A gardener’s jingle

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Editor’s Note: Janine Pineo urges you to gather the family, pour some eggnog and sing this yuletide carol to the tune of “Jingle Bells.”

Dashing through the store,

A gardener on your mind,

O’er the aisles you roam,

Anxious to decide.

Norway spruce and pine

Make festive yule displays;

You spot an amaryllis bulb

And scurry off to pay!

Oh …

Fir trees smell, holly sells,

Poinsettias make the grade;

What fun it is to hang that wreath

And brighten your holiday – ay!

Books are swell: Experts tell

What’s best to sow in May.

When it’s time to dig that sod

You’ll wish you’d bought a spade.

A day or so before,

You thought you had a plan;

You’ve trudged through scores of stores

And now you’re feeling wan.

Forty pounds of dirt

Is awfully hard to wrap,

But how about a garden cart

So you won’t hurt your back?

Oh …

Fir trees smell, holly sells;

Poinsettias: Mist or spray?

What fun it is to trim that wreath

And brighten your holiday – ay!

Bug sprays quell, wind chimes tell

When black flies will not prey.

Worms are great for composting;

Don’t throw those scraps away.

Concrete frogs are great

‘Less you drop ’em on your feet.

Clippers, hose and rake:

Your shopping’s incomplete.

Paperwhites aside,

Fresh flowers are the rage.

But if it’s for me, a spending spree

On seeds will make my day!

Oh …

Peat plugs swell, coral bells:

Heuchera, in Latin, they say.

Someday soon the snow will stop

Then your gift will truly pay – ay!

Fir trees smell, holly sells,

Poinsettias are the way

To add some life to winter’s white.

Have a joyous holiday!