As we go through the Christmas season, doing outdoor landscape jobs may not be at the top of our list. More time is spent indoors during the cold days of December. The following are a few tips that may be of interest:

• Wreaths made from cut greenery will last much longer if kept cold, so plan to use them outdoors. Bring them inside for short periods on special occasions.
• Low indoor humidity in winter can make cut Christmas trees dry out quickly. Before the needles start to drop from the tree, take it down. Don’t try to prolong a festive feeling by endangering your home and family with a dried-out, flammable tree.
• Trim hollies and other evergreens, such as magnolia, aucuba, boxwood, stranaesia, and pyracantha, to furnish material for holiday decorations.
• Prune your grapevines a little earlier this year to make a classic wreath. If you can’t shape the wreath as you prune, before bending the vines, soak them in water overnight for increased flexibility.
• To discourage insects from hatching when nuts, cones, and seed pods are brought indoors for holiday arrangements, place them in the oven on the low setting for an hour.
• Keep mistletoe out of the reach of children and pets as the berries are poisonous.
• Unusual poinsettia cultivars now on the market include: Lemon Drop, with bright-yellow bracts; Pink Peppermint, pink with lighter speckles; and Jingle Bells, dark red with pink flecks.
• The Christmas cactus will be coming into bloom. Reduce watering to prolong the blooming period. Keep in full sun at 70° F.
• Potted geraniums grown indoors should be allowed to become somewhat dry before being watered. They need plenty of sun to promote vigorous growth and flowering.
• During the cooler temperatures and shorter days of the winter months, the growth rate of most houseplants slows. Unless plants are grown under an artificial light source that is left on 16 hours per day, new growth will be minimal until spring. Reduce fertilization and water until late April or May when new growth resumes.

When you have a question about indoor plants, give the County Extension Office a call at (706) 265-2442.