Gardening
Dress up the Holidays with Succulent Plants
A succulent wreath placed around a candle makes a festive holiday centerpiece.
Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com
Many people are opting for more natural elements in their holiday displays and those that easily blend with their home décor. Popular succulent plants fit this trend whether decorating your home, setting a festive table, or giving as a gift. You and your guests will enjoy the easy care of succulents and the beauty they provide beyond the holidays.
Small-scale cacti and succulents provide a multitude of opportunities for use in holiday celebrations. Just select containers that complement, but don't overpower their charm.
Use them to dress up the table by making them into place cards for your guests. Plant individual succulents in a small clay pot and set one by each place setting. Include the guest's name or holiday wish on a plant tag set in the pot or written on the container. Send them home with your guests to enjoy for months to come.
Repurpose holiday mugs, champagne glasses, bottles and other items into succulent planters. Fill whatever container you choose with a well-drained cacti and succulent mix and display it on beverage or serving tables and trays. Just be careful not to overwater since the container you choose may lack drainage holes.
Empty wine bottles also make fun planters to display any time of the year. You will need to cut a large opening or several smaller holes into the side of the wine bottle or you may opt to buy one that is pre-cut. Fill the bottle with a cacti and succulent mix. The wine bottle planter can be displayed on its side but needs support to prevent it from rolling off the table. One simple method uses two corks and strong wire to create a cradle for your bottle garden. You can also plant just the bottom of the wine bottle and stand it up for a different look. Or consider drilling several holes in the side of the bottle. Plant small succulents in the holes. Secure the plants in place with a bit of sphagnum moss or glue if needed to hold the plants in place once the bottle is set upright.
Create a centerpiece for gatherings by planting them in a shallow container. Their unique shapes and colors blend nicely with any décor. Or display individual potted specimens in the container to enjoy throughout the evening. When the party is over, each guest can pick a plant to take home.
You won't need much space to enjoy the subtle colors and dramatic forms of these drought-tolerant plants. Skip the seasonal greenery and use succulents to dress up candle displays. Create a terrarium of succulents using any clear glass container with an open top or lid set ajar. Succulents do not thrive in the humid conditions of closed containers.
Take it one step further and create a succulent tree. Fill a cone-shaped wire frame with moist sphagnum moss. Use cuttings or small plants to cover the frame. You may need to expand the opening to fit the roots through the wires and into the moss.
Include the name and care directions when sending plants home with guests. This makes it easier for the recipient to keep their gift thriving once it arrives home. Suggest they keep it near a sunny window where temperatures are a bit cooler and free of hot and cold air drafts.
Water succulents thoroughly and only when the soil is dry. Pour off any excess water that collects in the saucer. Avoid overwatering plants growing in containers that lack drainage holes. As the days lengthen and the light intensity increases, the plants will need more frequent watering. Fertilize once or twice during the time the plants are actively growing.
Be sure to keep a few succulents for yourself. A succulent centerpiece is a great addition to any gathering at any time of the year.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including The Midwest Gardener's Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses "How to Grow Anything" DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda's Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned by Wild Valley Farms for her expertise to write this article. Her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.
Antiques
More 2023 Auction Results
Photo courtesy of Wayne Tuiskula
In my last column, I shared some of our 2023 auction results including comic books, baseball cards, and toys. Those are just a few of the items that consistently bring strong results at auction. Gold jewelry, watches, platinum jewelry, diamonds, sterling silver flatware, and holloware also sell well and I will be discussing some examples from the past year in this column.
Gold and silver are fetching high prices as I write this article on December 8th. Gold is at $2,080.23 per ounce while silver is at $23.48 an ounce. Objects designed from these precious metals have sold well this past year.
Many people don't dine formally as they did in previous generations. UCLA conducted a study of dual income families' use of their dining tables. "It turns out that they weren't used very often, as the dining table was normally covered in items like bills and toys," according to Home Digest. However, although there is less formal dining, there are still plenty of buyers for sterling silver.
Mismatched and broken pieces are worth their scrap/melt value while quality sterling silver items can command much higher figures. We sold several sets of sterling silver flatware this year. A set of 91 pieces by International Sterling brought $2,065. Ornate patterns of silver will typically sell much better than plain patterns. Silver work by makers like Tiffany and Company can sell for three or more times the worth of the silver. Pieces by some silver smiths from the 18th century through present day have value well above the silver and are considered works of art. This year we sold a custom design sterling silver footed bowl by a Swedish-American silversmith. Olaf Skoogfors was born in Sweden in 1930 and his family emigrated to the United States in 1945. He trained at the Philadelphia Museum's School of Art and the School for American Crafts in Rochester, New York. His works have been displayed at the Delaware Art Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. A custom bowl he made sold for $1,770 in our August auction.
Gold was used to make decorative objects in Eastern Europe as early as 4,000 B.C., according to the National Mining Association. Royalty is often associated with gold. Gold jewelry was buried in the Tomb of Djer, the king of the First Dynasty of Egypt. The British crown jewels were made in 1661. They contain 100 objects and over 23,000 gemstones, including the St. Edward's Crown. Gold has a timeless appeal that's lasted thousands of years and remains today. We sold an 18-karat gold bracelet that was approximately 7-1/2" long and 3/4" wide for $2,655 in our August auction. The E. (Edward) Howard Watch Company of Boston produced precision watches that were aesthetically pleasing. We sold a 14-karat gold E. Howard & Co. pocket watch in an engraved case for $2, 065, also in our August auction. The old adage "time is money" turns out to be true.
We have nearly 200 lots of gold and platinum jewelry in our major multi-estate online auction which ends on January 10th. We also have many sets of sterling silver flatware and other silver from multiple estates. We are also offering many pieces of mid-century modern furniture and accessories as well as the best art we've ever handled. Please visit our website www.centralmassauctions.com for links to this auction and other upcoming events.
Contact us at: Wayne Tuiskula Auctioneer/Appraiser Central Mass Auctions for Antique, Collectibles Auctions and Appraisal Services www.centralmassauctions.com (508-612- 6111).