When it comes to decorating your home and surroundings for the holidays, look to your garden for inspiration and resources. Not only is it green and economical, it is simply awe-inspiring beautiful. Decorating with nature creates a soothing, earthy ambiance. One that is especially comfortable and pleasing for the holidays.

You might be able to reap from your garden and local area: pine cones of all types and sizes, heavenly magnolia leaves fresh or dried, different types of pine boughs, tabletop lemon cypress, rosemary topiary, flowing ivies, bark, nuts of all kinds, whole cranberries, paperwhites, holly branches, oranges, lemons, kumquat fruit and branches, pyracantha with their bright berries, mistletoe sprigs, olive branches, intertwined grapevines, miniature pine trees, dried chili peppers, winter-dormant branches, eucalyptus branches and berries, dried pomegranates, acorns, roses, succulents, and lots more.

Look for inspiration in your garden first. If you don't find everything you would like, look to your neighborhood, your neighbors, retail stores and farmers markets. This time of year in my area the small tabletop trees are readily available and create instant festive appeal. If you can't find "real" everything, your local craft stores can help you mix real and real-like together.

Don't forget the addition of simple accouterments such as holiday ribbons, scented candles, soft lanterns, mulling spice, and a warm cackling fire to complement your festive holiday decorating from your garden.

Quick & Easy Holiday Decorating Tips 1) Fill your candle base with whole hazelnuts as a nice festive decorative base. 2) String whole cranberries on a string to make a garland. 3) Lay magnolia branches on top of your mantle for an earthy holiday appeal. 4) Use a small succulent wreath as a ring for a hurricane with a candle. 5) Make a garland by wiring together pine boughs, and whatever you fancy. 6) Fill an antique dough boy bowl with huge sugar pine cones. 7) Use miniature cypress and juniper as a table centerpiece.

Please share if you decorate for the holidays with elements from your garden. Please comment on any special holiday decorating tips you like to do.

You could say that I'm on a rant about spices. I confess, I love spices. Spices are fun to cook with, give as gifts, and easy to pick up up along your travels. A couple of years ago, I made and holiday-packaged this blackened rub for a garden fundraiser event. It was a big hit.

Everyone enjoys a little something "hand-made from the heart" for the holidays. Why not give a little gift of home-made blackened rub to your mailman, book club, child's teacher, and garden friends. Have you noticed that most gardeners are "foodies" as well. The two seem to go "hand in hand."

Simple spice containers are easy to find at World Market or Crate and Barrel. Reasonably priced spices can be found at Costco, or Smart and Final, if you have one in your area.

I must confess that this is not my original blackened rub recipe, but one that special friends (and fabulouse cooks) adapted, and shared with me. It is none other than the great chef, Paul Prudhomme's Original Blackened Rub with a twist, added chipotle pepper.

Adapted Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Rub 1 1/2 cup Paprika 3/4 cup Kosher Salt 1/4 cup Onion Powder 1/4 cup Garlic Powder 1/4 cup Red Cayenne Pepper 1/2 cup Chipotle Pepper 3 Tablespoons White Pepper 3 Tablespoons Black Pepper 2 Tablespoons Ground Thyme 2 Tablespoons Ground Oregano

Mix throughly all the ingredients, until it is a rich spicy red color. This blackened rub is especially tasty with fish and meats.

This adapted bulk recipe fills approximately 8, 5oz containers. The recipe is so easy, simply repeat it if you have more containers to fill. Purchase holiday 4" x 9" size cellophane bags, pop your filled spice containers in the bag, and tie with a pretty ribbon. If you have time, make a beautiful gift tag, with the recipe included on the back.

Please comment on the home-made "foodie" gifts you like to give at the holidays.

Giving a gift is really an art. Match your gift with who is actually receiving this gift, taking into consideration some of their interests, hobbies, favorites, colors, and personality. Here are some "garden gift" suggestions for the gardeners in your life.

A Rain Barrel. Give a gift that is green, an urn that collects rain water. Gardener's Supply Company has several types of urns and sizes to chose from. Terra Cotta Urn, Flat-Back Rain Barrel and English Rain Barrels

A Chic Farmer's Market Bag.Check out eco-chic Harlow Bags. Choose from multiple colors and designs, all which are named after a Hollywood legend of the past, Audrey, Ava, Katherine, and more. Each style comes in three different sizes--tote, grocery, and farmer's market. Who says one can't be stylish buying fresh fruit and vegetables at your local farmer's market.

