Poinsettias & Other Holiday Decorations

Loree of danger garden posed a "poinsettia challenge" back on December 1st, asking bloggers to do something interesting with that much maligned holiday plant.  As I missed out on the prior ornamental cabbage and kale challenge, I vowed not to let this one pass me by.  Two of the pots next to our front door were sorely in need of replanting so I planned to kill 2 birds with the proverbial stone by using poinsettias in my pots.  Unlike colder parts of the country, poinsettias can survive outside in our climate, at least with some protection.

When I buy poinsettias, I usually get the yellow ones but I decided to shop around this year before making my selection.  I wanted something that would fit in with the the garden benches and other pots by the front door.  So, I dithered.  Then, having reached a decision on color, I returned to the mom and pop garden center that had my selected plants, only to find that the majority had already been cleaned out!  I didn't have time for a project reboot so I picked 2 plants that were similar in color but not identical in shape.  I got the rest of the plants to fill these pots elsewhere, which also resulted in some missteps.  In the end, I had too many plants for the pots and had to simplify.

Here are the 2 pots in a wide shot taken from the front walkway.

I choose coral-colored poinsettias that pick up the color of my door mat and the pillows that accent the nearby bench cushions.  My gnomes usually come out at Christmas time too and, as they're also maligned holiday hallmarks, I thought they made the perfect complement for my poinsettia challenge pots.

Here's a closer view of the pot #1:

This pot contains a coral poinsettia with ivory edges, Coprosma 'Evening Glow', and noID ferns.  A friend gave me the giant grasshopper ornament a few years ago and as its colors perfectly match the plant colors, it went into the mix.  My favorite gnome, riding a tortoise, is on point to go after the grasshopper should it sprint away.

And here's pot #2:

The gargoyle under the bench isn't really intended as part of the vignette - he sits there all year, although he gets a festive red bow at Christmas time

This coral poinsettia has multi-layered curved bracts that give it a rose-like appearance.  I used Coprosma 'Evening Glow' again but instead of ferns added Acorus gramineus 'Ogon' and a few cuttings of Aeonium'Kiwi'.  The gnome was picked up many years ago on a bargain sale, missing the fishing pole he was supposed to have in his right hand.  I gave him a clump of Aeonium arboreum to hold but he still looks disgruntled, doesn't he?  

I can submit only one photo in Loree's challenge.  Should I go with the wide view, pot #1 or pot #2?  Or do you have other suggestions on mixing it up?

The front door pots aren't my only Christmas decorations.  Here's a look at some of the rest:

A faux tree in the entryway is decorated with wood ornaments and glass bubbles meant to signify rain.  A friend gave me the raccoon figure last year as a joke in light of my ongoing struggles with the creatures.  My store-bought wreath is embellished with a bow and cuttings of succulents, Coprosma and Nandina berries from my garden.  Wood letters and snow globes decorate other areas of the house.

The tree's placement was an issue this year my husband won a long-standing argument over the addition of a recliner in the living room, creating tighter quarters.  The tree overlooks the backyard and the harbor beyond.

For me, nothing brings memories of the past to the surface more readily than Christmas ornaments, a point which Anna's Wednesday Vignette post at Flutter & Hum this week drove home.  Much as I appreciate the theme trees I see on display in various venues, my decorations are a mish-mash that includes family ornaments, gifts from friends, and collected items.  I haven't bought a new ornament in years but somehow I always have more than I can use.

The ornament on the top left was on the earliest tree I remember as a child and brings to mind my father, who died in an accident when I was 6.  The ornament on the top right was made for me by my stepfather, now also gone.  The Siamese cat in the middle of the second row was a gift from a friend, acknowledging the loss of my cat Ming last year - I surrounded him with mice angels I'd bought for myself years before.  The Santa gardener to the right was needlepointed by another friend.  The gold ornament on the bottom left was one of a group of ornaments my husband (the original scrooge) and I made in the early years of our relationship.

I know how crazy - and intense - the holidays can get but I hope you're taking time to enjoy them and to digest your own memories.  And, if you have any ideas on my poinsettia challenge submission, please pass them along!


All material © 2012-2015 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party