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Saturday, December 12, 2015 An Advertising Feature of The Topeka Capital-Journal

Jamie Kidd Garden Column – Style at Home: Christmas at Innisfree – Forget pumpkin mania, it’s time for all things eggnog – Five easy ways to combat holiday stress – TCJ Pin of the Week –

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2 | Saturday, December 12, 2015 | The Topeka Capital-Journal | At Home

Mulching to Protect Plants from Thawing Out Jamie Kidd

jamiehan@ksu.edu

Winter Mulching I am going to amend your thinking just a bit, about mulching. I am sure you are aware of the benefits of summer mulching; weed control, moisture retention, cooling the soil under the hot summer sun. Now, I want you to think about keeping plants “cold”. Yes, cold.

During the months ahead we will have varying amounts of cold weather. We will even have many sunny days above freezing. This creates a freeze/thaw pattern in the ground that can cause newly planted (less than one year) or shallow-rooted plants to be shoved right up out of the

soil. It’s call frost heave. This process is welcomed for helping to move compost into the soil without tilling but, not so welcomed when our hard work planting is destroyed and our plants killed when their roots are exposed to the elements.

What’s a gardener to do?

Patiently wait until we have had at least three hard frosts where nighttime temperatures have fallen below 28 degrees for several hours. Small water containers and birdbaths will have thin layers of ice in the morning. This basically marks the end of the growing season. This is a transition period for most plants (there are some exceptions) to prepare to go into dormancy for the winter. Mulching too early would delay this process and could possibly aid in damaging the plant. Not allowing a plant to “winterize” (acclimatize) itself can weaken and/or damage a plant thus reducing its overall health and beauty.

Following the first three hard frosts the ground generally will be sufficiently cool. We want to keep the ground cold and to prevent the intermittent warming and cooling of the soil. Now is when we mulch.

The thinking behind mulching is slightly different than composting. Both add organic matter to the garden and both terms can be used interchangeably. But, for the sake of our discussion today, I am going to refer to mulch as organic materials meant to be placed on top of the soil several inches thick and not mixed in. Compost shall be the organic matter placed on top of the soil and worked in either by freezing and thawing or by tilling. Mulching and composting may even use the same materials, but often in different forms. Composting materials are generally well decomposed and non-descript. Mulching materials, while shredded, are still identifiable such as wood chips.

Mulch Materials Leaves

 Chopped leaves make good organic mulch that breaks down throughout the year and add nutrients to the soil. Apply about six inches of chopped leaves.  Don’t use whole leaves. They can pack down and keep air from the soil thus smothering the plants.

Wood Shavings Use about three to four inches of wood shavings for mulch.  Hardwood shavings rather than pine or spruce will retain more moisture.  Don’t use walnut or pecan shavings.

They can emit toxins poisonous to many plants.

Straw  Use about six to eight inches of straw.  Hay is not a good alternative. It often carries seeds that will cause weed problems.

Be sure to pull the mulch away from the trunks of trees and shrubs to avoid the “mulch volcano”. This will help prevent decay on the trunks as well as not giving cover to rodents that want to feed on the inner bark of the plants.

Winter mulching has other benefits.  Freezing and thawing causes the soil to dry out especially in a dry winter.

While plants appear to be dormant on the top side their roots are still actively grow-

KIDD continues on 5C

At Home | The Topeka Capital-Journal | Saturday, December 12, 2015 | 3

Style at Home

Christmas at Innisfree

By Mary Carol Garrity Tribune News Service

I was so, so excited to decorate my cottage for Christmas this year. I have to confess, this is not always the case. In fact, since I am focused on holiday decorating pretty much year-round, from the holiday markets in spring to decorating the stores in July, I can become a grinch when it

comes to dressing up my own home. Last year, I was in full bah-humbug mode and only managed to slap a wreath on my front door. But this year, the holiday magic was back. And I had a blast dreaming about how to make my snug little home merry and bright.

This is our second Christmas in our little lake cottage, and I’m still experimenting with how to decorate it for the holidays.

Our historic Greek revival in Atchison, Kan., was large and grand, and it called for a formal, showy treatment. But Innisfree is different. Our ode to Christmas needed to be simpler, more edited.

Lucky for me, I work with a team of insanely talented designers. So I invited the visual team to come over to the cottage and dream with me. I had a vision, and they helped me bring it to life.

Fireside dinner

Our Atchison home was old and drafty, so one Christmas I set up a dining table in front of a roaring fire, a romantic, out-ofthe ordinary dinner party for just us two.

I decided to do the same thing at Innisfree this year. I pulled the two wingback chairs in our living room in front of the hearth, then slipped a side table between them.

STYLE continues on 4C

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Style: sitting the perfect table Continued from 3C I wanted the table setting to be festive and inviting, but not overdone. Inexpensive plaid trays became chargers, holding my favorite gold rimmed china. To make the place settings a bit more special, we added holiday ribbon, looped to look like a bow. I love to decorate with fresh flowers but I am terrible at floral arranging. So when I create bouquets myself, they have to be simple, like sweet little roses tucked into a dish of cranberries.

