Gardening

For dedicated gardeners, here are suggestions from the California Assn. of Nurserymen:

Create instant indoor Christmas decorations using poinsettia plants with their bright red and white colors.

Look for your living Christmas tree now while there are many to choose from.

Prepare plants for a cold winter by “hardening” them off--holding back on nitrogen feeding in late fall and early winter discourages new growth.

Consider raising your flower beds for better drainage; this also allows accumulated salts to be leached out of the soil.