Newspaper Page Text
Page 10A
The Braselton News
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Terrarium creations: Great gifts for neglectful gardeners
I can’t tell you how many times
I’ve given beautiful potted plants
as living holiday gifts, only to dis
cover they perished from neglect
in a matter of weeks.
But, after suffering such disap
pointment repeatedly, I found a
perfect substitute without resorting
to presents made solely of silk or
plastic.
By learning to create miniature
gardens in a attractive bottles, jars,
or fishbowls, I discovered a way to
share my love for gardening with
friends and neighbors cursed with
brown thumbs. I accomplished this
simply by turning an assortment
of tiny houseplants into fully self-
contained and mostly self-water
ing little conservatory plantings
that my recipients would find hard
to kill, at least for most of the
winter.
Thanks to a good assortment
of small tropical plants in many
garden centers, this is easy enough
for a child to accomplish. But
do remember that even the most
diminutive tropicals in tiny pots
can get large in a hurry when sur
rounded by ideal conditions like
those provided in closed contain
ers. In a very short time, this can
turn an otherwise attractive ter
rarium grouping into a crowded
mess if you over-do.
In a one-gallon jug, for example,
three plants, some living moss, a
few ornamental rocks and, maybe,
a dead twig covered in lichen is
probably more than sufficient to
keep things in balance. And, by all
means, avoid trailing plants like
pothos, philodendron, and wander
ing jew unless you’re converting a
20-gallon aquar
ium to a small
greenhouse.
Small parlor
palms are good
for vertical inter
est, and won’t
outgrow their
assigned space
too quickly. For lower growth with
a little color, consider fitonias, alu
minum plants, miniature African
violets, and little bromeliads.
Some of the smaller ferns may be
substituted for palms.
And, if you prefer a desert scene
to a miniature rain forest, you can
substitute a variety of cacti and
other small succulents.
Before you begin your creative
planting, it’s best to assemble
everything you need on a work
table, and keep a small hand spray
er and a pitcher handy for watering
in plants and washing excess dirt
off foliage and glass.
Non-botanical material should
include some aquarium or pea
gravel, a small box of aquarium
filter charcoal, a bag of potting
soil, a large plastic mixing bowl,
some coat-hanger wire, a pair of
tongs, scissors, and an ice tea
spoon or very small trowel.
Soak the plants before you
remove them from their pots, and
put them aside to drain. Then, mix
about a half-cup of charcoal with
potting soil in your plastic bowl.
Finally, add a one-inch layer
of gravel in the bottom of the
container and, on top, add your
charcoal-soil mix to a depth of two
to three inches.
You’re now ready to introduce
plants.
B u t
before
you do,
inspect
them
care
fully for
diseases
and insects, particularly mealy
bugs and scale. If you notice any of
these, remove any heavily infested
leaves, and spray the remaining
foliage with a good houseplant
insecticide. Allow time for this to
dry completely before placing the
plants inside the containers, and
you won’t have to clean spots of
spray off the glass.
Begin planting from the center
outward, taking care to position
taller plants closest to the middle
of the soil area.
To accomplish this neatly, it may
be necessary to trim off some of
the roots as you remove the plants
from their original pots. It may
also be beneficial to pinch the
growing tips on specimens which
appear leggy or otherwise likely to
flop over on other plants as mois
ture accumulates on their foliage.
To finish the job, add green moss,
a little gravel, and a few ornamen
tal rocks to the outer edges of
your planting. Then, squirt in just
enough water to wash any dirt
off the leaves and glass and to
thoroughly moisten the soil. Next,
place the lid on the container,
and leave it closed for at least a
day or two. From that point on,
remove the lid at night and peri
odically during the day to allow an
exchange of air.
After the plants are well-estab
lished in their new soil and show
ing signs of fresh growth, it’s okay
to add a little liquid plant food to
your watering routine.
But, take care to make sure that
the plants are never over-watered.
If you can see any accumulated
water to a third of the depth of the
gravel layer at the bottom, don’t
add another drop and keep the lid
off longer to let excess moisture
evaporate.
Keep in mind that terrariums
enclose their own mini-climates
and can trap excessive heat by
receiving direct sunlight. It is best,
therefore, to keep them in bright,
indirect light like that you would
find in a north-facing window or
under bright artificial illumination.
Terrariums also will benefit from
being turned at least once a week.
This will encourage even growth
in all directions, and result in a
more attractive display.
Before you deliver these living
works of art to anyone, do con
sider typing up some of the basic
care instructions I’ve mentioned
in this column, and present these
as a cultural guide along with your
gift. Hopefully, this will eliminate
any assumption on the part of
your recipients that their attempt
to keep your gift alive is likely to
end in failure.
