With the holidays just around the corner, it's not too early to be thinking about specialty garden gifts or unique decorating ideas, such as citrus trees espaliered. Potted and espaliered dwarf varieties of citrus trees make excellent, decorative "walls" or"dividers" and are a wonderful gift for the fruit-loving gardener with limited space.

Most citrus trees are just about to go into their heaviest fruiting period — Valencia & Washington navel oranges, tangerines, Meyer lemons, and kumquats, to name a few. Espaliered citrus can be very expensive if purchased ready made, but here's how you can make your own at a much lower cost:

• Choose bushy five-gallon dwarf trees and plant in containers (at least 14"-16" in diameter) using a good potting mixture such as G & B Potting Soil.
• Place a 3'x3' trellis against the flatter side of the tree.
• Gently spread the branches against the trellis and tie each one to the trellis with the green plastic tie tape (do NOT use metal twist ties).
• Trim any branches in the front of the trellis that won't lie flat.Be careful not to trim any with fruit on them.
• As an option, plant the area below the trellis with cool season annuals such as pansies, violas, and calendulas, or perennials such as scented trailing geraniums, tri-color sage, lemon thyme, scaveola, lamium orchid frost, or iceberg ivy.
• Fertilize monthly with a liquid fertilizer such as Miracle Gro.
• Place your espalier on a balcony, against a blank wall, or use two to form an entrance on either side of a walkway.
• Add potted holiday foliage around the base of the pots, such as crotons or mums for the fall or poinsettias and cyclamen at Christmas.

For gift giving, add a bow, and it's ready to go — a gift that will last for years to come.!

If your pond is less than 24" deep in most areas, or if you have a patio pond, you will need to bring your fish inside for the winter.

Outside Care of Your Fish:

1. As the water temperature of your pond falls, the fish will require less food. Watch their food intake and adjust your feeding. Stop feeding your fish completely when the water temperature of your pond reaches an average of 45 degrees. At 45-50 degrees the fish hibernate in the bottom of the pond. Regardless of the outside temperature or if the fish come to the surface during the winter do not feed them. They are surfacing for oxygen, not food. If you feed the fish during this period, the food will not digest; it will rot and will kill them. Begin feeding the fish when the average temperature of your pond is above 45 degrees.
2. Skim your pond with a net at least once a week to remove any leaves or plant matter. Installing pond netting will keep unwanted leaves out. Leaves or plant matter left in the pond will deteriorate over the winter producing organic waste.
3. A 10-20% water change is recommended. Add Laguna Water Prep to neutralize harmful metals as well as provide a protective "coating" to the fish's fins and scales. Laguna Water Prep helps build up your fish's immune system safely.
4. Add Laguna Pond Clean and Laguna Pond Detox or Phosphate Control at this time also. Adding these beneficial bacteria will help break down waste over the winter months.

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