I was thinking about the old song the 12 days of Christmas; I have heard it said that in order to actually give all the goods listed in this song it would cost the giver $114,651. Last-minute shoppers who turn to the Internet will pay even more for all the gifts, about $173,000. So we have come up with a better and much sweeter deal.

Flowers, yes, flowers! Everyone loves flowers unless they are a flower scrooge. I would imagine there are many out there who are like me and have always dream about waking up or walking in the door to a home filled with flowers.

Now that we are past the 12 days of Christmas, you can save on this idea. How about the 10 days of Christmas Flowers???

Here we go:

On the 10^th day of Christmas my true love gave to me… a bouquet of Winter Jasminum nudiflorum. (A deciduous rambling shrub widely cultivated for its winter-blooming yellow flowers).

On the 9^th day of Christmas my true love gave to me… a Clematis cirrhosa ‘Freckles’. (The festive creamy flowers of this winter-flowering clematis are heavily splashed and freckled in bright red hence the name).

On the 8^th day of Christmas my true love gave to me… an Iris unguicularis ‘Mary Barnard’. (The Algerian iris is perfect to plant at the feet of your winter-flowering garden. Soft blue flowers unfurl from pointed buds from November onwards).

On the 7^th day of Christmas my true love gave to me… a Narcissus ‘Cedric Morris’. (Almost always out by Christmas Eve, this bright yellow miniature daffodil has a shallow trumpet and the outer petals are shaded in emerald green where they meet the stem).

On the 6^th day of Christmas my true love gave to me… A Galanthus plicatus ‘Three Ships’. (Rare and pricey, like many of the best snowdrops, this wide-leaved plant produces plump buds in December).

On the 5^th day of Christmas my true love gave to me… A Skimmia x confusa ‘Kew Green’. (The head of pale green buds on this choice and compact evergreen are arranged in a tight, lilac-like raceme).

On the 4^th day of Christmas my true love gave to me… A Paperwhite narcissi. (Paperwhites can be planted in mid-October for Christmas flowers).

On the 3^rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me…  A Helleborus niger. (This small Christmas Rose makes excellent displays in a cool porch or windowsill when mixed with ivies).

On the 2^nd day of Christmas my true love gave to me… An Amaryllis. ( Opt for glowing scarlet or a pure white. ‘Red Velvet’ is a classy single, ‘Red Dragon’ a fiery double. ‘Papilio’, an elegant red-striped white and ‘Benfica’, dark red, all are excellent).

On the 1^st day of Christmas my true love gave to me… A Poinsettia. (Popular for decades, the colorful, long-lasting bracts form the ‘flower’ and, although there are many colors, bright soldier-red is still a favorite.

By Christmas morning your home and your True Love will be the most lovely, fragrant and festive in the neighborhood. So get the eggnog ready as the guests will be arriving soon!