Create a Stunning Boxwood Tree for Holiday Decor

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Boxwoods have graced gardens for thousands of years and become part of our holiday traditions. Native to Europe and Asia, boxwoods were used in Egyptian gardens as early as 4,000 BC. Ancient Romans and Greeks used the fine-grained wood to carve intricate combs, utensils, flutes, and, yes, boxes.


Boxwoods came to the Americas in the 1600s with European colonists. Today boxwood joins holly as an evergreen symbol of the holidays. What better way to honor its rich tradition than creating your own tabletop boxwood tree. It’s easier than you think.


You’ll need:

  • boxwood cuttings
  • pruners
  • floral foam block (the kind that absorbs water)
  • a knife
  • shallow waterproof container (which fits the end of the foam block snugly)
  • wire or floral picks
  • Your choice of decorations

Instructions:

When you’re ready to go, assemble all your supplies on a waterproof surface.

  1. Soak your floral foam in a bucket for a few hours to a day before you make your tree.
  2. Use your pruners to fill a bucket with boxwood cuttings, resting their stems in a few inches of water. When you make your tree, you’ll re-cut those stems into four- to six-inch lengths.
  3. Cut your boxwood the day before you make your tree to let the cut stems drink heavily. And yes, I said the stems, not you! Okay, a little cider is fine. Or mulled wine!
    • No – you aren’t harming your boxwoods by pruning them now. A late fall or winter pruning helps to shape them for next year. Just go easy, cutting no more than a third of the plant.
  4. Cut the sides of one end of a block of floral foam at an angle to create a tree shape, leaving a flat top at the peak. Put the wider uncut side of the floral foam into your container.
  5. Starting at the bottom, push cut boxwood stems into the foam in a circle around the base. Work your way up the foam, using shorter pieces as you go. Some find it easier to establish the base and top, then fill in.
    • Push stems into the foam only once. Moving them damages the foam. Stripping off some leaves at the base of stems helps them to go in more easily.


Tip: Stand back often as you work to look at the shape. Perfection is overrated, but it should have an overall tree shape. Fill in any gaps. When you’re done, no green foam should show.


Voila! You’ve just made your first boxwood tree.

Now comes the fun part: decorating it!


Use floral picks or wire to attach ribbons and bows, pinecones and picks, balls, beads, birds, or other baubles. My last tree wore vintage lace, star anise, berries, and strands of pearls. When you’re done – and smiling, no doubt – water your boxwood tree. Put your finger in the container and slowly water from the top until you feel water on your finger. A well-watered tree can last for a month or two.

A decorated and fully assembled boxwood tree featuring a red cardinal at the top.
Holiday boxwood trees are unique, long-lasting holiday decorations.


I tip my hat to Master Gardener Dusty Graham for teaching me how to make boxwood trees, so I could now teach you. Thanks, Dusty!


I hope you’ll try your hand at making a boxwood tree or two. They add elegance to your holiday home and make wonderful gifts.

By Annette Cormany, Principal Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator, Washington County, University of Maryland Extension.  Read more by Annette.

Q&A: How can I fix flowering issues with my Christmas cactus?

Emily PorterLeave a comment
Christmas Cactus with a few dark pink blooms near a window.
This Christmas cactus may be struggling to bloom due its location in the home with lower light conditions.
Photo: Ask Extension, UMD HGIC.

Q: This year, I am again having problems with the flowers on my Christmas Cactus. The plant gets an abundance of flower buds, but most of the ones that flower do not flower completely. Many partially flower, but then start drooping before fully blooming and opening. Also, many of the buds fall off before blooming. I am careful not overwater, and the plant is in a window facing the east.

A: It can be difficult to know for sure what is causing the symptoms, but possibilities include low ambient humidity (these cacti are native to jungle environments, where they grow as epiphytes on the trees like orchids do), temperature fluctuations, under-watering, and possibly exposure to ethylene gas, which can come from a group of ripe fruit and leaks in gas appliances.

When watering, make sure the potting mix is thoroughly rehydrated, and excess water freely drains out of the bottom drain holes. To boost humidity, consider using a humidifier (misting foliage will not be effective).

