Take a Bough

There is no written rule about foregoing container gardening in the chill of the winter months. In fact, a front porch or walkway flanked by beautiful winter arrangements in sturdy containers can add zest and colour to an otherwise dreary landscape. Look to these clever containers below, which combine traditional and unexpected elements, and create your own outdoor holiday pots for a hit of holiday pizzazz on your stoop this winter.

Use plastic, concrete or iron containers for these arrangements, since ceramics may crack from the cold, especially where moisture is involved. Insert a small bucket or jug into the garden container and fill with water. Place the boughs and berry branches inside. The water will likely freeze, keeping the boughs in place and preserving their stems for longer-lasting greenery. On mild days, the boughs will be able to drink from this well. In the arrangement above, oversized cones from California's sugar pine mingle with hot-pink king proteas from South Africa, scarlet native winterberries, cedar boughs and Scotch pine branches. Fasciated willow gives the arrangement height.

Country goes upscale as green apples and pears are tucked in among magnolia leaves and gold-tipped cedar under a fountain of yellow dogwood twigs. Faux fruit, which is used here, is longer lasting and easier to secure to the arrangement. For the best effect, group the fruit into bunches and layer the foliage for volume.

A brilliant red container plays host to winterberries, magnolia leaves, fasciated willow and a traditional mix of pine and fir branches with California sugar pinecones tucked in.

This sturdy concrete vessel holds a mixture of boxwood boughs, winterberry sprigs, thin birch logs for contrast and red dogwood twigs for height. Nestled into the boxwood is a glass lantern with a candle.

(photos by Canadian Gardening Life magazine)

A Man for all Species

Pet expert, and pet-store owner, Marc Morrone, has a new book on petkeeping on the way. The book, "A Man for All Species" charts the experiences and adventures of a master pet keeper and animal lover and he imparts his advice on raising animals at home. Many of us know Marc from his appearances on Martha Stewart Living television and The Martha Stewart Show. We've heard him on the radio and read his columns in some of Martha's magazines, including Kids and Martha Stewart Living. Martha writes the foreword of his new book, which will be out on April 20th, 2010.

I hadn't realized that Marc had written these small books for children about pet keeping: Ask The Cat Keeper, Ask the Dog Keeper, Ask the Fish Keeper and Ask the Bird Keeper.

Sewing and Fabric Crafts Book

As reported here earlier this year, Martha will be releasing a companion encyclopedia to her "Encyclopedia of Crafts," released last spring. This one, due out on March 30, 2010, will be devoted strictly to sewing and fabric projects and will include a special CD with templates and patterns that you can download and print (or upload to a digital sewing machine) making it simple to create the same patterns in the book at home. Below is the cover of the book.

Marthawear

It was through my friend Kenn that I discovered a new feature in the "Shop" section of Marthastewart.com. It's a section devoted to 'Marthawear' - everything the Martha fan needs to show a hint of Marthaness. It includes t-shirts, sweatshirts, aprons, various tote bags and an umbrella. Below are three of my favourites. Orders are filled by Amazon.com but are not eligible for shipping outside the U.S.
Okay, so it's just a brown t-shirt with a few words written on it. But, oh such iconic words!

I've got to get one of these totes. It has the large "Martha" logo from the television show wrapping around the sides. It looks sturdy and is made of thick, heavy canvas. Heavy duty!
What makes the umbrella attractive is the multi-coloured stripe detail under the top. Lovely!

Everyday Food: Sharing the Joy

The December 2009 issue of Everyday Food will soon be making its debut on newsstands. I received my copy in the mail today and it's a delightful companion to Living. As the editor writes in her letter, Everyday Food balances the "practical with the special," which is what I've always loved about the magazine. At holiday time, espcially, there is nothing more refreshing than preparing a simple, pared-down dinner made with fresh and light ingredients: simple to prepare and wonderful to eat. This issue has these recipes alongside richer fare, including all kinds of cookies, squares, fudge, truffles and cakes.

Margaret Roach's New Book

Margaret Roach, former editorial director for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, author of the excellent book A Way to Garden and current administrator of its companion blog, awaytogarden.com, is in the midst of writing her new gardening book. I was excited to hear over the weekend that the first draft of her 70,000-word tome was turned into her publisher just a few days ago. In a newsletter to her regular readers, Margaret shares some information about the new book, which is due out sometime in November or December of 2010. I'll share them with you now:

"It was the longest piece of writing I'd ever attempted, and also the most personal. It's a book about dropping out, at midlife and in peak career; about trying not to be afraid of lost prestige or about money - or about snakes or electric storms and whatever else rattles my cage.

"It is a story about starting to realize a dream I'd had for more than 20 years but always been too afraid to try - to live in my rural garden fulltime and return to the personal creativity that got lost in my executive years in publishing. It's a book about letting nature be the guide, finally, and listening to its signals; about looking for (and finding) some peace.

"...Awaytogarden.com was the first thing I created in the aftermath of my old life. It is the most precious possession in my new life, largely because of how welcome and connected all of you make me feel each day, even as I sit alone at my table in Nowheresville at my old table littered with all my writing stuff, pondering."

Margaret is an exceptional writer and is certainly my favourite garden writer. She perfectly blends the philosophical with the practical, which is so much of what true gardening is about. She uses language gorgeously, weaving engaging sentences that make the reader want to get down into the dirt and start digging. I'm sure this new book will be incredible and I can't wait to read it!

Good Things Come in Threes!

What's big and glossy and filled with cookies, crafts and glitter? Why, it's the December issue of Martha Stewart Living, which arrived in my mailbox today. It is an utterly beautiful, utterly fantastic, utterly inspiring issue to behold! What's more, the December issue this year comes with a triple cover! (See them all below!) I always suggest to all my friends, whether they're Martha fanatics like me or not, that they get the December issue of Martha Stewart Living. It's like nothing else on the newsstand this time of year.

In the issue, there is everything you'd come to expect from the issue, which is actually very thick this year. In the issue, Martha describes the virtues of artificial trees and shows us some from her collection. Crafts and recipes for Hanukkah and Christmas make up the bulk of the Good Things sections. There are plenty of new cookie recipes, including chewy chocolate raisin cookies I'm dying to try! Try your hand at a Hanukkah menu this year or embark on some no-knit craft projects to create gifts for friends and family. Learn how to wrap everything in a special gift-wrapping section or make a chocolate-chestnut mousse cake.

In the well of the magazine, there is an alphabet of ideas, including a special remembrance by Martha in which she reflects on the quietude of her Bedford farm at winter and the beauty of the snow on the landscape. On newsstands on November 16th!

Martha takes the actual cover.Martha's crochembouche is featured the second cover.

A pair of glittered bells is on the third cover. (I love how the titles of all three covers are glittered galore!)