“Gardening is an exercise in optimism. Sometimes, it is the triumph of hope over experience.” — Marina Schinz

The weather outside is frightful, the garden tools are all put away, the garden is sleeping, but the gardener is busy getting ready for the holidays.

There is nothing that expresses affection and caring more than a gift that is full of the energy and hard work of the giver. Besides, we avid gardeners are notoriously proud of our efforts in the garden. Is it so wrong to parade a little of our success during the giving season with a few beautiful and useful homemade gifts from the garden?

Gifts from the garden usually take a little forethought and planning. Consequently it may be too late this year, unless you happen to have the required ingredients from this summer’s garden — but it’s certainly not too early to be planning for next year. Here are a few suggestions for some glorious gifts from the garden.

• Dried herbs: Flavorful herbs grown in your garden can be dried in a warm oven or a food dehydrator and put into fun novelty jars and given as gift to your favorite chef. Parsley, oregano, thyme and dill are all good candidates for drying. Paprika is a staple in most kitchens. Wonderful homemade paprika can be ground from well-dried red peppers. Decorate jars with homemade labels and jute or raffia bows.

• Herb crafts: Wreaths, ornaments and wall decorations can be fashioned out of dried herbs, dried flowers and willow, birch or dogwood twigs and branches. For design ideas and crafting instructions look for craft books that include dried flowers and herbs at your local library. “The Ultimate Wreath Book: Hundreds of Beautiful Wreaths to Make from Natural Materials” by Ellen Spector Platt has lots of great ideas for wreaths. You might also want to sign up for the holiday wreath class at the Yakima Area Arboretum.

• Other garden gifts might include potpourri sachets made from dried flower petals, your own dried fruit, fruit leather, jars of grape juice, jams and jellies, dried tomatoes or roasted pumpkin seeds (there is a hull-less variety you can grow). Gourds can be made into birdhouses, bowls or dippers. Forced bulbs planted in a pretty pot wrapped in cellophane make a delightful hostess gift. Plant starts propagated from favorite varieties in your yard can be a wonderful gift of encouragement to a novice gardener. Flavored vinegars look beautiful in decorative bottles with neck and cork dipped in melted paraffin to seal, and topiary style wreaths planted with herbs for indoor growing are beautiful and useful. Both are perfect for the dedicated gourmet cook.

Our gardens are the source of much joy and happiness for many of us. We sow our energy and time as well as seeds. When the harvest comes, the generosity of Nature urges us to be giving as well. In a world where so much is mass-produced, it is a delightful treat to give and receive gifts that money cannot buy — from the garden.

Fall decorating ideas

Q. In the fall, I always place pumpkins, Indian corn and winter squash near the entry of my house. Do you have any ideas for using the beautiful fall leaves and garden bounty as other decorative items?

A. Here is an idea for a beautiful fall garden wreath: Attaching 6-inch branches from different trees with leaves in various colors (including green) to an 18-inch straw wreath frame purchased from a craft store. You might include finishing touches of dried pods, tiny corn cobs, pine cones, nandina berries, baby gourds and miniature pumpkins. The leaves are attached to the straw frame by pinning stems in place with florist’s U-pins. Other may be attached using florist’s wire and florist’s picks with wire fasteners.

You may also use small squash, pumpkins and gourds as place cards by making a horizontal cut across the stem with a craft or utility knife and placing the name card in the slot.

Another idea is to use metal nursery tags, trimmed to the right length and marked with guest names and inserted into the tops of the squash.

Small winter squash make good decorative holders for votive candles to light up a buffet area, dining table or entry area. To make them, simply trace the outline of the votive candle metal shell on the top of the squash. Using a craft knife, cut out the circle and keeping the blade vertical, remove the pulp in a small plug shape as deep as the candle is tall. Angle the blade into the center to pop out the plug. Insert the candle.

You may need to adjust the depth so that the candle is flush with the top of the gourd.

• WSU Extension Master Gardener Program is an organization of trained volunteers dedicated to horticulture and community service. Even though the Master Gardener Walk-In Clinic is closed for the winter, your questions about gardening, landscaping or this program can be directed to 509-574-1604. or you may leave samples for identification at the WSU Extension office. Please leave a message with your name, phone number, email address and the nature of your problem or question. A member of our Master Gardener Clinic team will check voice mails and emails to retrieve your message and call you back as soon as possible. The office is 2403 South 18th Street, Suite 100 in Union Gap; 509-574-1600. New volunteers welcome.