Gardeners Hand Products. Crabtree & Evelyn, a delightful selection of hand products to pamper your hands after a day of "guerilla gardening."

New Organic Gardening Book. Pat Welsh's Southern California Organic Gardening (3rd Edition): Month by Month

Hand-crafted Garden Tool. Red Pig Tools, Oregon-based mail order tool maker of beautiful garden tools, the old fashion way. Choose from several categories for the type of tool you want for digging, harvesting, hoeing, weeding, and planting. These tools delight.

Live Plants & Trees. The innovative plant craftsmen at Monrovia helped me compile a holiday plant wishlist especially for you. Check these out on their website, and for a local retailer near you. Marge Miller Camellia #1500 (retails $60-$80), a new cascading Australian variety in a pretty pink color. Nuccio's Bella Rossa Camellia #1725 (retails $39-$49) pictured above, with crimson flowers that have a long bloom time. Barb-b-que Rosemary #2130 (retails $9-$12), use this straight rosemary as a skewer, perfect for the chef on your gift list. One of my personal favorites, and another Monrovia recommendation are the "Tabletop Topiaries" (retails $25-$35). I have three "Little Olive (Ollie) Topiaries" on my table in my outside garden vignette. This time of year, Monrovia also offers a terrific selection of "live" Christmas trees, too. Last year I wrote about my live Monrovia tree in Holiday Green.

Goldfinch Bird Feeder. For the gardener who loves birds. If you have never had a goldfinch bird feeder,Birdscapes® 736 Upside Down Goldfinch Feeder, 3 lb capacity you are in for a treat. Goldfinch are a little ray of sunshine in your garden, and are fascinating to watch as they eat upsided down.

Books Galore. Check out my amazon store favorites, to the right. These are some of my favorites that I have written about over this past year.

These are just a few "garden gift" suggestions  for the holidays. What is the best garden gift you have ever received?  What gifts do you like to give to the gardeners in your life?

Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Embrace the simple things. Be grateful for all that you have in your life. Cherish your family and friends. Take time to reflect on this past year. Don't forget to give back and pay forward. Count your blessings.

VintageGardenGal will be back next week. Happy Thanksgiving from J.Lo, Julia, Fanny and CoCo.

Chances are if you are not cooking this Thanksgiving, you've been invited to share Thanksgiving with family or friends. With the special holiday just days away, it is not too late to put together a small thoughtful gift for the hostess or host.

Chances are the hostess or host who has invited you, is an enthusiastic cook, and enjoys sharing their feast of delectable dishes.

Chances are you might really "wow" them bringing them a simple gift of a well-chosen spice. Chances are your might be invited back real soon.

Start with a small brand new cellophane bag, you can get them at craft stores. Fill the bottom with colored raffia or tissue paper. Choose an outstanding spice, and tie up your bag with a fun fall ribbon. It's a simple gesture, and a gift which captures the spirit of "being thankful."

Choose spices that might be slightly uncommon. A few of my favorites are Ceylon "True" Cinnamon, Coarse Grey Sea Salt, Madras Curry Powder, and Smoked Paprika. You can find special spices at Sur la Table, Home Goods, Marshall's, and even the Dollar Stores.

This gift doubles as a great fall party favor, too. It is simple to do, easy on the budget, sends your guests home with a little memento, and a "thank you" for coming.

Do you have hostess gift ideas to share? Please comment on your favorite spices?

For perfect paperwhites for the holidays, I asked the friendly bulb specialist, Easy To Grow Bulbs, for their expert advice. Easy To Grow Bulbs is a mail-order company which specializes in "bigger, better bulbs for warm weather gardens." I thank Kathleen McCarthy, Head of Customer Service, for graciously writing and navigating us through "How To Grow Perfect Paperwhites."

For those familiar with growing paperwhites, the benefits enjoyed are many. Fresh, fragrant flowers are easily and quickly grown indoors for the holidays and to brighten the grey days of winter. In mild winter climates they make terrific additions to the garden bed after the blooms are finished -- returning to bloom every spring, deterring gophers and deer all the while. Truly a wonderful addition to holiday décor, gift-giving, and as an early breath of spring.

Paperwhites have in the past, been just a bit short of a perfect experience, however. While many love the fragrance they offer, some find it entirely too much of a good thing, and long for varieties with a lighter scent. And just about everyone has had their paperwhites grow too tall with the stems and leaves flopping over. Whether this has happened occasionally, or every time you have grown paperwhites, you probably found creative ways to support them, wishing they would just stay straight and strong on their own. Now there are solutions to both of these issues – paperwhites can now be perfect.

