It's time for all the Plant of the Year announcements to come out. I know they're basically marketing tools, but it doesn't hurt to be reminded of the great plants that are out there, whether new introductions or old favorites.

Each year, the International Herb Association declares an Herb of the Year. Last year was bay laurel. That's a fine herb for cooking, but many gardeners can't grow bay in their climates. I have a small bay tree that I've been dragging in and out for about a dozen years now. I love having it, but if it gets any larger I don't think I'll be able to move it.

The 2010 Herb of the Year is dill, an easy growing annual. Just about any gardener can grow dill. Heck, it pretty much grows itself. Once you have a dill plant that goes to seed, you should always have dill. Which is a good thing. Dill is a lot more versatile than you might think. You probably smell dill and immediately think of pickles, but dill goes great with vegetables like asparagus, beets and potatoes and it's a nice twist on fish and lamb dishes. Or maybe a dill bread would tempt you?.

Dill's even a pretty plant, with its ferny, feathery leaves and flat, chartreuse flowers. The only word of caution I would give, before you sow your dill seeds, is to make sure you don't mind volunteer dill plants in the area you're planting. Dill will self-sow. Of course, you could always collect the seeds and make more pickles. Dill's flowers, seeds and foliage are all edible.

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

I was wandering through a tree lot the other day and I was really disappointed because it didn't smell at all like evergreens. Even crushing some needles didn't give a very big hit of pine scent. I wonder if that's just something that happens in certain years or if it means the trees were cut a long, long time ago. They didn't appear to be overly dry, but who knows.

It did prompt me to pick up a few scented candles, while I was out. Most of the year I equate pine scent with cleaners, but at Christmas I find it heavenly. I think it makes a lovely background scent to the smell of baking.

If dragging a pine tree into your living room isn't on your to do list this holiday season, Vanessa Richins, our Guide to Trees & Shrubs, has a short cut for filling your home with the scent of spices. Nessa shares her recipe for making scented pine cones. They're easy to make, decorative as well as scented and when you're done with them, you can toss them in the fire. It's a nice craft to do with the kids, too.

Photo: hortongrou / stock.xchng.

The Christmas Rose is actually a buttercup. Hellebore niger, known as the Christmas Rose, also has the frustrating tendency of not blooming until Easter - making it all the more confusing to tell it apart from the Lenten Rose, Hellebore orientalis. Another thing these Hellebores share in common is their ease of growing and their deceptively delicate beauty. Try growing a few different hellebores in your garden and see which does best.

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

Happy Hanukkah to all our Jewish readers. While you're celebrating the festival of lights, I thought I'd give you all a little reminder to keep your cameras handy and take a shot or two of your centerpiece, your decorations, something that's blooming in your garden or pots or even a beautiful snow covered tree.

The deadline for our Holiday Plants photo contest is almost here and we haven't received many submissions at all. I know you have plenty of plants to photograph, because earlier this year I received lots of stunning winter interest photos. So snap a photo during your celebrations and when you get a few seconds, load it into the Forum Photo thread and share your holiday plants with us.

While you're there, you might want to share a holiday recipe too. Food has become a major topic of conversation recently and we have some wonderful cooks in the Forum. I know I'd especially like some easy recipes for Hanukkah doughnuts.

• Holiday Plants Photo Contest Submissions
• Share a Recipe
• Winter Interest 2009

  Photo of Christmas Camillia Submitted by Ellen Kirby. Used with Permission.

December 12th is National Poinsettia Day. That's right, the US Congress actually gave the Poinsettia an official day of recognition. They are hard to resist at this time of year, especially with all the new colors, shades and swirls. They'll bloom well into the new year and you may be able to get them to rebloom next Christmas. But is it worth the effort?

Last year our Pool and Patio Guide, Lisa Hallett Taylor, had the treat of visiting the Paul Ecke Ranch in Ecinitas, CA, where they produce the bulk of the Poinsettias produced for worldwide distribution. Lisa put together a couple of poinsettia galleries highlighting the variety available and how to decorate with them. So celebrate National Poinsettia Day tomorrow and let you imagination soar.

