Now that Christmas has passed, some retailers will be marking down a lot of things in their stores.

Some of these items are perfect for gardeners.

Now is the time of year to buy those decorative containers for your plants.

I&8217;m not just talking about the fancy flower pots either.

Have you ever thought of buying good looking tea cups or serving bowls to use as plant containers?

If you plant them with cacti, they don&8217;t really even need drainage holes.

With a simple power drill and a porcelain drill bit, you can add a drainage hole to an otherwise plain old serving dish.

I usually try to find these items after Christmas when they&8217;re on sale.

Sometimes you can find good looking, colorful soup terrines marked down as much as 80 percent.

Buy next year&8217;s Christmas dishes for your plants.

You know, the ones with a poinsettia painted on the side.

How about those Christmas cacti that aren&8217;t blooming anymore?

Some stores will be marking those down now.

Use your imagination and get out there and shop for the bargains.

I&8217;ll see you in the stores.

On another note, I feel the need to dedicate this article to my indoor gardening buddy and best friend, Spot, who passed away on Friday Dec. 16.

Spot would always taste the herbs that I brought in for the winter.

He especially enjoyed garlic chives, sweet basil and scallion greens.

Spot was a long, solid black Siamese cat who could stand flat-footed on the floor and put his front paws on my belt.

He was always friendly to everyone who visited us, unless they brought a dog.

All I have left of Spot are great memories, photographs and a big empty place in my heart.

Spot was 14