Fil Jessee lives in Braselton,
where he works as a freelance jour
nalist. Fie is a Georgia Certified
Plant Professional with experience
in ornamental horticulture and
landscape design. Reader ques
tions relating to gardening can be
sent to Fil at fllwrites@aol.com.
Gardener’s
Grapevine
with
Fil Jessee
filwrites@aol.com
More on Nashville: Plenty of dining options and accommodations
Dining in Nashville is a real
adventure. With hundreds of res
taurants, it can be almost over
whelming to decide where to eat.
Nashville restaurants represent
every culinary flavor from around
the world, and visitors can try
Chinese cuisine one night, and
Italian the next. Some restaurants
not to be missed are:
•Cabana, located in the Hillsboro
Village, provides casual Southern
comfort. For an appetizer, be sure
and try the “Tennessee sliders.”
These freshly baked mini sweet
potato biscuits with housemade
peach preserves include your
choice of buttermilk fried chicken
tenders or country ham. Other
great starters include the fried
green tomato stack and house
made potato chips.
For your main dish, hand tossed
crust baked pizza, rainbow trout,
grilled salmon, yellow fin tuna,
buttermilk friend chicken and
pasta are among the many choices.
I selected the seared ahi tuna with
Asian greens, pickled cucumber,
ginger salad in a sesame soy vin
aigrette, and I was not disap
pointed. It was wonderful. For
dessert, the fried pies are a must.
Chocolate, peach and apple are all
offered with a side of vanilla bean
ice cream.
Something unique are the cabana
seats leading into the restaurant.
They are a great place for a group
of friends to meet for dinner.
For more information, go to
www.cabanasnashville.com.
•Monell’s is a great place for a
family-style Southern breakfast.
After breakfast at Monell’s, you
won’t need lunch. You might not
even want dinner. The abundant
Southern food is served family
style in a charming, historic home.
On Saturdays and Sundays, the
country breakfast is served on
a table that is overflowing with
dishes, including fried chicken,
ham, sausage, bacon, corn pud
ding, biscuits, gravy, fried pota
toes, pancakes, eggs, cheese grits
and fried apples, all served family
style.
Owner Michael King opened
Monell’s 14 years ago in the histor
ic Germantown area of Nashville.
Lunch is also offered.
Monell’s is located at 1235 6 th
Avenue North. For more informa
tion, go to www.monellsdining.
com or call 615-248-4747.
•Jack’s Bar-B-Que is a great
stop for for some mother-watering
Southern sytle barbecue that is
a favorite of tourists, Nashville
residents and, of course, coun
try stars. The menu includes
Tennessee pork shoulder, Texas
beef brisket, smoked turkey, Texas
sausage, St. Louis style ribs and
smoked chicken, all with Jack’s
award-winning sauces.
A lot of events are held at
Jack’s, including Brad Paisley’s
Opry induction party upstairs at
the restaurant. The patio outback
overlooks the Ryman Auditorium
which makes it a favorite dining
spot for lots of Opry stars and
other performers.
Jack’s has been declared
the “number one barbecue” in
Nashville by USA Today, Southern
Living and The New York Times.
The barbecue is prepared by the
old-fashioned process of slow
cooking, which is why it is tender
and has the smoke flavor. No gas
or charcoal is used.
It’s a friendly, down-home spot
where you are as likely to see
someone in a suit and tie as you
are to see someone in over-alls.
All are welcomed and made to
feel at home. As the manager told
us, “You never know who is com
ing through the door. Treat them
all the same.”
Jack’s Bar-B-Que is located at
416 Broadway. For more informa
tion, go to www.jacksbarbeque.
com or call 615-254-5715.
DINING AT GAYLORD
The Gaylord Opryland resort has
some wonderful dining choices. A
few of those I recommend are:
•Water’s Edge Marketplace
Buffet is a one stop treat to food
from around the world. The vari
ety, quality and abundance of food
is overwhelming. It’s not your
typical buffet. It’s much more
upscale. The international menu
includes creative offerings that
change daily. The hardest part is
deciding what to try. There are so
many choices. Breakfast offerings
includes everything from pastries
to fruit to omelets made while you
wait. Special requests are avail
able and you have interaction with
the chefs.
Lunch and dinner also are
offered. For dinner, our selections
included swordfish, rack of lamb
and pasta. The desserts includ
ed strawberry shortcake, banana
filled beignets and chocolate fon
due.
•Old Hickory Steakhouse where
we had sweet treats and cheese
for a late night snack. This is a
great spot to sample cheese from
around the world. We sampled
aged gouda from Holland, as well
as selections from France and
England. Maitre Fromager Richard
Peterson knows his cheese. The
selection is huge and he knows all
about each cheese offered.
