This year, though, the train is even more magical and special. It’s partly because of the great theme - Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory - but mostly because of the people who made this year’s train happen. Especially one new addition to the train team, a boy named Sam. Sam is an autistic person who has specific and deep passions, one of which is Willy Wonka. He knows everything about the story, the characters, the setting. He can discuss the finer points all day long. And that’s how this year’s train took shape. So how did Sam get involved with the Swansons’ train?
Happy Holidays! This season, celebrate the joy of giving with thoughtful gifts that reflect the unique passions of your loved ones. Our carefully curated selection of gifts is sure to make this holiday season unforgettable for everyone on your list. Let us help you spread cheer with gifts that inspire and delight!
The holidays are winding down and despite the desire to keep your beautifully-decorated Christmas tree as a centerpiece in your living room forever, at some point (sob!) it's gotta go. Here are 6 ways to transform your tree into a critter-feeding-bird-sheltering-kid-entertaining-garden-mulching thing of wonder this year.
Here are some quick tips for protecting your less-hardy plants from cold damage.
With cheerful red bracts and delicate yellow flowers framed against velvety green leaves, colorful poinsettias are an indisputable symbol of Christmas. In fact, poinsettias are the most commercially important potted plant in the world because of their endearing association with the December holiday season. But how did this warm-weather shrub native to western Mexico become so closely associated with Christmas?
Often, one of my first orders of business when designing a garden is to embellish the immediate surroundings of the house. Carefully selecting plants to enhance the view just outside of our windows can go a long way toward staving off the winter blues, and if those plants offer a bit of fragrance as we scurry back and forth while gathering provisions, so much the better. Here are a few options to brighten the dreary Northwest wintertide.
With cheerful red bracts and delicate yellow flowers framed against velvety green leaves, colorful poinsettias are an indisputable symbol of Christmas. In fact, poinsettias are the most commercially important potted plant in the world because of their endearing association with the December holiday season. But how did this warm-weather shrub native to western Mexico become so closely associated with Christmas?
Imagine Puget Sound in winter. Dark in the morning. Dark in the afternoon. And it's mostly dreary in between. As a saving grace, our relatively moderate winter temperatures offer a hospitable climate for a dazzling array of winter-blooming shrubs. And there is no better winter-blooming shrub for greater Pugetopolis than Mahonia x media 'Charity'.
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