Enough whining: now I'd like to apologize to all of our readers for not getting our Gardening Gadgets issue sent back in November when I had promised. Fortunately, those gifts will be welcomed by the gardeners in your life at any time... Christmas, Mother's or Father's Day, birthdays, or, as one reader wrote below — "just for nothing". Or, perhaps this is coming just in time for some, and I may run into a few of you at the mall or garden centre tomorrow, still doing that last-minute thing.

If you're organized and on top of it all (is your baking done?), take a moment to stroll around the garden with a hot beverage in hand, and observe the winter landscape. It's so different! Go to the furthest corners, those spots you won't otherwise visit until spring. Berried shrubs or evergreens take centre stage, but grasses and even the dead tops of perennials take on an entirely different look when dusted with snow or frost. If you don't have snow where you live, this is a great time to notice various perennials with sturdy evergreen leaves, such as ferns, Bergenia or Hellebores. Mine are all buried at the moment, but I know they're under there somewhere.

From all of us at Heritage Perennials to all of you: A very Merry Christmas or Holiday Season, and a Happy New Year!

Pictured above is Tassel Fern, taken by Rod Moran one frosty morning a few days ago, in Abbotsford, BC.

WINNER: Olivia — Toronto, Ontario
"The fall is an especially good time of year to make this craft, using different types of vines: Get a garbage pail of any size and start cutting back your vines, then (while they are still green and pliable) start wrapping them around the base of the pail. Use wire (smallest gauge possible) to tie the vines together. Use Clematis, Trumpet Vine, Passion Vine, or any other type of vine that has an interesting shape or seed-heads and tendrils. When you have wrapped enough vines around the pail and tied them together, remove the pail and let the wreath dry. For fall you can add some coloured leaves and make a lovely fall decoration and then change it by adding some holly, berries (real or imitation), jingle bells, etc. for winter and the Christmas season.
If your vines have grown a lot over the summer you can make more than one and share the bounty of your garden in a new way. Each is individual and lets your friends know that you have spent some time making them something really special."

WINNER: Louise — Cornwall, Prince Edward Island
"My favorite gardening gadget was a gift from my husband. It's a 'Garden Stool/Kneeler Bench' which he bought at Home Hardware [Note: a similar product is available from Gardenscape Tools]. It has a steel frame with a waterproof kneeling and sitting pad. The frame is a great support for getting off one's knees and it can then be flipped over to become a seat. I wouldn't be without one and recommend it as a great gift for all gardeners."

"Believe it or not, my favourite gardening tool cost just $1 at the local dollar store. It's a child's bamboo fan rake, and it is great for getting underneath plants for spring and fall clean-ups." Judy — Grimsby, Ontario

"We bought a house about four years ago. As a new gardener, I had been wanting to plant a cottage garden. My family and friends have been fabulous — for my birthday, Christmas, and sometimes just for nothing, they give me flower seeds, bulbs and roots/corms. They do not tell me what they are, nor do they sort them out. Often these come in a little paper bag, with no means of identification. I get a wonderful surprise when they pop up and flower! And, the best part is, I get a wonderful feeling inside, knowing that each and every flower is someone I know telling me that they care! Maybe this isn't the fanciest garden gift. But, for me, it is a gift from the heart that keeps on giving!" Katherine — Sooke, British Columbia

QUESTION: I have daffodil and tulip bulbs that I did not get planted in time before the ground froze. What do I do?" Shirley — Waukesha, Wisconsin

ANSWER: About all you can do with those bulbs now is grow them in pots for indoor enjoyment, a process known as "forcing". Check out these websites for specific instructions: Forcing Bulbs for Indoor Beauty in Winter or Forcing Bulbs at GardenGuides.com

What you don't want to do is save the bulbs to plant outside in the spring. Without a cold period (which winter provides) they will fail to grow and just rot instead. The exceptions to this are Allium (Ornamental Onion) and Anemone bulbs, which usually still grow in the spring, planted directly outside with no chilling treatment.

Club Members will be receiving the third issue of The New Perennial Insider later in January.

Our best-selling book, the Perennial Gardening Guide (4th edition, March 2003) is a handy reference used by gardeners across North America — written by John Valleau, horticulturist for Heritage Perennials®. Available at your local Heritage Perennials® Dealer.