While we were in the restaurant
for dessert only, Richard offers
cheese to guests having meals at
the steakhouse. He takes a cheese
cart around and makes sugges
tions to compliment the meal.
For something sweet after our
cheese, we had chocolate fondue,
popcorn flavored ice cream, choc
olate souffle and cheesecake. All
were delicious and a perfect end
to a wonderful day in Nashville.
•Cascades, which offers three
meals daily. It’s one of the most
scenic spots in the hotel. You will
be able to enjoy a great meal with
a waterfall and lush garden sur
rounding you — all, amazingly
enough, located inside the hotel.
We dined at Cascades for break
fast, and I had loaded banana
toast, which includes griddled bri
oche, raspberry marmalade, corn
flake crunch and whipped cream.
Another one to try is the “Harpeth
River breakfast,” which is two
fried eggs, biscuit, potato casse
role, sausage gravy and country
ham.
WHERE TO STAY
The Gaylord Opryland is a great
choice to stay during your visit to
Nashville. Gaylord Opryland has
nine acres of atrium-covered gar
dens and walkways that provide a
one-of-a kind experience for your
stay in Nashville. Where else can
you go on a boat ride along the
Delta River without leaving the
hotel, have a dining experience
that could include steak or sushi,
spend a few hours in the spa or
check out some live entertain
ment? These are just a few of your
choices at the Gaylord Opryland.
The Gaylord has three main
areas: The Garden Conservatory,
The Cascades and The Delta. All
are uniquely different and offer
lush gardens, waterfalls, shops
and restaurants.
The hotel has 2,881 rooms,
including 750 with an atrium
view. These are your best choice.
You can sit outside on your bal
cony and check out the sights and
sounds below. It feels more like
you are looking down on a bus
tling city instead of being inside
a hotel.
A country Christmas celebra
tion is under way at the hotel
now. It includes the Pam Tillis
Christmas dinner show, the ICE
sculpture display, performances
by the Radio City Rockettes in the
Grand Ole Opry house, Christmas
on the Cumberland aboard the
General Jackson showboat, a Hall
of Trees display of 30 trees and
the Treasures for the Holidays arts
and crafts show.
For more information, call
615-889-1000 or go to www.gay-
lordhotles.com.
Angela Gary is an editor with
MainStreet Newspapers Inc. She
can be reached at AngieEditor@
aol.com.
Athens blood and marrow donor drive set for Dec. 13
A national marrow donor pro
gram and blood drive in honor of
Jackson Austin will be held on
Thursday, Dec. 13, from 3-8 p.m.
in Athens.
Austin is a Jackson County boy
who has cancer.
The drive will be held at the
Georgia Center for Continuing
Education, Hill Atrium, on the cam
pus of the University of Georgia.
Donors are encouraged to give
blood and/or register for the
National Marrow Donor Program.
Since Clarke County has a grant,
all testing for the National Bone
Marrow Registry is free and only
involves a cheek swab.
All blood donors are strongly
encouraged to eat a full meal or
snacks, and drink lots of caffeine-
free liquids before donating blood.
To make an appointment for the
event, contact Danielle Austin at
daaustin@alltel.net or Janet Jarrett
at jarrettja@usa.redcross.org.
For more information about
donating blood, visit www.give-
bloodredcross.org. For more infor
mation about the National Marrow
Donor Program, visit www.mar-
row.org.
The Georgia Center for
Continuing Education is located at
the corner of Lumpkin and Carlton
Streets, near the UGA track.
Love Light Celebration ahead
Monday, December 3 at NGMC
Northeast Georgia Medical
Center (NGMC) will hold the
annual Love Light Celebration
at 7 p.m., Monday, Dec. 3 in
Gainesville.
Due to construction at the
main campus, the 2007 Love
Light Celebration will be held
at the medical center’s Lanier
Park Campus, located on White
Sulphur Road in Gainesville.
The Love Light tree will contin
ue to be placed atop the outpatient
services building on the main
campus on Jesse Jewell Parkway.
The Love Light Celebration
is sponsored by The Medical
Center Auxiliary and is a cel
ebration of Love Light donations
made throughout the year. Love
Light donations support Hospice
of Northeast Georgia Medical
Center, which provides in-home
nursing care for patients with a
life-limiting illness.
For a minimum donation of
$10, a light will be placed on the
tree. Donations of $100 or more
are designated as “Star” gifts, and
donations of $500 or more are
“Angel” gifts. Love Light dona
tions can be made year-round in
honor or memory of someone,
and that person or the family will
receive a card notifying them of
the gift.
“We are blessed to have the
services of Hospice of Northeast
Georgia Medical Center avail
able in our community, allowing
terminally ill patients to remain
in their homes with their families
and loved ones,” said Michelle
Weidner, who, along with her
husband, Geoffrey Weidner, MD,
serves as chairs of the 2007 Love
Light celebration.
