By Dawn Bazely

Dawn is one of our long-standing contributors and has contributed: poinsettias, cranberries, red-osier dogwood, amaryllis, white cedar, balsam fir, paperwhites, ivy, candy cane chrysanthemums, and less traditional plant species associated with the British festive season, such as arctic cotton grass and willow, and gourds.  This year, to celebrate the 5th Anniversary of #AdventBotany, she has branched out into the tecnology of the VLOG!  I’m impressed to see the qualtity of local produce she has access to in local stores.

Editor’s note

Dawn mentions Pine cones in her Vlog and we have an advent blog coming later that features the various types of pine cones.  For tree species used as Christmas trees see The Christmas Tree.

Here are some links to further information kindly provided by Dawn.

Mississipi State University Extension Service YouTube Video on arranging with magnolia leaves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xEz0m526cw

Decorating with magnolia leaves during the holidays: http://confettistyle.com/decorating-with-magnolia-leaves/

Science Buddies. 2016. Unlocking the secret of pine cones. Scientific American blog: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/unlocking-the-secrets-of-the-pinecone/

Pinus lambertiana at the Gymnosperms database: https://www.conifers.org/pi/Pinus_lambertiana.php

Encyclopedia Britannica — The 7 Best Pine Cones: https://www.britannica.com/list/the-7-best-pinecones-really

Wikipedia: Strobilus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strobilus