An east-facing window doesn’t give the plant much light (especially this time of year and if the plant isn’t directly in front of the pane), so if you have an option to grow it in a west- or south-facing window, that may help with growth and vigor overall, even if it may not change much with regards to flower bud dropping. In fact, that may need to wait until after the flowering period, as Iowa State notes that “to avoid flower bud drop, do not move the plant during flower bud development,” though it can be moved once flowers are opening. Michigan State mentions a couple of other causes, such as exposing the plant to light that interrupts its required 13 hours of darkness (a seasonal trigger for flowering) and exposing the plant to temperature swings (drafts), particularly below about 50 degrees. The linked page has more details about the darkness period.

You can also refer to a blog post from a few years back for some further reading: Christmas cacti make lovely gifts and decor by Annette Cormany.

A lush Christmas cactus displaying colorful magenta blooms, sitting in a bright window.
Heavy blooms are a hallmark of Christmas cactus and its cousin, the Thanksgiving cactus.
Photo credit: Washington County Master Gardener Wilma Holdway.

By Miri Talabac, Horticulturist, University of Maryland Extension Home & Garden Information Center. Miri writes the Garden Q&A for The Baltimore Sun and Washington Gardener Magazine. Read more by Miri.

Okra is Summer

Maryland Grows4 Comments

As I write this, it’s a cold rainy day in early December, and I’m thinking about okra.

Close up of okra pods on an okra plant.

This sounds bonkers. You can’t even buy okra in grocery stores right now, and the only crop I’m harvesting from my garden is turnips. But I firmly believe that we should think about summer vegetables in the winter, at least for purposes of garden planning. The time to consider your okra seed purchase is not August, or July, or even June, when you might want to be planting it. If you’re ordering from a seed catalog (and you will get a far better choice of varieties that way, since stores usually offer one or possibly two kinds of okra seed), you need to plan ahead. Okay, maybe not as early as December. I’ve been thinking about okra because I plan to feature it in my own community garden plot next year, and I’ll also be in charge of a bed at the Derwood Demo Garden.

Frankly, we’ve underserved okra at Derwood in the past. We tend to think of it late in the planning process, or maybe not at all, and stick in about three plants in some less-than-ideal location. Okra will not be productive if it doesn’t get enough space to grow, or enough sun, and even under better conditions three plants are not sufficient for a decent harvest. Give it what it needs, however, and it will thrive. Okra is one of those rare crops that truly loves our hot, humid summers.

The other thing okra needs, that we’ve found hard to provide at the demo garden, is frequent harvesting. The pods grow fast and turn hard and inedible, and picking once a week is definitely not enough; we end up composting half our crop. We’ll need to get to the garden more often, but I doubt it’ll be more than twice a week, so as I’m looking at varieties to order seed, I’m concentrating on those that claim pods are tender even at larger sizes.

Not everyone loves okra (more on that below) but if you do, it is worth growing your own. Here are some things to think about as you peruse the seed catalogs and plan your garden:

  • Some catalogs also only have two sorts of okra available. That’s okay, they are probably well-tested ones (Clemson Spineless and Red Burgundy, I’m looking at you). But if you want to have a broader choice, check out catalogs that feature heirloom varieties, or that originate in the south, where okra is a beloved crop.
  • Read the descriptions carefully. Some varieties are meant for small gardens or container growing, and max out at two or three feet; some will be eight feet tall and three feet wide. Most are in the middle. The pods also vary considerably in length and thickness. Colors vary as well (green, red (anywhere from burgundy to orange), or green with red highlights).
  • You can start seeds either in pots or directly in the garden, but read up on seed scarification. Okra seeds are tough and will need to be soaked and/or nicked or roughened up before they will germinate.
  • Okra likes it hot, so wait until late May or early June to put it in the garden. Or later, if you’re pulling out a spring crop and have bed space available. Check days to maturity to figure out how late you can start a variety; you’ll want to start harvesting at least by mid-August, so for a 60 day crop, plant by mid-June.
  • Give the plants full sun and plenty of space (about 18 inches apart for larger varieties). They are fairly drought-resistant when full-grown, but of course they need watering well as seedlings.
  • Okra flowers are gorgeous, by the way, so make sure you enjoy them!
  • Harvest frequently. Every other day is ideal. You can save up the pods for a few days in the fridge and cook them all at once. If I’m not certain whether a pod is too tough to eat, I give it a squeeze; if it makes a cracking sound, it goes in the compost.
Okra flower on an okra plant.

All right, but isn’t okra slimy? Or, to use a perhaps even less attractive word, mucilaginous? It certainly can be, if it’s not treated right. Maybe in soups and stews that’s okay, especially in whatever favorite okra dish you may have grown up with, but if the sliminess turns you off, here are some ways to mitigate the mucus.

