Landscape

Cut pine, fir, holly, yew (taxus) boxwood, privet, barberry, English ivy and juniper for indoor arrangements. Spruce and hemlock don't hold up as well.

Provide winter protection for roses by mounding soil about 12 inches high around the base of the plant to protect the graft union.

Gift plants, houseplants

Provide bright light for kalanchoe. Less than 50 foot candles of light (enough to read a newspaper) will give about 21/2 weeks of decorative show from the plant. Levels over 250 foot candles extend the decorative life of the plant to more than a month.

Dress a Norfolk Island pine for the holidays with small ornaments and tinsel, but avoid bright lights that will dry the foliage.

Groom and shape rosemary, ivy, hoya and other plants with flexible branches into tree or wreath shapes for the holidays.

Fruits and vegetables

Install hardware-cloth tree guards around the trunks of fruit trees to prevent rodent damage.

Paint the lower 36 inches of young fruit tree trunks with interior white latex paint to prevent sunscald damage.

Eco tip

Keep a live, balled-and-burlapped tree indoors for a maximum of five to seven days. Reacclimate the tree to the outdoors by placing it in a protected spot for a few days before planting. When planting the tree, be sure to water the soil well to decrease air pockets around the root ball, thus offering better protection against cold weather.

Contact Civic Garden Center Hotline by phone: 221-8733; e-mail hotline@civicgardencenter.org.