• The Poinsettia Ranch
• Designing with Poinsettias

  Photo: © Marie Iannotti

Given the fluky weather in so many places, it's hard to tell if plants have gone dormant and even harder to know if they'll stay dormant. So it's no wonder I've been getting questions about when it's safe to apply dormant oil.

Dormant oil used to refer a certain type of horticultural oil. The first dormant oils were so heavy you couldn't safely use them on actively growing plants or you could damage the foliage. Dormant oils have since been refined, to produce lighter-weight oils that can be applied during the growing season without harm to most plants. Now a days, when the term dormant oil is used, it generally refers to the application timing, during the dormant season, rather than a type of oil. Here's the lowdown on what actually counts as a horticultural oil and when and why to use them safely.

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

We've had our first winter storm and it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. The roads are plowed and sanded and it's amazing how many people are taking advantage of the snow day to do their Christmas shopping.

I always find it easier to shop for other people than to come up with suggestions of what I'd like to receive for Christmas. Someone always gives me a gift certificate to a favorite nursery, which is wonderful. I have a hard time spending them though, because I want to buy something I'll have a long time, rather than a plant I may well kill in the first year.

What kinds of gardening gifts are you hoping for this year? Tools, plants, benches, gift certificates or maybe a load of compost? I'd love to hear your ideas.

I'm sure you've all made gifts out of something from your garden; zucchini bread, zucchini cake, zucchini cookies, bags of zucchini... These are 2 of my favorite gifts to give or receive.

If you'll be inviting friends to a party or dinner this holiday season, here's a personal touch that will dress up your table and then dress up your guests' homes and gardens. Take cuttings of your favorite plants to use as favors or place card holders. Your friends have always envied your garden, so they'll love the fact that you're willing to share a piece of it during the season of giving.

Partying at a friend's house? Who wouldn't welcome a bottle of 'homemade' flavored vodka, as a hostess gift? Your garden will become the talk of the party. About's Guide to Cocktails (now there's a job) has some tips on 'brewing' your own Lavender-Rosemary Infused vodka. Use her wonderful recipe as is or as a stepping off point for your own garden concoctions. Basil is refreshing, thyme adds a savory quality and there're always chili peppers for a little extra oomph. Experimenting should be fun.

And if vodka's not your cup of tea, there are plenty more ideas for making holiday gifts from your garden.

Photo: © Marie Iannotti

Mistletoe, like cranberry sauce, makes its appearance at the holidays and then disappears for another year. But if mistletoe is such an attractive evergreen, how come we don't grow it in our gardens? Maybe a nice under story of mistletoe in the rose garden would be romantic. Maybe, except for the fact that most plants in the mistletoe (Viscum) genus are semiparisitic. That's not so romantic.

Yes mistletoe, with all its seductive allure, latches onto tree bark and fools it into thinking its just climbing through. At first encounter with the tree, mistletoe continues its own photosynthesis and even gives some energy back to the tree. Once the tree accepts the presence of the mistletoe, the mistletoe turns into a kept plant, helping itself to the tree's vascular system and hoarding its own energy to keep growing larger. Definitely not what you're looking for in a romance. Landscaping Guide, David Beaulieu, tells more about how this oddity has fascinated many cultures and how mistletoe became such a beloved symbol of the holiday season.

Photo: Mistletoe growing on a Douglas Fir ©USDA Forest Service - Rocky Mountain Region Archives, USDA Forest Service Used with Permission.

I wrote recently about watering your paperwhites with alcohol to get them to grow sturdier and not fall over. A reader wrote to ask whether it would work with bulbs planted in soil or other types of bulbs. The Cornell professor who did the original experiment did try it with soil planted bulbs, but the success wasn't as marked. A professor at another university had better luck adding a splash of alcohol to the water of cut bulb flowers. Wouldn't it be nice to keep your tulips standing?

I was reminded that Harry Brindley, over at slappHappe, gave alcohol a try with his amaryllis. You can see the results of both his first try and his follow-up the following year at "The Amaryllis Experiment", complete with a stop action movie of the vodka tippling amaryllis and the amaryllis that was quenched with only water. It really is pretty amazing.

Photo: © Marie Iannotti