  • Young okra is great eaten raw in a salad, with dips, or as a snack while standing in the garden, and it’s fresh and crunchy and not slimy at all.
  • Traditional breaded and fried okra is terrific and if there is slime, you don’t notice it. Probably you don’t want to eat it this way every day, but it’s a fantastic treat. You can also use an air fryer to avoid all that oil.
  • If you’re frying okra without a crisp coating to distract you, here’s a secret: keep it dry. Wash it and then rub it thoroughly in a dish towel to get rid of any moisture. Make sure the cutting board and the knife are dry before cutting into the okra. You can either toss it in oil and seasonings before putting it in the pan, or place it in an oiled pan and season there, but make sure no water-based liquid touches it. The slime doesn’t develop in its absence. Air fryers work here too.

I hope you’ll join me in thinking about okra for next summer!

By Erica Smith, Montgomery County Master Gardener. Read more posts by Erica.

Q&A: Should I Avoid Cut Nandina Berry Decor?

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Two bundles of cut winter greens featuring red berries.
Winterberry branches in mixed greens bunches.
Photo credit:  Miri Talabac

Q:  Are Nandina berries okay to use in holiday decor? I love their bright color and long-lasting berries, but I heard they may be invasive.

A:  I would not use them, since yes, Nandina domestica is invasive in our region. While observations of the species growing in natural areas suggest it hasn’t run as rampant as other invasive shrubs (Multiflora Rose, various honeysuckle species, Autumn Olive, etc.), we should not assume it will stay that way as the climate changes. For example, a decade ago, I didn’t notice Mahonia seedlings to the extent that I do now. They are easy to see in deciduous woodlands in winter, with their evergreen, holly-like leaves on shrubs that are short enough for deer to ravage if they were actually willing to eat them.

For colorful berries in winter holiday arrangements, Winterberry Holly (Ilex verticillata) is a commonly available alternative, and the species is native across the state. (The forms grown for cut branch use are cultivars that produce larger or more prolific berries than wild forms.) The berries should last from when cut branches are first sold for the season (usually early December, at least from local farms) to when you compost the aging arrangement after the new year. As with most cut holiday greens, Winterberry branches hold up best when kept cool and out of direct sunlight.

Other hollies, like Foster Holly (Ilex x attenuata ‘Fosteri’), can also be used for showy branch cuttings, and the hybrid’s leaves are more slender and less prickly than American Holly or other evergreen species. It may be harder to find cut Foster Holly boughs, though, especially since a farm will need to reach high branches to harvest. A red accent to a greens arrangement can also be added via cut stems of Redtwig Dogwood, though overall they’re a darker red color than holly berries. There are native (Cornus stolonifera, which is rare in Maryland) and non-native (Cornus alba and Cornus sanguinea) species and cultivars available on the market, which vary in stem color and brightness. If you grow your own for harvesting, it’s the youngest wood that has the richest bark color; older stems are less showy, which is why older shrubs are often cut back every few years to force more colorful regrowth.

By Miri Talabac, Horticulturist, University of Maryland Extension Home & Garden Information Center. Miri writes the Garden Q&A for The Baltimore Sun and Washington Gardener Magazine. Read more by Miri.

‘Tis the Season to Upcycle: Winter Solstice Container Gardening

Emily Porter2 Comments

Last weekend, I was doing the usual seasonal clutter sort and purge, and I discovered several partially used bags of planting material in the garage and a whole lot of vintage stuff piling up around the house that needed to be redistributed before holiday guests arrived. What better time to design a Winter Solstice container garden to brighten our porch entryway? It was time to clear out all of the gardening tools that had piled up in that corner, anyway!

I visited my local native plant nursery and found some deeply discounted, cold-tolerant native plants with which to deck the halls (or, in my case, the front porch).  Wanting to create a layered effect, I searched out examples of ground cover, rushes, sedges, ferns, and small shrubs, going for as much color as this transitional time can offer.

Decorative wooden planter featuring native plants with brightly colored stems, evergreen foliage, and red berries.

To my delight, I found a small young pussy willow (Salix discolor) with reddish branches, an intriguing Soft Rush “corkscrew” variety (Juncus effusus var.), some Appalachian Barren Strawberry (Waldsteinia fragarioides), Broadleaf Sedge (Carex platyphylla), Coral Bells (Heuchera americana), and abundant berrying Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens). Any number of native plants could be used to achieve a similar effect, depending on what is available locally. Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana), Red Osier Dogwood (Cornus sericea), American Holly (Ilex opaca), Winterberry (Ilex verticillata), Christmas Fern (Polystichum acrostichoides), and Pretty Sedge (Carex woodii) would all be great Maryland native options. 

