Garden Club of Lake Placid members made Christmas swags at the Uihlein Farm in November and placed them in public spaces around the village. (Photo provided)

Garden Club of Lake Placid members again enjoyed using live greens to decorate the village fences and rails along Main Street, Mid’s and Brewster Park this holiday season.

The COVID years and last year’s focus on a different holiday look for the 2023 FISU Winter World University Games pushed the traditional swag making to the sidelines. This year, project chair Paula Politi organized the making of 80 swags with the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism supporting the effort by purchasing the glitzy red ribbon, pinecones and berries. A good portion of the greens were dropped off by village workers. The Uihlein Farm greenhouse on Bear Cub Lane provided a great location for the hefty task. Considerable space was needed to spread out the greens and supplies, enabling the 15 participating members to assemble and store the finished swags. It was a very comfortable place to work for the hours that were required to make so many swags.

A lot of the credit goes to Paula and those doing prep work, so that everything was where the club needed it on work day. Before assembling on Nov. 11, some members prepped the greens by size; others pre-tied bows and pinecone-berry picks. This year’s swags did incorporate the artificial ones left over from ROOST’s purchase last year. Members accommodated the “reduce, reuse, recycle” approach by sandwiching the artificial swag between layers of fresh greens.

The morning included plenty of visiting, snacks and a special treat with member Pearl McCahill using an old meat grinder to grind left over needle clippings into potpourri, which all got to take home. A small team headed to Main Street on Nov. 12 and 22 to zip tie the swags in place.

Some suggestions for holiday gifts for your favorite gardener might include something from the following list:

Garden Club of Lake Placid members made Christmas swags at the Uihlein Farm in November and placed them in public spaces around the village. (Photo provided)

– A hand-tied swag or wreath from greens from your own tree trimming

– A monthly floral subscription for fresh bouquets to brighten the winter months

– An amaryllis bulb kit, which grows quickly and produces a huge flower head

– Paperwhite narcissus bulbs

– Garden gloves and hand cleaners/lotions or a manicure

Garden Club of Lake Placid members made Christmas swags at the Uihlein Farm in November and placed them in public spaces around the village. (Photo provided)

– Garden smock or apron with pockets for small tools and a phone

– New tools such as a root cutting knife or power bulb planter

Garden Club of Lake Placid members will wrap up their season and celebrate the holiday on Dec. 13 with a dinner at Players. We wish you all a safe and joyous holiday season.

(Patricia Hofbauer is a member of the Garden Club of Lake Placid.)

Garden Club of Lake Placid members made Christmas swags at the Uihlein Farm in November and placed them in public spaces around the village. (Photo provided)

Garden Club of Lake Placid members made Christmas swags at the Uihlein Farm in November and placed them in public spaces around the village. (Photo provided)