For classic paperwhites with a less potent fragrance, I suggest the Inball paperwhite variety, http://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=169 With large, plentiful white blooms, Inball has the same musky fragrance as a typical paperwhite – just a lot less of it. If you think of a regular paperwhite as having a “gallon of fragrance,” Inball has just about a “cup” of that same fragrance.

Another less potent fragrance variety is the Wintersun paperwhite. It has a much lighter scent that must be appreciated with your face quite close to the blooms. With its pale yellow petals and prominent golden cups it is perfect for both Thanksgiving feasts, and as indoor sunshine for the long, grey days of January and February. Plant paperwhites at 2-3 week intervals to enjoy months of flowers and fragrance!

Tired of paperwhites flopping over just as they are ready to bloom. The reason – and solution -- is simple. Paperwhites prefer to grow in full, day-long sunshine. So, when grown indoors in dim light, they stretch, reaching for the sun they know must be up there somewhere. Where they stretch, they get weak, where they get weak, they flop over. No need to build a solarium to enjoy these beauties at their best, though!

Discovered by a professor of horticulture at Cornell University, the addition of a small amount of alcohol to their water keeps them straight and strong. It simply makes them unable to stretch, so they remain short and upright. Whether using hard liquor or rubbing alcohol, be sure to read the linked article to determine the proper dilution rate. Mix up a quart or so to use for weeks as your paperwhites need their water replenished. As an added benefit, the alcohol keeps the water algae free and crystal clear – an important consideration when growing paperwhites in pebbles and water. For more details on why paperwhites flop and how to stop it, go to https://www.easytogrowbulbs.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=116. This really works!

Having growing, blooming plants in your home is a joy, and easy to achieve with paperwhites. Have fun, be creative; and regardless of the weather outside, enjoy a breath of spring!

For more information on paperwhites and warm weather bulbs, visit Easy To Grow Bulbs.

For those of you who have been anxiously awaiting Pat Welsh's new organic gardening book, it is on sale now at amazon, Pat Welsh's Southern California Organic Gardening (3rd Edition): Month by Month According to Pat, amazon pre-orders are shipping now.

This is Pat's third edition of her Southern California, Month-By-Month Gardening book. I know first hand she has updated and rewritten tirelessly her classic book to incorporate organic gardening and organic practices for the avid Southern California gardener today. Pat Welsh is a garden guru. This is a great holiday gift for you, and the gardeners in your life.

Remember my dear friend, Kathy Lafleur, who has the incredible mosaic-decorated chicken coop? See VintageGardenGal's related post, Chicken Coop FAQ. Well, she has been working hard on her potager, and has allowed us to catch a glimpse.

If you recall in a previous post,7 Elements of a Potager I emphasized that you must create a potager in your personal style. Kathy has done an amazing job of emphasizing her potager elements in her personal style.

Kathy's entrance into her potager is a newly designed archway "welcoming" you to come in. A work in progress, she has made and grouped clay bluebirds and mirror squares, as her beginning mosaic design. On the opposite side of this arch she has planned a surprise for those entering her potager, two espaliered fig trees, whose structure and design will eventually echo the curved archway.

Look closely through her archway and you can see two tall focal points, the first one, a towering Spanish three-tiered fountain, replacing water with heat-loving spilling succulents. More of Kathy's artistic ceramic birds adorn its top and pay homage to the "goodness of the garden." The second towering focal point is her genius "totem" pole, created from her inspiring collection of European vintage watering cans. A straight rod anchors each watering can, and keeps them precariously in place. Kathy's watering can "totem" pole, is an excellent example of repetition. See VintageGardenGal's related post, "Repetition is Design". The simplest things in repetition can create fabulous design.

The heart and soul of any potager are the plots or raised beds. Kathy has several raised beds painted in a vibrant green, to show off each season's vegetables and flowers. Ample gravel pathways allow easy access and working area for each raised bed. Her entire potager is enclosed by a low clay brick wall, enclosure another important element of the potager.

Kathy Lafleur's potager is so inviting, so artistically well-done, when you are in her potager you don't want to leave. It is as functional as a kitchen garden, as it is artistically beautiful to enjoy. When planning your potager, create it in your personal style.

Have you thought of mixing art with functionality in your potager? Do you have a favorite collection you can create something with?