<p> Gardening Tips Provided by North Carolina Cooperative Extension Cumberland County Master Gardenerssm</p><p>Gardening questions? – Call our Hotline at 321-6882!</p><p>Holiday Greenery</p><p>You can create imaginative and fun decorations for the holidays right from your own backyard. Walk around your landscape and look for potential materials to create your magic. Look for greenery, colorful fall leaves, seed pods, berries, interesting bark, nuts, acorns, pine cones, moss, dried blossoms and flowers, etc.</p><p>Always remember when you are clipping materials, you are actually pruning the plants. Carefully consider where you make cuts and look at the overall shape of the plant before you start to prune. Be sure to preserve the natural form of the plant.</p><p>To keep the greenery material fresh:  Use sharp, clean pruners  Immediately place cut ends into water  Keep material out of sunlight  Immerse the greenery material in water for 24 hours before using in decorating. This allows the cuttings to absorb a maximum amount of moisture. </p><p>Dried plant material can become flammable when in contact with heat sources. Use caution when using the material around candles, fireplaces, space heaters, and lamps. Check your decorations every few days and discard or replace them if they become dry or begin to shed.</p><p>Some suggested plant material: Pine, juniper, cedar, fir, holly, ivy, boxwood, magnolia, nandina, pyracantha, acorns, pecans, pine cones, sweet gum balls, berries, hydrangea blossoms, cranberries, rose hips, grapevines, grasses, and fruits such as lemons, apples, oranges, pineapples, limes, and kumquats.</p><p>North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T University commit themselves to positive action to secure equal opportunity regardless of race, color, creed, national origin, religion, sex, age, or disability. In addition, the two Universities welcome all persons without regard to sexual orientation.</p><p>Updated: 10/19/2007</p>