We don’t know if it will rain, sleet or snow for the upcoming holidays. Is this the year we put a roof rake under the tree or are we good for another 20 years?

What we do know is that the days are slipping by and our gift list hasn’t been completed.

I took a day off to meander in and out of plant nurseries and garden centers looking for unique items, as well as the practical items that we forget about.

I do this every year, and my starting off point is always Landsystems Nursery and a visit to its huge Christmas room filled with hundreds of contemporary and Victorian Christmas ornaments in just about every theme and color you could possibly want. The logistics of putting everything up and taking it down always boggles my mind. It is eye candy to be enjoyed and certainly sets the tone of the holiday season.

Creativity is also evident in the business’s outdoor winter container planters that are becoming more popular in Central Oregon.

They aren’t specific to Christmas, but rather arrangements that will hold interest and be appropriate for months.

I’m always a bit conflicted on what the color of a poinsettia should be.

Bright red has always been my choice.

I may have to rethink my choice after seeing a selection of novelty varieties that have been developed for a broader market. Gold rush has a strong gold color, peppermint ruffles — think of the color of a dissolving piece of peppermint candy from red to pink — and cinnamon star has orange-to-peach colored flowers flecked with pink. All are extremely interesting and deserve a second look.

My quest is always to find and share unique items, and I was rewarded when I found the ancient garden art of Japanese Kokedama being created at Moonfire and Sun Garden Center. Kokedama is the practice of taking the root ball of a plant and suspending it in a mud ball, which is then coated with soft green moss. The moss ball is fixed to a platform or suspended from string. It has often been tied to the bonsai plants acting as an accent point for a sculptured tree or plant.

I also found wonderful, handcrafted wooden ornaments made from local woods. The “it’s hard to choose” items include snowmen, stylized reindeer and delightful table trees, all created from rounds of wood slices arranged in a whimsical manner. I purchased one that is slightly off center, which suits me and my life.

No matter where I went, solar lights in a variety of styles were available and very popular. Good quality tools are worth the investment, as are good quality garden gloves. Books that are appropriate for our climate, such as “Pretty Tough Plants” from the experts at Plant Select, “Bringing Nature Home” by Douglas W. Tallamy and “Grow Native” by Lynn M. Steiner, are good choices.

Through the course of the summer and especially on the Annual Garden Tour, I heard comments on how people would love to become an Oregon State University Master Gardener. Well, the time is here, and what could be a better gift? Classes will start Jan. 19. For cost and location information, call OSU Extension at 541-548-6088. The application deadline is Jan. 9.

If you are on the High Desert Ranch & Home Facebook list, you’ve had some good laughs with its holiday shopping videos. They have certainly put a new slant on men shopping for women and vice versa. The videos are locally produced, which falls into my category of locally handcrafted — kudos to all involved.

I found many practical farm and garden items throughout the northeast Bend store, making me stop for a closer look. I had to stop at a display of small bright pink boxes of “mingos.” You guessed it; baby pink flamingos for pots and planters. If you need a baby flamingo, you now know where to go.

The whimsical welcome sign from pitchforks caught my eye, as did a display of hand-sewn aprons with coordinating towel, dish cloth, hot pad and scrubby. Fun to see the retro aprons.

Every shop had so many unique items.

I came home with an increased appreciation for the creativity of the local shops in the selection of stock and the craftsmen who share their talents in many of the local shops and galleries.

— Reporter: douville@bendbroadband.com