WOMAN'S WREATHS COME ALIVE.Byline: Angela Randazzo Daily News Staff Writer Teddy Colbert's house and gardens are an extension of her passion for gardening. On the front door, a wreath made of spider plants introduces visitors to one of her innovative creations - the living wreath. A large wreath of impatiens impatiens (ĭmpā`shēĕnz'): see jewelweed. impatiens Any of about 900 species of herbaceous plants in the genus Impatiens (balsam family), so named because the seedpod bursts when slightly touched. Garden balsam (I. decorates her patio, and a succulent wreath made in 1976 looks as fresh and lovely as the day it was made. ``There's a spirituality and power in a living wreath.'' Colbert said. ``It's a symbol that signifies eternal life.'' Colbert's spacious house among the orange groves of Somis is both a showcase for her living wreaths and workshop for her thriving mail-order business. ``The bulk of our business is do-it-yourself kits,'' Colbert said. ``We ship worldwide from Stockholm to Singapore, Alaska to Argentina.'' The living wreaths are constructed on galvanized gal·va·nize tr.v. gal·va·nized, gal·va·niz·ing, gal·va·niz·es 1. To stimulate or shock with an electric current. 2. steel frames patterned by Colbert. She also perfected the technique of wrapping the frame with moss, filling in soil and adding the plants. Each wreath is unique, and depending on the selection of plants, are a reflection of the do-it-yourself gardener's taste. At 71, Colbert starts her day at 6 a.m. After breakfast, she oversees the construction, planting and mailing of her living wreaths and do-it-yourself kits. She is aided by a staff that sometimes reaches eight to 10 part-timers during holiday periods. ``I tell people the 81 in my number 1-800-TEDDY81 is the age I'm going to think about retiring.'' Colbert said. Nationally known home and garden guru Martha Stewart <noinclude></noinclude> Martha Stewart (born Martha Helen Kostyra on August 3, 1941) is an American business magnate, author, editor and homemaking advocate. She is also a former stockbroker and fashion model. featured the living wreaths in her magazine, Martha Stewart Living Martha Stewart Living is a magazine and a television show featuring entertaining and home decorating guru Martha Stewart. Both the magazine and the television program focus on the domestic arts. . Colbert has also appeared on Stewart's television show, demonstrating the steps for making a living wreath. In 1996, Colbert was awarded the Art of Garden Communication Award by the Garden Writers Association of America. The award signifies a lifetime of working and creating with plants. ``There's a wonderful spirit evoked in people working with plants and creating something beautiful that wasn't there before,'' Colbert said. Colbert's creations are colorfully illustrated in her book, ``The Living Wreath,'' published by Peregrine/Gibbs Smith in 1996. The book features 50 types of living wreaths and step-by-step instructions. Sitting at her dining room table, decorated with a succulent-wreath centerpiece crowned with four candles The Four Candles sketch, originally titled The Hardware Shop is a sketch from the BBC comedy Two Ronnies. Written by Ronnie Barker under the pseudonym of Gerald Wiley. It was first broadcast on Saturday, September 4 1976 on BBC1. , Colbert recalled how the idea of a living wreath first came to her. She was living in Europe at the time and observed the custom of placing four candles in a cut evergreen wreath, then lighting one candle each week before Christmas. ``By the fourth week, the plants were dried, ugly and a fire hazard fire hazard fire n that's a fire hazard → das ist feuergefährlich fire hazard n that's a fire hazard → comporta rischi in caso d'incendio ,'' Colbert said. ``I thought, Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a living Advent wreath An advent wreath is a ring or set of four candles, usually made with evergreen cuttings and used for household devotion by some Christians during the season of Advent. Many churches illuminate these candles in succession through the four weeks leading up to Christmas as part of all year round?'' While she was a horticultural student at UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX , Colbert began developing a plant container that would, one day, evolve into the present-day wreath frame. She wedded her interest in gardening and journalism as contributing garden writer for the Los Angeles Times Los Angeles Times Morning daily newspaper. Established in 1881, it was purchased and incorporated in 1884 by Harrison Gray Otis (1837–1917) under The Times-Mirror Co. (the hyphen was later dropped from the name). . Colbert has written more than 300 home garden features for newspapers as well as for the magazines Pacific Horticultural, Women's Day, and The Cacti and Succulent Journal of America. Born in New York City New York City: see New York, city. New York City City (pop., 2000: 8,008,278), southeastern New York, at the mouth of the Hudson River. The largest city in the U.S. , Colbert inherited her love of gardening from her grandfather William, who had an apple orchard on Long Island. Teaching was her first career. A graduate of Hunter College in New York City, Colbert taught elementary school in the New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of Public School System. Colbert and her husband, Edward, who recently retired from his private practice in psychiatry, were married in 1954. They came to California in 1958, settling in West Hollywood and raising seven children. ``I didn't resume gardening in earnest until the last child was in school,'' Colbert said. Colbert is passing her love of gardening to a younger generation. In 1992, she co-founded Gardens for Kids, a nonprofit organization Nonprofit Organization An association that is given tax-free status. Donations to a non-profit organization are often tax deductible as well. Notes: Examples of non-profit organizations are charities, hospitals and schools. that goes into schools and introduces young people to the joys of gardening. Now with grown children, five grandchildren and a growing business, Colbert is busier than ever. ``I live a very exciting life for an old lady in this little, quiet town of Somis,'' Colbert said. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO (Color in Simi Edition only) Teddy Colbert welcomes visitors with a living wreath fashioned of spider plants. The wreaths have spawned a thriving business. Hans Gutknecht/Daily News |
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