By Tamara Galbraith

Sick of the usual red poinsettias, Christmas cacti and amaryllis during the holidays? How about a sage that blooms bright red in the landscape through the winter months and attracts overwintering hummingbirds?

Holway's Sage (salvia holwayi) is a native of the cool highlands of Guatemala and features a low, sprawling habit with small dark green triangular leaves. What's unusual is, not only does it stay evergreen in mild climates, but the plant sends up sprays of vivid red flowers through fall AND winter.

Give this beauty some room, too; it can get up to 4 ft. tall and 8 ft. wide. Many gardeners control its vigor by putting Holway's in a container; hanging baskets are ideal. It is a tender perennial, though, so any frost exposure is out of the question. Holway's does prefer some shade.

Flowering commences in November and continues until March, and the hummers will thank you for the holiday gift that keeps on giving.

By Tamara Galbraith

So, the weekend comes, you've got a Gardening To Do List as long as your arm...and it's raining, or maybe even snowing. Fortunately for gardeners, there's always a side project waiting or an inside chore that needs doing. Here are ten ways to pass the time if you can't spend it outside gardening:

1. Clean your Tools:
First, use a stiff brush to remove excess dirt, then scrub off rust with steel wool. Spray or wipe on a lubricating oil before storing in a dry area.

2. Clean your pots:
If you're like me, your garage and patio are littered with empty plant pots of varying sizes. Dump the excess dirt into the compost pile, rinse with water (or a mild bleach solution, if you suspect fungal disease was present in the pot), scrub with a stiff brush and allow to air dry. Arrange and stack pots according to size, and store.

3. Tend to your houseplants:
Repot where necessary. Polish large leaved-plants with a soft cloth soaked in a mild solution of water and stale beer. If you want leaves to really shine, use a commercial plant-polishing product. Waxes and oils tend to block plant pores and attract dust, though, so watch out for those.

4. Clean out old gardening products:
Determine which pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers, etc., are ready to be thrown out. (Most will last about two years.) Check with your local solid waste management authority, environmental agency, or health department to find out whether your community has a household hazardous waste collection program or a similar program for getting rid of unwanted, leftover pesticides. Whatever you do, please DON'T pour products -- even organic ones -- down the sink, into the toilet, or down a sewer or street drain. And don't re-use empty containers - just throw them away.

5. Go through your seeds:
Seeds more than two years old should probably be thrown away. If you're not sure, test their viability by folding a few seeds in a wet paper towel and laying the towel someplace warm for a few days, ensuring it remains damp. If the seeds germinate, they're obviously still ok. The best way to store seeds is in screw-lid jars or in zip-top plastic baggies.

6. Start a scrapbook:
Go through old gardening magazines and cut out favorite pictures, articles, growing tips, etc., then organize them and paste in a scrapbook. This can actually be a winter-long project if you've got stacks and stacks of gardening magazines like I do.

7. Learn something new:
Interested in making a hypertufa container but not sure where to start? Want to learn the basics of designing an attractive container arrangement? Get on the Internet and do some searching. There's a world of resources out there.

8. Pamper your orchids:
Got orchids? You should decrease the amount of water given to orchids (and all indoor plants, actually) during the winter months, but before you help them shut down for the season, make sure the sphagnum moss and other rooting medium is still fresh. Roots should be white or green and not brown and soggy. If you're getting root rot, change the moss out and trim off bad roots.

9. Start a garden journal:
Keeping records of what works and what doesn't is invaluable in gardening. Taking pictures of your landscape throughout the seasons is also helpful in determining how to tweak here and there. Online gardening journals and blogs are becoming more and more popular, not only for keeping track of your own garden, but to share it with other gardeners across the planet. Most blogging sites make it easy to compose and post entries, as well as pictures.

10.Visit Orange County Farm Supply:
Hop in the car and come visit us. Treat yourself to a new houseplant, garden book or some new gardening tools. You've worked hard all summer and fall, so you deserve it!

