History of the Christmas Tree

The evergreen fir tree has traditionally been used to celebrate winter festivals (pagan and Christian) for thousands of years. Pagans used branches of it to decorate their homes during the winter solstice, as it made them think of the spring to come. The Romans used Fir Trees to decorate their temples at the festival of Saturnalia. Christians use it as a sign of everlasting life with God.

Popular Varieties of Christmas Trees

Fast forward to 2016, and Christmas trees are still a symbol for families to enjoy. There are lots of different varieties of Fresh Cut Christmas Trees including

• Scotch Pine (Charlie Browns Now famous tree was a Pine Tree)

• Colorado Blue Spruce (Which have VERY hard needles and stiff branches)

• Balsam Fir (Looser branches, softer needles, and a great scent)

• Fraser Fir (Stiffer Branches to hold up to lots of ornaments and perfectly shaped)

• Balsam and Fraser Firs are the choice of the Greenwood Lake Garden Center. Stop in and see why.

 

There really is nothing better than a Fresh Cut tree for the holidays, however they do present some challenges.

Tips for keeping your tree it’s Freshest:

• First off, make sure when you purchase a tree the salesperson trims the bottom of the tree to make a “Fresh Cut” of the trunk. After trees are cut from the farm, the bottom of the tree will seal itself.  This stops the tree from “drinking” water if it is placed in a tree stand. A fresh cut lets the tree suck up water during the time it is in your home. This is ALWAYS done at the Greenwood Lake Garden Center.
• Christmas trees also don’t like it very dry indoors (neither do our bodies). If possible avoid heating vents or direct heat near the tree.
• Make sure to keep water in the tree stand, especially during the first few days. During the first few days the tree is in your home it will suck up the most water. After 2-3 days it will slow down. If you let the stand dry out, the tree will seal again and stop sucking water up.
• Use a proven product like Prolong Preserve.
  • With Prolong preservative, trees absorb more water so they stay fresher and more fire resistant.

Live Christmas Trees, Sounds like a great idea.

Some people think bringing a live Christmas tree into their home is a great idea. enjoy it for the season and then plant it when done. We thought so too, until we tried it our first year in our new home. Some things to think of when deciding if a live Christmas tree is for you.

• The weight; Even a small tree 4-5 feet is extremely heavy. Not only do you have the tree, but the root ball as well.
• The root ball is very large and messy. You will need something large enough to hold the entire root ball.
• You need to keep the tree cold, around 50 degrees. Any higher it will come out of dormancy and will have less chance of surviving when you plant it.
• In January the ground is very hard so you would either have to wait until spring to plant or pre-dig your hole.