Praline Cream Puff Wreath Recipe

I'm off to FM107 for the Stephanie Hanson Radio Show. Today's topic - Holiday entertaining tips and ideas.


I'll post a few here tomorrow, but in the mean time, here is the recipe for the Praline Cream Puff Wreath that I made for the show.

Make your day a good one.

Amaryllis & Paperwhites

I know it is only about the middle of December, but in one short month I will have spring fever. Yes, it’s true, by the middle of January I will be dreaming of warm days and sunshine.

There is that period in January before I can buy some of the spring blooming bulb gardens that I need something to keep me going. For that I turn to the amaryllis and paperwhites. I used to just pot them up and let them grow and bloom. While there is nothing wrong with that, I now create more of what I call a winter garden. I will take a low dish or container (make sure it has a hole in the bottom for drainage) and plant ivy and ferns in it with a few paperwhite or amaryllis bulbs mixed in. It is far more interesting to have other plants mixed in when they bloom. In the case of the paperwhites, once they are done blooming, I pull them out and tuck in a blooming azalea or cyclamen to help get me through those long winter days.

If you need more information the amaryllis click here.
For the paperwhites,click here.

Caring for Your Poinsettia

What is the most commercially produced plant in the world? If you guessed the poinsettia, then you are right. This past weekend, I was on hand for the opening day of the Poinsettia Show at the Marjorie McNeely Conservatory at Come Park. I still call it the Como Park Conservatory. If you need a break from all the snow, this is the place to see.

Caring for the poinsettia at home is not that hard. Keep these tips in mind – bright light (they are native to Mexico after all) which means south or west windows and keep the plants evenly moist and not allowed to dry out. The giant red plants that I have in my home are not near a window, but I try to move them in front of the south facing patio windows several days a week and then move them back when I get home. I set them in the sink to water and allow them to drain overnight. Keep the foliage dry and don’t allow them to stand in water. If you need more advice on caring for this Holiday beauty, click here.

Make your day a good one.