“The funds raised through Love
Light donations have a major
impact on the services provided
to hospice patients throughout
Northeast Georgia, and the needs
that are met by Love Light dona
tions would not happen without
these gifts,” she said.
This year’s Love Light tree,
a 30-foot spruce, was given by
Doris Lindsey and David Head of
Gainesville. The Medical Center
Auxiliary is dedicating the tree
to the late Charles R. “Chuck”
Frissell, a long-time medical cen
ter volunteer who served as chap
lain and with the auxiliary’s cour
tesy shuttle service. Frissell also
served as first vice-president of
the auxiliary’s executive board.
The Love Light tree will be
lit by Dr. Frank Lake, radiation
oncologist and medical director
of Hospice of Northeast Georgia
Medical Center, who will also
make remarks at the tree lighting
celebration.
The program will spotlight a
brief selection of holiday music
by local schools including East
Hall High School Brass Ensemble,
Friendship Elementary fourth and
fifth grade chorus, North Hall
Middle School eighth grade
ensemble, Johnson High School
Chorus and soloist Stephen
Greene.
A children’s ornament decorat
ing contest also will be a part
of the festivities. All ornaments
submitted will be displayed on a
giant holiday tree banner in the
Lanier Park Campus atrium, and
the winners of the contest will be
announced during the Love Light
celebration.
To make a donation or for more
information about Love Light, call
the volunteer services department
at Northeast Georgia Medical
Center at 770-535-3394.
Emergency responders join
forces for holiday toy drive
Santa Claus and Sparky are
teaming up again this year in the
third annual Empty Stocking Toy
Drive in Barrow County.
Joining them in the fund-raiser
will be the Barrow County Fire
and Emergency Services, Barrow
County Sheriff’s Office, and
the Barrow County Community
Emergency Response Team
(CERT).
The drive will be held the first
three Saturdays in December.
Santa and Sparky will be in sub
divisions through out Barrow
County. Personnel and units from
the fire department and sheriff’s
office will join them. There will
also be members of the CERT
team helping out and showing
there Christmas spirit.
The Empty Stocking Toy drive
will accept new, unwrapped toys
for children up to 18 years old.
The toys will then be sorted
and some will be given to the
children that spend Christmas at
Peace Place, a shelter for woman
and children. The remaining
toys will be given to the Holiday
Connection.
Every toy that is donated to the
drive will be given to needy chil
dren in Barrow County.
If the drive does not make it to
each subdivision, residents may
drop off donations at any Barrow
County fire station. Those who
want to make a monetary donation
may make checks payable to the
Holiday Connection. The volun
teers conducting the drive will be
collecting checks, as well.
“I am hoping that with the citi
zen’s help, every child in Barrow
County will wake up to a great
Christmas and have toys under
the tree,” said Lt. Scott Dakin of
the Barrow County Department
of Fire and Emergency Services.
“With everyone’s help we can
make that happen.”
Showcase of Homes Dec. 1-2
Traditions of Braselton is ring
ing in the holidays with its Holiday
Showcase of Homes Saturday and
Sunday, Dec. 1-2, and Saturday
and Sunday, Dec. 8-9.
The event will showcase seven
custom-built homes, each profes
sionally decorated for the season
by an award-winning local design
er.
“Traditions is a beautiful custom
home community with great ame
nities,” said Cindy Clark of Peggy
Slappey Properties. “We will have
an agents’ day on Friday, Dec. 7.
Agents can expect first-class ser
vice, including chauffeured tours
throughout the community.”
During the Holiday Showcase
of Homes event, visitors can drive
into the community and follow
the signs to the featured homes,
or drive straight to the on-site
Discovery Center and pick up a
map. A team of sales profession
als from Peggy Slappey Properties
will be on hand to answer any
questions customers may have
or to guide personal tours of the
homes.
According to Clark, Traditions
of Braselton is one of the few
metro communities affordable for
most home buyers, whether they’re
looking in the $200,000 range or
the $ 1 million range.
Peggy Slappey Properties, a
Buford-based company and one
of Gwinnett’s and Jackson’s
leading marketers of new homes
recently partnered with the devel
oper at Traditions. Peggy Slappey
Properties was the winner of
Gwinnett Magazine’s 2006 Best
Realtor award.
Traditions of Braselton includes
a championship 18-hole golf
course, a swim and tennis com
plex, on-site fitness center, green
spaces, multiple ponds and lakes,
nature trails, children’s play areas,
and a property owners’ clubhouse.
For additional information on
Traditions of Braselton’s Holiday
Home Showcase, call the Discovery
Center at 706-654-3606.