Garden Center

'Tis the Season...

Now that Thanksgiving is past and those yummy leftovers are finally dwindling from the fridge, the next winter holiday is fast approaching: Christmas! Whether you’re watching the weather report for a pleasant day to put up your lights, combing through your pantry and coat closet to contribute to local charity drives, or fine-tuning your Christmas feast menu and travel plans, you can’t deny that the spirit of the season is taking hold. One of the essential decorating tasks for the holiday season involves choosing, setting up, and decorating a Christmas tree.

The tradition of selecting, setting up, and decorating an indoor tree is so engrained in our holiday memories that it's easy to think it's been going on for thousands of years! However, the tradition itself is just a couple hundred years old. In some households, this whole custom is like clockwork: the family loads into a van and heads to the local tree farm, or the boxed re-useable tree is dragged out from beneath the stairs; the totes and tins full of ornaments and garland are brought out and fawned over; there's a hassle to get this year's fir standing upright in the tree stand; stories are told about Christmases past... but eventually the re-useable tree needs replacing and, of course, a live tree will only last through a single season. 

So let's talk about choosing the right Christmas tree for your household, and how you can keep it looking its best all season long!

Choosing a Live Tree

Experts say that smell is the sense most associated with memory, and the aroma of evergreens during the holidays is a perfect example of a scent that inspires a sense of nostalgia. In the Midwest, the most popular tree for indoor holiday décor is the Fraser Fir. Referred to by some as the "Cadillac of Christmas trees," the Fraser Fir has long been revered for many of its qualities:

• Forest green needles with a blueish underside that complement any décor and design aesthetic
• Rounded needle tips, so little ones can hang ornaments (and mom and/or dad can wrestle it through the front door) without getting poked
• Classic evergreen scent that continues to bloom with time, ultimately filling whichever room your tree is in
• Strong, sturdy branching with up-turned needles to hold even heavy ornaments
• Rounded, dense conical shape with very few bare spots
• Considerable longevity indoors when kept consistently watered

Other popular options for our area over the years include the Douglas Fir, White Pine, White Spruce, and Scotch Pine. Do a bit of research and decide which species has qualities that best fit your needs and household situation.

Assessing the Health of your Potential Tree

If you've never purchased a fresh, live tree for inside your home before, there are a few important qualities to check for to ensure the health of your tree.

As a general rule, greener is better. Trees that aren't so fresh will go from their natural deep green with blueish-grey tones, to a duller, flatter green as they dry out. Go for a tree with nice, deep coloring.

If you aren't a seasoned tree shopper, there are other easy ways to check how fresh and hydrated your tree is! The simplest is to gently grab an exposed branch at a point near the trunk, and then slide your hand down the length of the branch. The fewer needles that fall off, the better! (It is natural for a few needles to detach with this kind of handling, but no more than a dozen or so.) 

Another great tip, especially when shopping for fir and spruce, is to take a needle from the tree and crush it in your fingers. It should snap, not bend, and the scent should be immediately noticeable. Pines, on the other hand, have softer needles, and should not break when bent -- this would indicate brittleness, and you should keep searching for a fresher specimen.

But don't worry -- our staff are always happy to help you comb through our lot and choose a happy, healthy tree.

Choosing the Right Shape and Size for your Home

One beautiful thing about Fraser firs is their dense, triangular silhouette, which can be grown in a short, stout style, or in a more narrow, upright fashion. It's important that you know how much space you're working with before coming to choose a tree. Simply make a mental note of how many feet of width you have to play with. Fortunately, the width of your door frame doesn't have to be a deciding factor in choosing a dense, broad tree. Our staff will slip your tree through some netting to keep it nicely condensed for ease of transport and setup. Keep in mind that your tree's branches will settle more horizontally after the netting is removed! When first unwrapped, your tree's branches might appear a little too upright. No worries, though; they'll drop into shape within a day or so.

When it comes to the height of your tree, consider the height of your ceiling, the depth of your tree stand and watering base, and the size of your tree-topper. While a trail of sap on your ceiling can be charming and definitely makes for laughable holiday memories, it sure is a pain to clean off or paint over. 

Our trees are priced by size, and we typically carry trees ranging from 5 to 12 feet and everything in-between.

Bringing your tree home might seem like a daunting task, given the disaster scenarios dramatized in classic Christmas movies, but it's really very simple! At Green View, our retail staff can help you choose a tree within your budget and size parameters, saw off the bottom few inches of the tree trunk (to help your tree's water uptake), and wrap it in a netting that makes transport and setup convenient. Finally, we can assist you with situating the wrapped tree in your truck bed or the back of an SUV, or by strapping it to the top of any vehicle that features roof rails. Bring along some bungee cables or ratchet straps for extra security and peace of mind!

Preserving your Live Tree

Once you've selected the right tree for your home and gotten it there, your focus should shift towards preserving your tree's best qualities for as long as possible. Here are a few tips to help you ensure the longevity of your tree.

1. Keep on top of watering! This is the most important tip for keeping your tree looking lush and smelling lovely as long as possible. Your live tree needs to be situated in a tree stand that allows water to be in constant contact with the bottom 2" of the trunk. Experts say that a freshly cut and installed tree can drink up to a gallon of water in the first 24 hours in a home, so be sure to plan accordingly and check the water level frequently. A dry tree will lose its color, robustness, and needles very quickly. No need to add any preservatives or drill extra holes in the trunk -- a clean, straight cut across the trunk is enough for your tree to take up water for many weeks.
2. Keep your tree away from hot air drafts and intense direct sunlight as much as possible. Heat and dry conditions can cause your tree to lose needles and become dull prematurely. If you have a fireplace in the room where your tree will be, position your tree away from it, or use it only in the few days immediately before Christmas. 
3. Opt for strings of LED lights instead of traditional incandescent lights. Not only will these lights produce less heat and thereby keep your tree from drying out, but they last 25x longer than typical filament bulbs. Whichever decorative lights you choose, make sure to turn them off whenever you leave the room! This will preserve your tree and lights, reduce fire hazard, and result in energy savings.

What Should I do with my Tree after the Holidays?

Stay tuned for a post scheduled for January 1, 2023 featuring ideas for recycling your live Christmas tree!