What to Read in This Week’s Winter Solstice Issue

Alert: shortest day of the year ahead. As the winter solstice approaches, we’ll be embracing the light this week Join us for poinsettias, amaryllis bulbs, holiday curb appeal, and snowy garlands:

Above: In a Gardner’s garden. Amaryllis plays a starring role in the courtyard during the holiday season at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. See more in Museum Visit: The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Garden.

• Coming Tuesday: Alexa conducts clever experiments with fireside cooking tools in this week’s 10 Easy Pieces post.
• There are so many things nobody tells you about poinsettias (until now—check back on Monday morning for the full story).
• We round up stylish waterproof Chelsea boots to wear in the garden…and elsewhere.
• Grow it, bake it, give it to a friend: Marie’s new recipe for persimmon spice cake, coming Thursday.

Did you miss any of last week’s posts? Most popular:

• Everything You Need to Know About Decking Materials
• The Garden Decoder: What Is ‘Square Foot Gardening’?
• 10 Things Nobody Tells You About Holiday Lights
• Gift Guides 2018: for the Fiddle-Leaf Fig Lover, the Organized Gardener, the Fashion-Forward Gardener, and more.