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"Possibility and promise greet me each day as I walk out into my garden. My vigor is renewed when I breathe in the earthiness and feel the dirt between my fingers. My garden is a peaceful spot to refresh my soul." Meems






Welcome to my Central Florida Garden Blog where we garden combining Florida natives, Florida-Friendly plants, and tropicals.

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Day 6:: CHRISTMAS GIVE-AWAY::Twelve Days of Christmas...

["Just for fun and also because we just keep right on gardening through December here in Florida, I'm going to challenge myself and post something from my garden everyday for twelve days. Think of it as 'excerpts from Hoe & Shovel.'
It may just be a flower (or two) or it may be an informative post or it may involve a give-away. It may include lots of thoughts or none at all.
If you'd like to join me and post your own 12 days ... feel free to jump in any time, any day. Just leave me a comment and let me know you're doing it also and I'll come check out your 12 days too."]


Day 6: Christmas Give-away
What better way to celebrate the half-way point of our 12 days of Christmas than to offer a Christmas give-away!


Orchids are universally loved but often misunderstood. Their beautiful blooms easily entice gardeners and non-gardeners alike when for sale in grocery stores and garden centers. They are exotic, elegant, and stunningly simple all at once.

In Judy White's newly released (Nov 2009) book, Bloom-Again Orchids, she offers tips on growing them and helps with ways to have them re-bloom while exploring more commonly available, easy-to-grow orchids.

After reading her tricks for growing orchids and viewing the beautiful illustrations in this book, you may never let your fear of orchids keep you from plunking down the change for them again.

My lone orchid plant was budding out today. It was one of those purchased in the big box store for an indoor plant a few years back. When it quit blooming it found its home under the branches of the Australian fern. I pretty much neglect it out there until it blooms. Then it gets moved to the back porch where it can be admired fully. Sadly I don't know its name nor have I braved adding to my collection. I may just have to change that.

Here's how to enter for your chance to win** Judy White's 50 Easy-Care Orchids that Flower Again and Again and Again book:

(United States Residents only qualify for free shipping give-away please~ so sorry to my international friends~ I'd love to hear about your Christmas traditions anyway.)
1. Leave a comment on this post (Day 6) by midnight EST, December 12.

2. In your comment tell me about a favorite Christmas tradition practiced in your family.


3. The winner will be announced here on December 13.

It's that simple. Easy as 1, 2, 3. No link backs required.

My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?"
Bob Hope, American film actor and comedian.
_____________________________________________________
**This book was sent to me by Timber Press, Inc. and the give-away is donated by them as a promotion for Bloom-Again Orchids.

11 comments:

  1. Our favorite is the "huge" family gathering at my Mom's house, presents, food and lots of movies/hunting movies watched by the guys, while us girls play cards and drink some wine. Dinner is off of fine china and silver and crystal, then the girls clean it all up while the boys are STILL watching the tv. Oh well, great holidays anyway.

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  2. My sister and I performed a "play" every Christmas Eve for my parents. Dressed in white linen, bright tinsel around our heads, the christmas tree as stage decor; we performed the nativity story complete with background music of Little Drummer Boy! Then it was time to open the presents...
    We both are married now and she has her own children, who we will teach to carry on the tradition!

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  3. beautiful blog you've got here! I enjoy seeing your orchid blooming outside this time of year -- its 29 degrees here in Pennsylvania. Brrr..

    My favorite Christmas tradition is baking all the wonderful cookie recipes that have been handed down through the generations in my family. It's hard not to gain weight this time of the year.

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  4. Meems, that's a Dendrobium orchid. More specifically a Phal-type dendrobium. Which does absolutely fantastically well in our tropical climate. And the best part is that it thrives on neglect (seriously!) I have quite a few of them in my garden and find that they grow and bloom best when they're tied onto a tree or log.
    Do your garden a favour and get some more dendrobiums. They're spectacular when they're blooming, arent they? But please, no pampering, okay?

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  5. Orchids have always intimidated me...I love to sit on the front porch with the Christmas light blinking, Adults sipping champagne, children sipping peppermint hot chocolate while we listen to my husband whistle Christmas Carols and our flute player (13 year old) accompanying him!!

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  6. One of my favorite and most memorable Christmas traditions is baking cookies. My mother, sister & I always baked a ton of cookies. She was always so careful to get a mixture of different kinds. As Christmas aproached we would pass out plates of the cookies to neighbors and friends. My favorites were small German cut-out cookies. Between two different cookies we would spread some strawberry jam, then top it off with a dusting of powdered sugar over the top. YUM!

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  7. On Christmas Eve after dinner we'd jump in the car and cruise around the neighborhood to look at all the lights. It was simple but exciting as a little kid. When you've got a chance, please feel free to stop by and participate in the seed giveaway going on at my blog!

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  8. Our family's Christmas tradition is to open presents all day on Christmas Eve, one per person every hour until they are all unwrapped. This way, the kids would actually take time to play with each and every gift instead of a mad rush to rip open boxes. We still do it! Have a great Christmas, and as far as orchids go, I need all the help I can get with identifying and taking care of them. Kathy

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  9. i'm enjoying your 12 days of Christmas posts. i confess i was expecting more about the season and it's flowers/plants, but about orchids? - no! still, orchids are exotic and tropical, so why not? i was wondering if this is the same orchid you threw away on the compost pile, and it revived itself? if they are so hardy, and require nothing more than neglect, i am all for having more of them in my garden. this book could be an inspiration to that end.

    my Christmas traditions have come and gone over the many years. one of my favorites when the grandkids were small was having a "Happy Birthday Jesus" party for kids only (no parents allowed). this was usually held the week before the holiday. the older gks would assist with the little ones and we would play games, read the birthday story from the Bible, have treats and open gifts. that way i got to enjoy having the gks by myself, they got to see their cousins, and their parents got a shopping break. now that time has passed and those gks have their own kids, we see much less of them, but we still have those memories.

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  10. i have long admired orchids for their sheer beauty and the delicate look they have...they seem a feminine flower to me.
    you will have to follow up and show us all the blooms...so lovely.

    wow we are a house filled with traditions...one of our favourite is cutting down our own christmas tree...the kids always help when they get old enough and they think they are big britches holding the saw and "helping" cut it down.
    another one(cause you knew i couldn't keep it to just one)is opening one present on christmas eve...it is always our new christmas jamies and we all put them on after opening and spend the rest of the night together in our jamies.
    happy december filled with tradition.

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  11. With my children grown, married with children of their own, and family spread out from coast to coast, I find my memories of Christmas's past has become my traditions. As I unpack ornaments from years gone by, I can remember back many many years ago as the presents were piled around the tree and it took hours to open them. Oh where have the years gone.

    Again, thanks for sharing your beautiful posts.

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Have a blessed day,
Meems


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