I can't say enough about the effectiveness of combating gophers "the green way" with bulbs. I owe my good friends at Easy To Grow Bulbs for the "aha" moment, when I learned that planting any type of jonquil, paperwhite, or daffodil bulb, in a somewhat strategic mass planting in your yard and garden will effectively deter gophers in a very green and very beautiful organic way. It is a gopher solution that is simple and appealing.

Last year I wrote about the benefit of planting bulbs to deter gophers around my chicken coop in the related VGG post, Narcissus Bulbs Naturally Deter Gophers, and how effective it has been. I also planted bulbs around the perimeter of my potager to deter any gopher invasion, as shown in the photo above.

Jonquil, paperwhite, and daffodil bulbs once planted in the ground send out a year-round message to deter gophers, rabbits, and even deer in their immediate area. These particular bulbs send out a "toxic fragrance" or odor that animals sense even without biting into a bulb. However, if these bulbs are bitten into, they have the capability to burn a gopher's tender mouth and cheek tissues. The result is a natural tendency for gophers to move away from the area where you have planted your bulbs, hence limiting their food source, and population. It takes a little while, but it really works.

I love this green solution because it is humane to wildlife, your bulbs look fantastic when blooming, and they bloom year after year. Your initial investment is your time involved planting your bulbs, and a generous amount of bulbs planted in your gopher problem-related area. Plant your bulbs one after another in a line 3"-4" apart, or planted randomly throughout a flower bed amongst your other plants. Once your bulbs bloom, cut them back after they are spent and dried. You won't see them for the rest of the year, yet they are sending out their gopher-deterrent message year-round.

Please share how you combat gophers in your garden and yard. Do you have any other green solutions for gophers?

Wishing Everyone The Best 2010! What better way to start the New Year, writing about newly laid eggs, a symbol of fertility and new life through the ages.

My French Marans hens have started laying their beautiful chocolate eggs once again, only six days after the winter solstice, December 21, which marks the commencement of longer daylight. The increased daylight often measured in increased minutes of daylight, signals chickens in general to begin laying.

If you let your hens follow their instincts, and don't add supplemental light in their coop to keep them laying, they will take a natural break or molt in the fall to winter, and begin laying once again with the natural stimulation of incremental increased daylight. This can vary by a hen's age and breed. When a hen does start laying once again, after a break, her eggs might be smaller at first in size.

In a previous post here at VGG, Discovering The French Marans Chicken Breed, I write in detail about the French Maran breed, and how they actually secrete a dark chocolate tint to their eggs aided by a unique mucous gland in the last moments of laying their eggs. This is the secret of their deep chocolate color, and what is unique to their breed. In the photo above, you can see the first egg is two-toned, as my French Marans hen, Coco, turned on her mucous gland, as she commences to begin laying her first egg, after her fall/winter break. The second laid egg is fully tinted dark chocolate, and it appears that her egg-laying process is in place. It is yet another example of how beautiful mother nature is.

For more information on the French Marans Chicken Breed please go to Marans Chicken Club USA. See "Diggin' These Links", on my home page- left side bar, for more chicken-related links I've assembled especially for you.

Are your hens starting to lay since the winter solstice? Do you have any "egg stories" to share?

Announcing for all of you that live in the Encinitas area, Weidner's Gardens is hosting a "Fruit Tree Workshop" on Saturday, January 16, 2009.  Come see their fabulous bare root fruit tree selection for the season, and learn a few tips. See below for details. Hope to see you there!

11:00-1pm, Master Gardener, John Marsh, will  speak on "Pruning Your Fruit Trees."

1:00-2:00pm, VintageGardenGal, Bonnie Jo Manion, will speak on the "Basics of Espaliered Fruit Trees."

Weidner's Gardens, 695 Normandy Rd., Encinitas, CA 92024, (tel) (760) 436-2194, www.weidners.com, Saturday, January 16, 2009, Hours are 9:00am - 4:30pm

My husband, John, wanted two things out of our remodel, a garage and a wine-making room. Just kidding. Part of our remodel involves a stand alone barn which will house a two-car garage, wine-making room, and a guest apartment upstairs. Our architect, Bill Bocken, was very clever to cloak all of this into a barn. Our trees and landscaping soften the barn, and immediately give the barn a presence as if it has been on our property for a long time.

