Are you a handy stitcher in search of a last minute Christmas gift? These crocheted “snowflowers” just might be your thing then! Like the love child of a daisy, a dahlia, and a snowflake, these cheery little ornaments would look great on any tree, don’t you think? ~AR
Is it just me, or do the bigger cookies look like hibiscus flowers? Such a cool cookie idea for anyone celebrating Christmas in more tropical climes. ~AR
Christmas Cookies, Day 13: Moravian Crisps with Royal Icing (Gourmet, December 2008)
A New Holiday Tradition: Renting Christmas Trees
So you can’t reconcile your conscience with buying a tree that’s been cut down, much less testing your lumberjack skills or flexing your DIY muscles to craft your own tree. That’s okay! Now up and coming in the holiday scene, Christmas tree rental agencies are making themselves known in certain states around the country.
For a fee, these farms will deliver a potted (and, if you ask nicely, fully-decorated—but what’s the fun in that?) Christmas tree. Your only obligation is to feed and water it, and keep Whiskers from eating it; the tree, meanwhile, will go on living out its happy life, filtering the air in your house and posing a reduced fire hazard. Come the end of the season, the rental agency picks up the potted pine and hauls it back to the nursery, re-renting it each year until the tree reaches seven years of age. At that point, they plant it for good.
Rental is looking like it might not always be the cheapest option available, but it’s definitely a leg up on your environmentally-conscious friends when it comes time to….spruce up your living room. Or, if you prefer… —MN
Say you’re worried about deforestation or feel it cruel to cut down a tree for a festive fortnight, and say you’re also worried about the foreign labor and petrochemicals that go into most artificial Christmas trees. Solution? Make your own! These charming directions from a time long ago will surely help you construct your own Christmas tree in time for the 25th. Paging Erica! ~AR
For the ambitious 19th c. do-it-yourselfer, another timely project from the editors of Amateur Work.
All you need is 32 inches of zinc tubing, a couple pounds of galvanized iron wire, and plaster of paris. Voilá, a fire-proof Christmas tree!
New York City blogger Glamamom came to the Holiday Train Show with her family recently. Not only did she take beautiful photographs of the show and family, but she also put together a fabulous list of “must know’ Train Show tips. I cannot tell a lie: The Train Show can get crowded, and with all the little kids geeking out over the “steamies and diesels” it can be a little overwhelming. But with a hint of planning and a dash of patience, it’s a magical, wildly rewarding experience. How do I know? Because I have undertaken the journey as a civilian with my own nephews. Thank you Glamamom for visiting and for crafting such a pretty post! ~AR
The Holiday Train Show does that to people! It’s such an overwhelmingly wonderful experience, you just forget to snap any pictures. I always recommend multiple visits, and I’m not just saying that because I work here! ~AR
NY Botanical Garden’s Holiday Train Show.
I didn’t take a lot of pictures of the train, which means I must return. LOL.
(Source: expletiveinfixation)
There were far fewer trains in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory 71 years ago!
Photograph taken on December 23, 1940.
Source: The New York Botanical Garden’s historical photographs, in the collections of The LuEsther T. Mertz Library.
I’ll admit it: some of us here at The New York Botanical Garden are nerds of a most incorrigible caliber. But that’s a point of pride these days, right?
To that end, we bring you Gadgetbox’s take on the “Nerdiest Christmas Trees Ever.” As Daleks, Cthulhu, and sprite art go, you can’t do much better (that may or may not be a challenge to our readers).
We always love to see what our fellow botanical gardens are doing for the holidays! This year, Atlanta’s Botanical Garden, is having an exhibition called “Garden Lights, Holiday Nights”, which features a line of orb-like LED lights. These recyclable orbs, designed to look like Christmas trees and shrubs, are synced to change color to the tune of Christmas carols.
On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, Fringe Tree Hoop Earrings and some really beautiful sta-tion-ery!
Whoa, Tannenbaum! MetroFocus highlights the many tree lighting ceremonies taking place this season in its latest article and we’re happy to say we’ve made the list!
— The Providence Journal - Santa goes green
— Providence Journal: Santa Goes Green
Artist Philip Haas installation of the Four Seasons in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory Courtyard at the NYBG (New York Botanical Garden)....
Imagined conversations from bygone times
What do we want?
A robust variety of naturally-occurring flora in bloom for campus beauty and...
Botanical Gardens, Bronx, NY.
People just accept that I love the New York Botanical Garden and look at the pictures of the pretty things.
BTW NYBG I love the new Native Plants...
Rosemary (in NYBG pot) and friend
Love you, Mom <3
Happy National Public Gardens Day! A female carpenter bee visiting the pea vines yesterday. She’s California’s largest bee.
