Time to Visit American Plant

As a child I would get the Christmas tree with my dad around this time of year. As I got older and lived away from home I always liked to get the Christmas decorations up the day after Thanksgiving. In the Midwest there were window boxes, vases in front of fireplaces, mantles, windowsills and so many other places to decorate. When I didn’t have enough garlands and greens I could easily cut branches off the trees and bushes in the backyard. When we moved to Capitol Hill we no longer had space for most of this stuff, but I would still decorate with live branches and fill the wall vase with greens. Now we live in northern Virginia and the space is still small. For whatever reason this year I didn’t feel like doing much of anything. But yesterday we finally went to American Plant to pick up some branches. I knew I would at least like to replace the bamboo branches in the dining room with something a bit more festive. We ended up getting two bunches - some taller so as to feign a tree of sorts. I haven’t had time to set things up yet this week so I have the branches sitting in water. I’ll need to dig out the one large box of Christmas decor and put up a few icicles and my favorite ornaments. The window baskets on the balcony will be ignored this year. It’s nice to have some reminders of the season. Each year feels a little different. 

Holidays Are Over

There is one good thing about putting up fewer decorations than in years past - there is less to take down. I used to start putting up Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving. Even before we moved to the DC area we stopped getting Christmas trees and relied on branches and such from the backyard. But even without a tree there was something in every room and still a lot to take down. On Capitol Hill our space was so tiny there were limitations, but we made the best of it. We usually travel to central Virginia for Christmas but haven’t for the last three years. And we haven’t had guests in our house for three years. So whatever we put up it’s for our own entertainment. So we went to American plant and got some greens and I dragged out my Christmas box and went to work. The main attraction was the baskets on the balcony. The winter pansies and spikes had a variety of greens, sticks, berries and bows added and we faced them all towards the living room so we could enjoy them. Then the bamboo sticks in the large vase in the dining room were replaced with greens with our favorite Radko ornaments hanging from the large mirror above the sideboard. Here and there were scattered icicles, Santa, and red berry branches in the wall vases and above the TV cabinet. So as soon as the holiday ends the decorations come down. Out comes the Christmas box that houses all of these treasures. Everything is safely packed away for another year. It’s hard to believe how quickly time flies - much faster than I ever thought possible. 

Christmas Balcony Baskets

In the Midwest the house was filled with Christmas decorations - in the window boxes, the planters, on two fireplace mantels, the kitchen bay window and just about every room. The nice thing about it was that I could gather greens and sticks from all of the trees we had in the yard. On Capitol Hill we had two tiny condo units that were decorated for the tiny space - and using greens was always a big part of it too - but we had to buy them. Now we live in northern Virginia and have a small balcony with window baskets that are tied to the back of the seats. We always turn the chairs so that the baskets face our living room in the winter months. Winter pansies were planted a few weeks ago and the spikes and ivy were left in. This week we went to American Plant to get the greens we needed to fill in the baskets for the holiday. I always save the pine cones and red berries and sticks from the previous years so they can be used both outside and inside of the house again. I always like to mix up the real stuff with the fake stuff too. Somehow it always seems to work out. Unfortunately we are not able to put lights on the patio because of condo rules. But inside there is at least one string of lights. The majority of the greens ended up filling the large vase on the dining room sideboard. The rest were placed in each of the three balcony baskets along with some festive red berries and pine cones. We have a great view of them during the day and it makes the season a bit merrier. Sometimes all you need is just a bit of whimsy. 

US Botanic Gardens Plant Monuments

We moved to Capitol Hill sixteen years ago. Ever since we have always visited the US Botanic Garden at this time of year - and many times during the year as well. The first time was with our grandson when he was about 3-4 after attending the Capitol Christmas tree lighting ceremony. Since we moved to northern Virginia almost four years ago, we still drive in to town to see the gardens especially at this time of year. Obviously the Christmas trains are the big draw. This year again they are located on the outside of the building. But another treat is to stroll through the indoor gardens and take in all of the holiday splendor. We weren’t able to do that the last two years due to the pandemic. Everything was closed. There are once again monuments and buildings that are made out of plant material scattered throughout. They are very recognizable and nicely made to the finest detail. The photos don’t do them justice. We passed by the Washington Monument, the US Botanic Garden conservatory, the Capitol, the National Gallery of Art, Union Station, Supreme Court, Bartholdi Fountain, MLK Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, USGrant Statue, Smithsonian African American Museum. I have a feeling we might have missed one or two. A couple of school groups were listening to stories about pine cones and such while another was sketching exotic plants for some high school class. There is always something to see at the gardens. It is one of our favorite places. 

Taking Down Christmas Decorations

They have been up since the day after Thanksgiving. The greens we bought at American Plant were distributed among the large vase on the plant console table, the wall vase, and the balcony window boxes. Sprinkled in them were pine cones, berries, and sticks that I picked up in the street. And of course, a string of lights was added to make it more festive. We usually don’t put a lot of Christmas decorations up because we travel to central Virginia for the holiday. But for most people this year, plans changed. Once Christmas is over I am also over looking at the decorations. The greens were all dried out and we are always ready to move on. So yesterday I got out the box that all of the stuff is stored in and started the process of undoing what was done. The Christopher Radko ornaments that were hung on the large dining room mirror were the first to be placed back in their original box. It took a lot longer than I thought it would. Luckily we didn’t have a tree to deal with but we haven’t had one for ages. So another year has passed and it was very different than any year before it. The house looks more like itself and I kinda like it that way.