Nothing beats a signature drink inspired by the season. Prosecco is my passion, so I’m always up for a prosecco-inspired cocktail, garnished beautifully with fresh cranberries and a sprig of rosemary.

Holiday mantel

When you decorate your mantel for the holidays, try one of two approaches:

Remove everything from the mantel and build a stunning new display, or keep your existing decor and add in a few holiday touches. We did the latter this year. We twisted some honeysuckle vine around my mantel, then wove in a mix of faux greenery picks and berries. I love how it turned out, full and lush and a bit wild.

To ensure all the holiday displays in the cottage flowed together, we used the same greens throughout.

I have a red-hot, abiding love for plaid, so in the winter, I wrap the cottage in a riotous mix of plaids, from the pillows on the sofas, to throw blankets on nearly every chair, to table accents.

Life lessons

One of the beautiful things about aging is gaining perspective. I used to put a lot of pressure on myself during the holidays to

STYLE continues on 5C

Nothing beats a signature drink inspired by the season.

Photo provided by Tribune News Service

Style: Decorating a Christmas tree to fit your home.

Continued from 4C make everything perfect. Now, I do everything I can ahead of time to avoid last-minute stress, like setting a lovely table well in advance. That way I can slow down when my family and friends are here, to be fully present and entirely engaged.

The tree

Several years ago, I made the switch from fresh-cut Christmas trees to artificial.

It had something to do with stepping on brittle pine needles hidden in the carpets for months. I found artificial trees easier to work with _ they don’t come crashing down quite as easily, the ornaments and ribbons stayed where put them, and they didn’t drop needles everywhere.

But this year, I tried something brand new: a live tree, which will be planted in our yard as soon as the holidays are over.

I fell in love with this little old Charlie Brown tree, with its irregular shape and diminutive size. When we decorated it

Kidd: Benefits of Mulch Continued from 2C ing and need moisture. Plants need to be watered periodically in winter. Retaining moisture may be the most universally recognized virtue of mulching. Various tests and authorities have concluded that moisture evaporation is reduced in mulched areas from 10 to 50 %.  Mulching protects the soil from the compaction and erosion that winter rains and snowmelt can cause.  Mulching also helps to make it more pleasant to wander into the garden in winter and not come back with several inches of mud stuck to your feet. I like this one.

Enjoy the holidays and help your new plants settle in for a long winter’s nap.

Jamie Kidd is a horticulturist with Kansas State Research and Extension in Shawnee County.

for Christmas, we took our cue from the burlap-covered root ball and filled the tree with natural treasures. Honeysuckle vines swirl in and out, bird’s nests and faux birds are perched on branches. A faux popcorn garland is lazily draped around its spindly girth.

Thank you so much for spending time with me at my cottage, pausing for a moment from the hurly-burly rush of the season.

This column was adapted from Mary Carol Garrity’s blog at www.nellhills.com. She can be reached at marycarol@ nellhills.com .

Photo provided by Tribune News Service

This year, I tried something brand new: a live tree, which will be planted in our yard as soon as the holidays are over.

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Forget pumpkin mania, it’s time for all things eggnog Brandpoint

Step aside pumpkin spice - your 15 minutes are over (at least for another year).

The holidays are quickly approaching and it’s time for eggnog to have its moment.

While pumpkin permeates the culture every fall - from coffee flavoring to air fresheners - too often eggnog gets relegated to a glass that shows up on tables just a few weeks a year. Creamy, spicy, sweet and often spirited, eggnog is the quintessential holiday beverage. In the spirit of the season, here is everything you need to know about all things eggnog:  Although eggnog’s origins are rooted in 14th century England, it didn’t really hit its stride until the American colonies got started. In Europe, milk and eggs were expensive in those days, so only the wealthy could afford to drink something that contained both. In the Americas, colonists had their own dairy cattle and chickens, so it was easy and inexpensive to make the drink that became known as eggnog.  Typical eggnog includes milk and/ or cream, spices like nutmeg and vanilla, some form of alcohol, such as rum and raw eggs. In the olden days, homemade eggnog contained alcohol in the hopes that it would kill any bacteria that might be present. Today, we add spirits for enjoyment, confident that all-natural pasteurized eggs like Davidson’s Safest Choice mean the raw eggs in eggnog are safe. Davidson’s patented pasteurization process has eliminated the risk of Salmonella and other viruses and bacteria.  Of course today, you can find eggnog in cartons in the grocery store, in many varieties. If you’re an eggnog lover you’ve probably tried them all ... and come to the conclusion that no matter how good storebought eggnog might be, nothing beats homemade. Fortunately, it’s easy to find eggnog recipes online, and all the ingredients - such as cream, pasteurized eggs, spirits and seasonings - are readily available in your local grocery store.  Eggnog isn’t just for drinking. It’s a flavorful, festive ingredient in a range of dishes, from breakfast options like Eggnog-stuffed French Toast to lunch yummies like classic Monte Cristo sandwiches dipped in an eggnog batter and pan-fried.