Some of what I found on clearance were “nativars,” cultivated varieties of native plants, or are endemic to other ecoregions of Maryland, so I may not be inclined to put them all in the ground, but I’m comfortable with using them in a lovely container planting like this. With more advanced planning next year, I’ll pre-order more local, native “straight” species.

Close up of a drill adding drainage holes to the bottom of a wooden barrel.

My discount plant haul was so large, though, that I needed to upgrade my container from the old terra cotta pot I had on hand to a re-purposed oak whiskey barrel I found at a local hardware store. Its aroma indicated that it was the real deal, no imported factory knock-off! This did require drilling some holes for drainage, though, to protect the barrel against freeze and thaw, and water ponding at the bottom.

I added potting soil with a small amount of leftover 50/50 peat/sand mix over a layer of small rocks to retain soil in the pot while allowing for drainage, then it was time to plant!

Close up of a mass of roots from a container plant.

Following a vigorous growing season, my new plants were more than a little root-bound, so I trimmed the root ends with garden shears to allow me to ease the plants out of their nursery pots, then gave each root ball a light massage between my palms. 

Everything nestled into the container well, and I was able to tuck it all in with some small scraps of moss left over from an earlier project, for insulation and moisture retention. I finished the display off with a green Jarrahdale pumpkin that will eventually become a homemade pie and some vintage decor I had around the house, along with a colorful watering can that reminds me to water.

Close up of plants in a container garden with a small decorative owl.

I was pleased with the final result as a way to celebrate the transition from fall to winter and brighten the entryway of our front porch.

Container gardening is a great way for small-space gardeners to get into growing native plants throughout the seasons, as well.

Larger view of the Winter Solstice container featuring various plants with different textures.

If you try Winter Solstice container gardening this year, please drop us a note or picture below in the comments! 

Photos & Text: Stacy Small-Lorenz, Ph.D. University of Maryland Extension | Statewide Specialist for Residential Landscape Ecology

Read more posts by Stacy.

Gardeners Give Thanks for a Garden’s Gifts

Maryland Grows7 Comments

Gardeners are a grateful lot.  Why? We toss a handful of seeds in the soil and up come all manner of flowers and food. The sticks we plant turn into roses. Acorns become oak trees. It’s all quite miraculous. Granted, in between there’s a bit of work. We water and weed, hoe and mulch, and spend an inordinate amount of time on our knees. Perhaps it’s that prayerful stance that graces our harvests.

Perhaps it also helps us to accept the vagaries of wind and weather, rain and frost that would make lesser humans weep. We know, somehow, not to toss in the trowel when things go wrong. It’s character building, I’m told. Tomorrow the sun will shine.  The frost will nip only the outer buds.  The torrential rains eventually end.  When disaster departs and we are left with dew-dazzled leaves, the warmth of the sun, and the smell of musty earth, we are grateful.  It could have been worse. 

A close-up image of a bee on a sunflower flower feeding on nectar and covered with pollen grains.
A bee dusts itself with pollen as it feeds on nectar in a sunflower
Photo credit:  Joan Willoughby

So, we celebrate the first handful of fresh peas, the juicy tang of a tomato. We savor the wine-tinged nectar of a grape and the heavenly scent and squish of the first strawberry. My, but there is so much to give thanks for that feeds both body and soul. Beauty abounds in a garden. It stirs the breeze with a butterfly’s wing. It hums with a pollen-dusted honeybee.  It sings in birdsong and glows in a lemon-yellow tulip. As gardeners, we are front row center to all this loveliness.

A close-up of a monarch butterfly feeding on the nectar of a milkweed plant.
A monarch butterfly sips on a native plant at the Boonsboro Library pollinator planting. 
Photo credit:  Jackie Schwab

And we appreciate the mental and physical workout that gardening provides. Bending and stretching to pull weeds, tie up vines, and turn compost is good exercise. No gym can compete with the fresh air and sunshine we get in tending our plots. We also value the lessons learned. What’s that bug? What caused those spots?  What tree would work best there?  What shrub?  We look it up, phone a friend, or Ask Extension. We never stop learning.