By Tamara Galbraith

There are some products on the market making some big claims in protecting plants from such common problems as frost, drought, fungus and insects. These products say they can do everything from keeping your live Christmas tree fresher longer to reducing transplant shock while moving plants.

The products, called anti-desiccants or anti-transpirants, are used as a foliar spray, and work by locking a plant's moisture in and forming a barrier to keep harmful predators and diseases out. They are generally waxy in texture...a lot like anti-perspirant for plants.

Most of the ATs on the market claim to be non-toxic, with no ill effects to ground water, soil, or humans. Some are even combined with other pest-deterring products like cayenne pepper for a double whammy of protection.

One of the few downsides appears to be AT's negative effect on photosynthesis, the process by which plants take in sunlight and convert it into energy to grow. However, because the treated plants are able to hold onto water longer, they don't seem to suffer as much.

So...do ATs live up to all of these miraculous claims? I myself haven't tried them...yet. However, studies have shown that, if nothing else, anti-tranpirants can provide up to 90% control of powdery mildew on roses, euonymous, zinnia, and other ornamentals, and to significantly increase some food crop yields, especially on such frequently fungus-afflicted veggies as cucumbers, tomatoes and squash. That alone makes them worth a try, I think!

By Tamara Galbraith

If you're itching to do some planting during the late fall, take a look at some flowering shrubs. This is the ideal time for planting them.

One of the most attractive--and evergreen--shrubs is Loropetalum chinensis, also known as the Chinese fringeflower or sometimes, Chinese witch hazel.

Originally from China and Japan, fringeflowers have a lovely arching habit, with simple leaves arranged alternately on the sweeping branches. Depending upon the cultivar, the leaf color can range from light green to deep burgundy. (For the purple-leaved varieties, make sure they get full sun to achieve the best foliage color.) Fringeflowers can get as big as 10 feet tall if not kept in check, but most gardeners will want to keep them trimmed to half that height.

In most areas, fringeflowers bloom heavily in the spring and then lightly through the fall with blossoms that range from a pure white to a deep pink, again depending upon the cultivar you choose. In milder climates, they can put on their best show in the late fall or even into February.

Give your fringeflowers full sun, Dr. Earth Organic 4 Azalea & Camellia Fertilizer fertilizer made for acid-loving plants like azaleas and rhododendrons, and don't overwater, and they will give you years of gorgeous color when most plants look their worst.

Nothing is more beautiful in the garden than a large display of cyclamen. They are among the best winter-blooming plants. You can use them in pots on tables, by the front door, or planted in a nice shady spot outdoors. And they're great for atriums.

A few notes on growing cyclamen:

General:
• Try to keep water away from the crown area (they can get crown rot).
• Do not bury them too deep - keep the top of the tuber just slightly above the soil line.
• Keep your plants well fed; feed every couple of weeks while they are in full leaf.
• Pull out the stems that have gone to seed. (Hint! The seeds are hard, the new buds are soft. They look very much alike so this is an important little fact.)
• Pick a few flowers to go into a bud vase. They are lovely and last quite well.
• As the flowers begin to fade, gradually allow the plant to dry out for 2-3 months; don't feed during this time.
• Resume feeding when new growth appears.

Outdoors:
• Cyclamen like cool weather (that's why they make great winter-bloomers). That means outdoors in a shady to semi-shady spot. If you have a spot that is full shade in summer and gets more light in winter, that is ideal.
• Make sure they are planted in a well-draining area.
• They like cool weather - but not cold. Some are more hardy than others, but most need some protection against cold.

Indoors:
• Pick a cool spot. Make sure they have good air circulation - but keep out of cold drafts and hot, dry air.
• High humidity, especially during winter, is very important. Try putting the cyclamen on a tray of water with a layer of pebbles form a shelf for pot to sit on. Don't put the cyclamen itself in the water. You want humidity around the plant, not soggy soil.
• Let the cyclamen have plenty of light in winter - sunburn is rarely a problem. In summer keep it in indirect light.
• Repot when the tuber fills the existing pot; it's best to repot it while it's dormant. Use a pot just a little larger than the old pot.