“‘Tis the season to clog your vacuum, Fa, La, La, La, La, La, La,
Prick you tootsies and grab that dust pan. Fa, La, La, La, La, La.”
The Christmas tree is an annual joy and choosing the right tree and taking care can save everybody from those sharp, brown and fallen needles.
Janice Rule, manager of GardenWorks at 1916 Oak Bay Ave, now selling trees, said a many people simply don’t bother to prepare and care for their natural tree. But choosing the right tree species and taking a few steps to keep its needles green and supple can make the season a lot jollier.
And it’s reasonably easy.
“I personally once had a little two-foot tree, a Noble fir, in my house for about a month,” said Rule. “Then I put it outside as a bird tree and it was still green three months later.”
She admits to resorting to an artificial tree some years, depending on her holiday plans. But she said nothing says “Christmas” like a real tree in the house,
“It’s just the natural feel of it and the scent,” said Rule. “It’s just not the same with an artificial tree.”
But she explained all Christmas trees are not created equal. They vary in size, longevity, colours and scent. The also vary in price.
The most commonly available trees are:
• Nordmann fir is very good on needle retention. Adding a preservative to the water can keep the needles on the branches for more than four weeks. Its needles have a deep green colour and branches are evenly spaced and strong, which is good for heavy ornaments. Prices rang from $30 to $100, depending on size and shape.
• Noble fir is up there with the Nordmann fir when it comes to hanging onto is needles. The tree is broad and tapered with branches strong enough to hold a heavy ornament. There is normally enough space to hang ornaments but they still maintain a layered appearance. Needles are deep to blue green and the fragrance is moderate. Prices range from $23 to $200.
• Fraser fir tend to grow with a narrow shape, making them ideal when space is tight. Needle retention is almost as good as the Noble and Nordmann firs. Branches are strong. Needles are medium green and have silver backs with moderate fragrance. Price range is $23 to $100.
• Douglas fir (cultured) have been fertilized and pruned to make give them a nice, symmetrical, tapered shape. The needles are green, sometimes with a bluish tinge and are the most fragrant. Needle retention, however, is good for only about three weeks and some preservative is advised. Price range is $37 to $50.
• Douglas fir (natural) are trees that grow on their own. They are usually taken down for brush clearing along highways or under power lines and then sold as Christmas trees. The branches are widely spaced apart and they have been nicknamed “Charlie Brown trees,” after the Peanuts television special where the hapless Charlie Brown picks a skimpy, pathetic little tree because he thinks it needs him. Growing without care or fertilizer means more stress so these trees retain needles for only about two to three weeks. Approximate price starts at $11.
Oddly enough, Garden Works reports customers will often spend more time looking through the natural Charlie Brown trees than the cultivated ones. Perhaps because every one is unique.
Other Christmas trees include:
• “Baby trees” are usually Noble, sometimes Nordmann fir and named because they have been harvested at about two to three feet in height. They are very, very popular with apartment-dwellers and seniors who don’t want to wrestle with a standard, five-to-six-foot Christmas tree. Prices start at $22.99.
• Grand fir are most notable for their citrus, or lemony, fragrance. They have glossy dark green needles and have a retention similar to the cultured Douglas fir.
Rule said her store tries to make choosing the right Christmas tree a pleasant experience. Kids can get candy canes and there is always some hot apple cider on hand.
Her staff will help carry the tree to the car and place it in the trunk on the roof. The only thing they won’t do is actually tie it down. Legal Grinches have made liability too costly a risk. Customers must tie their own knots.
But “we make it as fun an experience as possible,” said Rule. “With the candy canes and hot apple cider we try to make it a family affair. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes it’s not so good because some families don’t always agree.”
Care tips for Christmas trees
• Start with a fresh cut on the trunk. Sellers are usually happy to provide this service. The tree will be able to suck up water in the same way fresh flowers benefit if you snip the stems before placing them in water.
• When you first bring the tree inside, set it in a bucket of cool water. Indoors and exposed to warmth, a tree will normally start by sucking up a large quantity of water. Tree stands often fail to offer a big enough reservoir to accommodate that first drink. Overnight, the water goes dry, the trunk seals off again and it will be unable to take up moisture. Dry, falling needles are assured.
• Use a preservative like Keep It Green. Similar to the preservatives used to keep cut flowers looking fresh, it can make a big difference in a tree staying green and retaining needles.
• A tree bag costs less than $5 and can save you having to deal with fallen needles, not to mention pricked feet. Placed under a tree, it catches needles. When it comes time to remove the tree, it bags it up and makes moving it through a home and outside relatively neat and tidy.
• Keep the tree away from radiators or any other heat sources. They will dry out a tree and cause a serious fire hazard.
• Do not use candles or anything with real flame on or near a Christmas tree. Forget about falling needles; you will be risking a fire in your home.
• After Christmas, take your tree to a community group that offers a chipping service. Groups like the Lions or Scouts Canada usually do it for a donation. It’s all part of Christmas, so be generous
