Southern Gardening from 2025

While many people think of poinsettias as short-lived holiday decor, with proper care, these beautiful plants can thrive long after the holidays and even bloom again the following year.

This is great news for me, as poinsettias have always been one of my favorite holiday plants. The process takes a little extra attention, but the results are rewarding.

I recently visited The Flower Bed Nursery in Lumberton, Mississippi, where I admired a magnificent Sweet Olive tree that stood gracefully at the entrance.

Known scientifically as Osmanthus fragrans, it is often called the fragrant tea olive. This plant is one of my favorite evergreen shrubs or small trees, cherished for its intensely sweet, jasmine-like fragrance and its polished, sophisticated appearance.