A smiling woman working in a garden.
UME Master Gardener Tracy Barlup helps with a restoration planting at Kiwanis Park’s Monarch Waystation. Photo credit:  Ann Aldrich

Gardening friends are a godsend.  They bring a sympathetic ear, a scrap of advice, a tender cutting, and abundant camaraderie. Most of my closest friends are gardeners, and I value them dearly. Together we live the seasons. Spring brings rain. Summer brings heat. And fall brings the avalanche of harvest.  Bushels of potatoes, tomatoes, beans, and squash fill our larders and set our canners boiling. We gladly share our bounty with friends and family. 

A carton of chicken eggs and harvested vegetables, including carrots, tomatoes, and butternut squash, on a table outdoors.
A celebrated harvest at the Master Gardener
demonstration garden. Photo credit: Ann Aldrich

Who among us is able to get through a holiday season without giving a few gifts from the garden? Jars of jam, tins of lavender cookies, homemade applesauce, and herbal liquors are wrapped with care. We give of ourselves and our gardens. So, in this season of thankfulness, we gardeners are especially grateful.  For we touch the earth and it gives back so much.  Food.  Beauty.  Knowledge.  The fellowship of gardening friends.  We grow with our gardens and count ourselves richly blessed. 

By Annette Cormany, Principal Agent Associate and Master Gardener Coordinator, Washington County, University of Maryland Extension.  Read more by Annette.

Root Crops in the Fall

Maryland Grows4 Comments
Radish, golden beets, and white turnip

If you’re seeing all kinds of lovely root vegetables at farmer’s markets this time of year, start planning now so you can grow them yourself next fall! I am so glad I decided to put in seeds for beets, turnips, and radishes back in August. These are all super-easy crops to grow, if you follow a few simple guidelines.

Here are the steps from thought to harvest:

  • Plan ahead! Buy your seeds for fall planting when you get the ones for spring and summer, because they may be hard to find later on. (Autumn root crops are usually grown from seed; buying plants is a waste of money since you only get one root per plant.) Radishes, beets, turnips, and carrots are all good choices.
  • Make space. Allowing room for fall crops can be difficult in a small garden. If some of your summer crops are not looking too great, take them out and prepare the bed for fall seeding. Or plant a bed with a summer cover crop or a quick-growing crop you know you’ll be removing soon, such as bush beans.
  • Prepare your soil. Root crops like a loose soil – try inserting a trowel into the soil, and if you have to force it in, you will not get a great root harvest. Add some compost! Raised beds provide the ideal environment, since the soil seldom gets compacted. Make sure your planting area gets plenty of sun.
  • Know how long your root crops will take to mature. It’s disappointing to not get edible roots because you didn’t allow enough time. Check HGIC’s planting guides for general information on timing, and also check the seed packet which will give you specifics for the variety you’re growing. Root crops are hardy and will tolerate frosts, so you can plan harvest for anytime from early October to late November, but the later you start the seeds, the slower the plants will grow. (This has more to do with the amount of sun than the temperature.) For a crop that lists 60 days to maturity from seeding, plant in mid-August (you’re allowing an extra week or two for the fall slowdown). Quicker crops like radishes can be planted in succession from late August to late September. Most root crops will sit in the ground just fine in cool weather, so you can harvest them as you need them.
  • Plant as directed. Don’t worry too much about spacing since you will be thinning later on.
  • Keep paying attention as the plants grow. Water regularly if it doesn’t rain, and take out weeds as soon as you can recognize which are the desirable plants. If your soil is low in phosphorus or potassium (which is unlikely), you may need to fertilize, but regular additions of compost through the year usually do the trick with these quick-growing crops. Thin the seedlings when they are several inches high – this means pulling out the plants in between a final set that are several inches apart. Think about what the roots will look like in maturity (what they look like when you buy them), and allow that much room plus a bit extra between plants. I find it easier to thin in two stages, taking out bunches when the plants are small and then a few more as they mature. You can eat the thinnings in salads, if you wish; they’re all edible and delicious.
  • Harvest when ready! All of these root crops will show some of the root portion above the soil, so you can check on size without pulling them out.

In practice, I’m often not on top of thinning, and it was hard to water enough this year with our persistent drought. So some of my root crops, especially the beets, are smaller than they should be. (On the other hand, some of the radishes are enormous.) But even with mistakes I manage to get good results! Try root crops next year and harvest some treasure from underground.

By Erica Smith, Montgomery County Master Gardener. Read more posts by Erica.