A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Christmas is over the corner and if you didn't buy a natural tree probably you have an artificial one or you just get a few fir or pine branches. Maybe it's time to think of something new this year? I want to show you a few ideas from the internet of a room, table, chandelier or window decorations.
Take a few lemons, oranges, apples, etc. In a wide bowl, basket or box set spruce, pine, juniper or any other coniferous twigs, add candles and put between them whole or sliced lemons, oranges or tangerines. We have beautiful and tasty decoration, especially for children:

 Let's try to decorate a room with cones. If walking in the park or forest, you have collected cones, now you will be able to use them.

Fasten coniferous twigs with thread or wire in the form of garlands and secure cones in any order. To make it easier is necessary to make a flat cone surface cutting off the lower scales.

Another option is to higher hang cone ornaments. To do this, attach a beautiful colorful ribbons to cones. Hang them on a chandelier, a window or on the Christmas tree:

 

You can paint the cones using any nail polish. They can become completely silver or golden sparkling, or to paint only the edges, also turned out beautifully. And if you add beads ....

If there is a "boot for gifts", then you can fill it with twigs, berries, beads. Any coniferous branches can be painted perfectly.

 

Then we find a fallen branch in the park or in the forest, separate the piece and the basis of our decorations is ready.

Now you simply brush or paint varnish this branch, sprinkle it with any white powder (chalk, flour, salt) and it will turn "snow-covered". Secure the branch in a vase or glass jar and start to decorate it. What to take as decorations? Beads, balls, cookies, candy, favorite Christmas decorations, handmade stars, snowflakes, hearts, berries and so on.

Now the special flowers! Let's look ornaments with "Christmas Star". White, red, pink poinsettias look great in a vase, in a deep dish, in a tall glass. You can add a candle or a branch of rowan, hawthorn, spruce, and cones:

 Having inspired ideas, I took red and white poinsettia and have made a composition with flowers, a basket and candles:

We will meet in  New year and I'll tell about Russian Christmas on January, 7th.  

 A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I wish each of you peace, joy and love in this holiday season.

Feliz Navidad y Feliz Año Nuevo!

Een Vrolijk Kerstfeest en een Gelukkig Nieuwjaar!

 En riktig God Jul og et Godt Nyttår!

Häid jõule ja head uut aastat!

Hyvää Joulua ja Onnellista Uutta Vuotta!

 Καλά Χριστούγεννα και Ευτυχισμένο το Νέο Έτος!

 

 lan Sugeng Warsa Enggal!

  Wesołych Świąt i Szczęśliwego Nowego Roku!  

С Рождеством и Новым годом!     

The Conservatory of the Bergius Botanic Garden

              After the Drottningholm palace and park I went to the Bergius Botanic Garden, it's not far from there. The garden is a part of the city’s national park and is ideally situated at Brunnsviken, near Baltic Sea, Sweden.

 

I went right away to the Edvard Anderson Conservatory. It's a wonderful place for a visit all year round. I was pleasantly surprised of flower scents that drifted through the the house. 

I strolled through fascinating landscapes, ranging from lush rainforests to dry deserts. The Conservatory has several rooms: Mediterranean Hall, Australian, Californian, Fern room (was closed), South African and Palm hall.

In the center of Mediterranean Hall is a small garden with Italian marble and rose-colored sandstone columns, it is framed by a green myrtle hedge. Here Bougainvillea climbed close to the old olive tree, figs, almonds, oranges and pomegranates.

In the Australian room are many eucalyptus, acacias and the characteristic grass tree (Xanthorroea). In the Californian room are plants from the Californian and Mexican deserts.

The Mojave and Sonora deserts have very rich floras. The landscape displayed in the Californian room contains many species such as agave, jojoba, and mother-in-law's cushion.

About South African and Palm hall I will tell you the next time, to be continued...

Here is my video about Bergius Botanic gardens: