Plant of the Month |
For many families, the selection of a Christmas tree is a "deep-rooted" Christmas tradition that often marks the beginning of the holiday season. At our house, searching for the perfect tree is quite an event and every year we reminisce over past tree hunting adventures! It is a wonderful family tradition!
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Rows of Canaan firs at a tree farm |
Types of Christmas Trees
There are many different species of trees that are commonly used for Christmas trees. My personal favorites are the soft-needled
fir trees, especially the Balsam fir and Frazer fir. These trees are long-lasting with great needle retention and they add a wonderful fragrance to your home for the holidays! They have strong branches and, as long as they haven't been over- sheared, are open enough to hang lots of ornaments.
The
pines, especially white pine and Scotch pine, are also very popular. These are long-lasting but are sometimes hard to decorate because they tend to be very full - especially if they've been over-sheared.
Spruce trees make lovely Christmas trees, particularly the Blue spruce, if you can get past the very prickly needles! André often picks a beautiful Blue spruce for his snow tree which he flocks and decorates with colorful balls and other ornaments.
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Andre's beautiful snow tree. |
Choosing a Good One
There are many places you can get trees, from retail lots to choose-and-cut farms. When you go to a farm and cut your own, you know it's fresh and it's fun to wander through the growing trees to find the most perfect one! If you choose a cut tree from a retail lot, make sure it is fresh. The tree should have a healthy green color and the needles should be flexible and not come off when you stroke a branch. A good way to check for freshness is to lift a cut tree off the ground a few inches and then let it drop on it's cut end. A few inner needles might fall but green outer needles should not drop off the tree.
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Canaan Fir has short, soft, fragrant needles. |
Once You Get it Home
Once you get home with your tree,
make a fresh cut about an inch above the original cut. Place your tree in the stand and keep the reservoir full of water at all times! It will take up a lot of water so be sure to check it several times a day. Always keep your tree away from heat sources.
If you aren't putting your tree up right away, re-cut the end, put it in a bucket of water, and keep it in a cool, shaded place until you are ready to bring it inside. Check the water level in the bucket every few days and keep it topped off.
To help
keep your tree and greens fresh, try Andre's special
Christmas tree stand formula and his
Christmas tree and greens spray.
Bonide Wilt Stop can also be used to keep your tree and greens fresh over the holidays.
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Andre's crystal tree up close |
Decorating the Tree
Watch Mark's video tips on the best way to put lights and ornaments on the tree to get a beautiful effect.
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Snow tree sparkles in the light |
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Did You Know?
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Amaryllis -
A Wonderful Holiday Gift
Not all amaryllis bulbs are created equal!
A quality bulb is a must if you want a spectacular show. Generally, the larger the bulb, the larger the flowers, the more flowers/stem, and the more stems per bulb. If properly cared for, these bulbs can last year after year.
Amaryllis bulbs can be potted in a pot with potting soil, or simply placed in a large vase with pebbles or glass marbles to grow with just a little water. Growing "kits" can be purchased from a variety of sources, but again, be sure you can see the bulb so you know what you are getting.
Whichever growing method you choose, it is important that you keep the upper portion of the bulb dry. Take care when you water to avoid getting water on this part of the bulb.
Place your amaryllis bulb in a warm, sunny location while the flower stalk is growing, but as soon as the first flower opens, move the plant to a cooler location out of direct sunlight. This will prolong the life to the flowers.
Care After Flowering
When all the blooms on a stem have faded, cut the stalk off about 2" from the base - be careful not to injure the foliage. After all the stems have been cut back, move the pot or vase back to a bright, sunny window to grow. At every second watering, add a half dose of liquid bulb booster or African Violet fertilizer.
In the spring when nighttime temperatures remain above 60°F, you can transplant your amaryllis bulbs outside in a sunny location to grow through the summer.
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Tip of the Month
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Decorate for the Holidays!
There are a lot of beautiful things in your garden that can be used for decorating ...
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A collection of a few things from
the woods and meadow
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Natural arrangements made from interesting dried flowers, seed pods, berries, and greens harvested from your garden can bring beauty to your home, both inside and out.
You don't have to be a professional flower arranger to create beautiful holiday and winter displays, just a creative imagination. Take your shears on a stroll through your winter garden or take a walk through the woods and fields and start clipping and collecting.
Fresh Greens and Dried Flowers
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A variety of greens, berries, and pine cones make wonderful decorations
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Many evergreens can be safely thinned and "plucked" at this time of the year. There are so many different colors and textures of greens that can be used to create a wonderful foundation for a variety of Christmas and holiday arrangements from centerpieces to swags and wreaths to beautiful outdoor displays.