And of course, eggnog has a place of honor in holiday desserts with dishes like Chocolate Eggnog Truffles. Incorporating homemade eggnog into recipes is easy, and it brings out the rich, authentic eggnog fla-

Photo provided by Brandpoint

Giving Eggnog it’s fifteen minutes of fame. vor that makes holiday dishes special.

You can find plenty of eggnog, eggnoginspired and eggnog infused recipes online at sites like www.safeeggs.com. Here are two eggnog recipes from the safe egg aficionados at Davidson’s:

Caramel Apple Pie Eggnog Ingredients: 4 Safest Choice pasteurized eggs 1 can (21 ounces) apple pie filling 1 ½ cup milk 1 teaspoon apple or pumpkin pie spice Whipped cream for garnish Caramel ice cream topping for garnish Cinnamon sticks (optional) Apple wedges (optional)

Directions: Combine eggs and apple pie filling in a blender. Blend on high speed until very smooth, scraping container as needed. Add milk and apple pie spice.

Blend on high speed until smooth.

Pour into glass or mug and top each serving with whipped cream and caramel topping. Sprinkle with additional apple pie spice and garnish with cinnamon stick or apple wedge, if desired.

Classic Eggnog

Makes 20 servings

Ingredients: 12 Safest Choice pasteurized eggs, separated 1 ½ cups granulated sugar 4 cups heavy cream 2 cups whole milk 2-3 cups dark rum, bourbon or

brandy (optional) 2 tablespoon vanilla extract (optional) Ground nutmeg or cinnamon to taste Directions: Place egg yolks in a large

bowl. Beat with electric mixer until combined. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is thick and pale yellow. Stir in cream and milk, then rum and vanilla, if desired.

Cover and refrigerate until chilled or as long as overnight. Just before serving, beat room temperature egg whites with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Stir egg yolk mixture, then gently fold in beaten egg whites. Pour eggnog into punch bowl.

Sprinkle with nutmeg.

Five easy ways to combat holiday stress

At Home | The Topeka Capital-Journal | Saturday, December 12, 2015 | 7

Brandpoint

The holidays should be joyful and relaxing, filled with quality family time, but with all the pressures of gift buying, parties and traveling, you might view the season a bit differently. Whether you’re worried about money, checking everyone off your gift list or sending your holiday cards, it seems there’s never enough time to get everything done.

But the season doesn’t have to bring about feelings of stress and anxiety. When you focus on all the happiness the season brings, you can get back to enjoying what the holidays are all about.

Here are some tips to help you beat the many holiday stressors and enjoy this time of year:

Get organized

Never underestimate the power of listmaking and planning. Use a planner or your phone to keep track of all the tasks and events on your to-do list. Crossing items off as you go will help keep your stress levels in check.

Avoid taking on debt

Money worries are one of the biggest triggers for holiday stress, but that doesn’t mean you have to go into debt. By planning and sticking to a budget, you can easily avoid spending too much. Decide what you can truly afford given your regular bills and expenses and don’t overlook easy ways to find “hidden” money in unexpected places. Gather all your coins from coat pockets and jars around the house and take them to a Coinstar kiosk where you can convert coins to cash or no fee eGift Cards. Be sure to also check your wallet for gift cards you may never use, because bright yellow Coinstar Exchange kiosks offer instant cash when you sell your gift card and are conveniently located at grocery stores.

Be realistic

You can only make it to so many parties and events in a given time frame, so don’t overdo it. You don’t have to be the perfect holiday host or please every one of your

Photo provided by Brandpoint

Stress free holiday celebrating. family members. Instead, focus on the traditions and holiday events that mean the most to you. If family events tend to overwhelm you, remember it’s OK to set a time limit for any event or visit.

Take time for yourself

Sixty-six percent of holiday shoppers can name at least one thing they’d be willing to do to ensure they can purchase gifts for everyone, including eating out less, spending less on entertainment and taking on credit card debt, according to the Coin-

star Holiday Survey conducted by Kelton Research. Try not to take enjoyable activities out of your budget, if you can. Treat yourself to dinner and a movie every now and then to keep yourself sane when the stressors are piling up.

Get active

Stick to your normal exercise routine and make a point to get out and move.

Regular exercise decreases feelings of anxiety, releases endorphins and improves your sleep quality, which are things you

could use during the holidays. And even though it may be dark for a large portion of the day, spend a few minutes outside or sit near a window on particularly sunny days.

When you incorporate these tips into your routine, you’ll find it easier to enjoy all the wonderful things that come along with the holiday season. And instead of collapsing in relief at the end of the season, you’ll carry that calm and positive momentum right into the New Year.

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The Topeka Capital-Journal Pin of the Week

Snow Dough Ingredients: ½ roll triple roll Cottonelle toilet paper 1 bar ivory soap 2 ½ cups water (about) Directions: Tear toilet paper in to small pieces.

Microwave the bar of soap in a microwave safe dish, on high in 15 second increments (about 1 minute total) until it gets fluffy. It will be hot but cool fast.

Break fluffy soap into chucks into toilet paper bowl. Add the water and gauge how wet or dry you want it. Add 1 cup at a time.

You are done – now just mold and play with the snow dough.

source: http://modernmommyhood.com/

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