier on a balcony or against a blank wall, or use two to form an entrance on either side of a walkway.
• Add potted holiday foliage around the base of the pots, such as crotons or mums for the fall or poinsettias and cyclamen at Christmas.

For gift giving, add a bow, and it's ready to go — a gift that will last for years to come!

It's not on Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, but in your own garden!

Yes, roses in Southern California can produce beautiful blooms right through Christmas. Here's what you need to do now to ensure a bumper crop:

This time of year rust becomes more of an issue than mildew. Strip affected leaves and dispose of them in airtight plastic bags to keep rust and mildew from spreading in your garden.
Trim branches back by one third. Don't let any branches remain more than 4-5 feet. They've been producing all year and anything over 5 feet is just too much for the plant to sustain right now.
Next spray the bush with Green Light Rose Defense or Organic Citrall Fungicide on a weekly basis to control rust and mildew. Then mulch generously with Gromulch or G & B Soil Building Compost. Fertilize with Dr. Earth Organic 3 Rose Food, Organic Advantage Plant Food, or Organic Advantage Soil Builder on a monthly basis and water well. Keep up with the watering every week, 3 times a week by hand or 6-8 minutes daily with a sprinkler system.

Once Christmas has passed, spend the week after (just before New Year's Day) trimming your roses back for the winter. Remove all leaves and branches that cross over main canes and trim bloom-producing branches to 2-3 feet so your plant resembles a cup-shaped diamond setting. Mulch well around roots and discontinue feeding until new growth appears (usually around Valentine's Day). Continue watering as usual. This will give your plants a much-needed rest, and by March they'll be ready to produce another beautiful season of blooms.