Each year, Andre cuts boughs of various firs, pines, cypress, cedar, spruce, boxwood, and magnolia so that he has a wide variety of colorful greens
to work with when decorating for Christmas. Fall is a great time to plant some of these evergreen trees and shrubs in your own gardens so you will have attractive plants in the landscape year around and a bonus of some beautiful greens to cut at holiday time!
The flowers of many perennials and shrubs dry naturally right on the plant and can be cut and used in beautiful, long-lasting arrangements allowing you to enjoy your garden's beauty well into winter. Hydrangea, yarrow, sedums, and ornamental grasses are good examples.
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Dried hydrangea flowers with evergreens and winterberry holly
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Seed pods and dried flowers can be spray painted gold or silver.
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Seed Pods and Pine Cones
In addition to flowers, look for other interesting colors, shapes, and textures in and around your landscape. Dried seed pods from oriental poppies, Siberian iris, peonies, and yucca make wonderful additions to a fall and winter display. Even daylily seed pods or their dried flower scapes are neat! Pine cones are great additions to holiday arrangements and they can be easily collected from under trees in the woods or in your yard.
Dried seed pods, leaves, and dried flowers can even be spray painted gold or silver before using in holiday arrangements.
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Pumpkins and gourds painted gold
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Andre spray painted some of his left over fall pumpkins and gourds with shiny gold paint and added them to one of his outdoor Christmas displays. Wow what a neat idea! They really brightened up the display!
Brightly colored autumn leaves, along with pine cones and gourds can be sprinkled around the base of your arrangements for an added touch of whimsy!
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Holiday arrangement from the garden
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Bright Colored Berries
Berried deciduous shrubs like Winterberry (Ilex verticillata) and Beautyberry (Callicarpa) have branches covered with long-lasting colorful berries that are excellent in your seasonal arrangements. Euonymus and Nandina also have interesting bright colored berries that can be used for a splash of color in an indoor or outdoor arrangement.
View Mark's video tip on decorating with dried seed pods and berries, and creating holiday decorating themes.
Putting it Together
Nestle your garden gleanings into attractive baskets, vases, buckets, and barrels. There is no limit to what you can do with a good imagination and some garden leftovers!
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From the Viette's Views Blog ...
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Holiday House Tours! |
Viette House Tours
Saturday, December 12 - 1:30pm
Wednesday, December 16 - 1:30pm
Join Andre and Claire Viette for a personal tour of their beautiful home decorated for Christmas!
Back by popular demand, Andre has added 2 house tours this year. He will show you his extensive outdoor displays and then lead you from room to room indoors explaining about each of his unique displays; the history behind them, how he creates each one, plus other tips and techniques for holiday decorating.
This Christmas wonderland takes Andre a full two weeks to complete and includes:
- A live Christmas tree with snow and colorful ornaments
- A live Christmas tree with crystal, pearls, and crocheted ornaments
- Loads of beautiful arrangements with live greens
- Gold mantle arrangement
- Antique, hand-made ornaments
- Bell collection and colored glass collection
- Santa collection with over 100 Santas
- Beautiful manger arrangement
- Old Christmas card collection, and lots more . . .
- Plus, many wonderful outside arrangements with beautiful greens and colorful berries combined with antique farm tools, sleighs, and sleds!
Tour fee is $10.00
Reservations are suggested but not required.
Call 800-575-5538 for more details.
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Quick Tips for Poinsettia Care
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Keep your poinsettia alive during the holidays!
Improper watering is one of the main reasons for decline of poinsettias over the holidays.
Root rot, caused by over-watering and/or poor drainage is one of the most common causes of death of poinsettia.
The following are some tips for keeping your poinsettia alive and beautiful.
- Protect your poinsettia from the cold! As you carry your plant outside after you buy it, do not allow it to be exposed to the frigid air for any longer than necessary.
- Be very careful not to over-water! Water your poinsettia only when the soil becomes dry. If you stick your finger in the soil and it feels damp, DO NOT water it!
- The shiny holiday paper surrounding your poinsettia is pretty and makes a cheery display but it prevents the pots from draining properly. This wrapping should be removed whenever the plants are watered and you can place it back around the pot after the pot has thoroughly drained.
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Gardening Questions? |
Listen to Andre
on the radio every Saturday morning from 8:00-11:00 on
"In the Garden
with Andre Viette"
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