The two large openings you see in the above photo will be actual sliding barn doors, which will look west to our garden, vineyard, and the ocean horizon. Our barn will be multi-use and functional for a variety of activities. It will be a working barn.

On a recent trip back to the Chicago area, traveling south and west into the farm heartland, I was captured by the beauty of the many working family farms and open land of rich earth. Trees were carefully planted around the family home and center of the farm for protection. You could often see the original barn of the farm homestead abandoned for safety reasons, but sometimes still standing and making an aesthetic impression on the landscape.

There is a great green movement to recycle precious floors, beams, and materials from these abandoned barns and buildings, rather than have them lost to landfill and further decay. Theses materials can live on, be re-purposed and enjoyed for anther 100 years.

Some barns, like this white barn in the photo below, still function and thrive today. This former dairy barn is part of an 1830's farmstead in Woodstock, Illinois, majestically morphed into an ideal setting for a garden antique business, Kimball & Bean.

It is nearly impossible to photograph with true justice this incredible barn. I wasn't able to capture and show you the massive length of this barn, or that it is two stories high. Hopefully, I was able to show you its charm and enduring presence.

If you are ever near the community of Woodstock, Illinois, take the time to visit their picturesque town square and Kimball & Bean Garden Antiques, a few miles outside of town. My husband and I hope to recreate some of the charm and enduring presence with our own barn, that we saw in the barns in the Midwest farm heartland.

Did you visit or have a barn growing up? Please share, if you know of a barn now that has been saved and reinvented for something wonderful? Please comment on why you think barns are so wonderful.

For a special treat on Christmas morning, serve your friends and family Cranberry-Vanilla Coffeecake, from a recipe by Melissa Roberts in Gourmet magazine, December 2008. It proved to be so popular, I actually made it a few times throughout last year's holiday season.

This recipe packs a bundle. It is incredibly easy to make, and can even be made a day ahead. It is festive and flavorful for the holidays. In the middle of this coffeecake is a surprise tart cranberry filling, and its garnish on top is sifted powdered sugar, which is reminiscent of snowflakes. Underlying it all, is fresh vanilla bean flavored sugar. This flavor combination is hard to beat.

Cranberry Vanilla Coffeecake works well by itself and perhaps with a piping hot cup of fresh cinnamon coffee to accompany it, or maybe you would like to include it as part of an entire Christmas Brunch menu. Enjoy! Happy Holidays everyone!

At your next holiday gathering, entertain with a warmed punch bowl of Spicy Wassail, recipe from The Sage Cottage Cookbook, 2nd: Celebrations, Recipes, and Herb Gardening Tips for Every Month of the Year. Author Dorry Baird Norris suggests finding an inexpensive basket with a flat bottom that fits your Crock Pot snug, cut an exacting hole on one side for the cord, plug into a nearby electrical outlet,  presto you have the perfect serving vessel to keep your tasty holiday wassail warm.

Don't forget to embellish around your basket edge, as my dear and clever friends did in the photo above. Fresh winter greens, pine needles, and pinecones further entice guests to sample. My friends also suggest this "Crock Pot warming and styling technique" for soups, warm appetizers, and mulled wines. Author Dorry Baird Norris recommends a nice variation on her recipe for a more Christmasy drink, simply replace the recipe's cider with cranberry juice.

Spicy Wassail Bowl Makes 25 6-ounce servings by Author Dorry Baird Norris

1 gallon apple cider 1/3 cup dark brown sugar 1 12-ounce can undiluted frozen orange juice concentrate 1 12-ounce can undiluted frozen lemonade concentrate 1 tablespoon whole cloves 1 tablespoon allspice berries 4 cinnamon sticks (Never substitute ground cinnamon for cinnamon sticks in drinks because it does not blend in.) 1 teaspoon ground mace 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Combine cider, brown sugar, orange juice, and lemonade in a large pan. Tie cloves, allspice, cinnamon, mace and nutmeg in cheesecloth or muslin and add to cider. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove spice bag and serve hot.

Surrounding yourself with friends and family over the holidays is very special, especially when you share with them a cup of warmed Spicy Wassail. Please pass on the good cheer!

Please comment on what you like to serve to guests around the holidays. What are some of your holiday traditions you would like to share.

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?