Newsletter - December 2007 - Christmas Trees

Many of us are decorating for the holidays and this activity usually includes putting up an evergreen conifer to display the family's collection of ornaments. Some of us have given up on using real trees. The fake ones are attractive, pre-lit and are less mess. On the down side though, they lack scent and take up valuable storage space during the year. If your family prefers the annual excursion to a tree farm, here are a few tips that will help your cut tree stay fresher longer. First, when you get home, re-cut the bottom of the trunk and soak the freshly cut stem in a bucket of tepid water for a day before bringing the tree inside. Once you've brought it in and have it secured in it's bucket, fill the bucket with a solution of two gallons water mixed with one half-cup corn syrup and one-tablespoon chlorine bleach. The tree's xylem will drink this greedily for about the first week, so check the water level daily and refill as needed. When the tree stops drinking, go to regular water, but don't let the bucket go dry. When the tree begins to drop needles, move it outside. Always keep the tree in the coolest section of a room and away from heating vents. Pines, fir and spruce are high in pitch can quickly explode into flame.

There is another choice when putting up a tree and that's to purchase a live one for future planting within your garden. This solution is great if you choose a good variety and understand that a living tree should only be in the house eight days maximum. Again, keep it in the coolest section of the room, and keep it watered. The damage to a live tree comes from lack of light and heating systems. (This same rule applies to any live potted plant brought inside for the holidays such as ornamental azaleas and bonsai). After the eight days, remove the ornaments and put it outside to recover. When you can work the soil in spring, or New Year's Day if the weather holds, place the tree in its permanent location and enjoy.

Ornamental conifers are a wonderful choice for any garden. They smell like Christmas, provide shade, privacy and wind protection and support many types of wildlife. Research the tree types though before bringing one home. Many of the fir trees don't perform well here due to the lack of winter chilling. Most pine trees are great additions, but look up their size at maturity before purchase. Depending on variety, pines may grow anywhere between 15' to 100' tall. A good nursery, the tree's tag, the Internet and the Sunset Western Garden Book are all good sources of information. Spruce trees do well, but most grow very slowly. I like Thujas including our native Western Red Cedar, and the Thuja cultivar "Green Giant" for a pretty shape. Cypress trees also include some lovely shapes and foliage color for the garden. Sequoias are lovely in maturity, but young ones usually aren't full enough to decorate. Keep in mind that conifers tend to have surface roots, so don't place them next to patios, walks, driveways, and foundations. Also, the taller the tree, the larger the liter pile under the tree. Great compost for shade and acid-loving plants, but the needles may be too acidic for everything else.

If my warnings have scared you off, go back to the nursery and look at dwarf conifers. There are many types that will look great on a tabletop now, yet will only be eight feet tall in ten years. Dwarf conifers often have an architectural shape that may serve as a focal point in the garden, so place them as you would any valued specimen plant. Look at varieties of dwarf pine, spruce, and chamecyparis for some truly wonderful garden species.

In my garden the raccoons continue to visit the fountain nightly leaving muddy footprints all over the patio. The day after Thanksgiving will be remembered for the gusty north wind that laid over my 15' tall Lavender Starflower (Grewia occidentalis). It took a while to prune it back & re-secure it to the fence. And last, I want to remind you to spray for leaf curl on the nectarines and peaches. The rule is to spray three times: Thanksgiving, New Year's and President's Day Weekend. Have a wonderful holiday season and I'll write again in January..