Does it make sense to cut a Xmas Tree?
How sustainable is that?
Real trees help the environment from the time they are planted until after the holiday season when they can be recycled.
While they are growing, Christmas trees support life by absorbing carbon dioxide and other gases while giving off fresh oxygen. Every acre of Christmas trees planted gives off enough oxygen to meet the needs of 18 people. Today in America there are enough Christmas trees planted that 18 million people a day are supplied with oxygen. Also, the farms that grow Christmas trees stabilize soil, protect water supplies, and provide a refuge for wildlife while creating a nice scenic view. Often, Christmas trees are grown on soil that will not support any other crops. And when one Christmas tree is cut down, one or two are replanted in its place.
Artificial trees are made from oil-based products that use up our natural resources. They are also not recyclable and will remain in land-fills for centuries after disposal. Real Christmas trees, on the other hand, are recyclable. The branches and trunk are biodegradable and can be made into mulch for the garden. A Christmas tree placed in the back yard will make a nice bird feeder and the birds can also use the trees branches for shelter during the winter winds. Large quantities of trees make effective barriers on beaches to prevent soil erosion. Sunk into ponds, the trees will also make an excellent refuge and feeding area for fish.
Interested in what we grow?
Click this link to visit our Online Catalog where you can see many of the varieties we grow! Select your colors, calculate your quantities, and plan the Color of Your Garden!
Looking for timely advice and garden wisdom? Our
E-Newsletter
may be just
what you need. To check it out
IT'S HOLIDAY TIME IN THE GARDEN!
CREATE A TRADITION AS YOU CHOOSE THE FAMILY CHRISTMAS TREE.
What to Notice In Your Winter Solstice Garden
I know this is a crazy-busy week for many folks, and you don't need another thing to think about,
but I just wanted to remind you that December 21st was the Winter Solstice.
Often referred to as the "shortest day of the year" or "the first day of winter", the Winter Solstice is one of four cardinal events in our journey 'bout the sun each year.
I encourage you to take some time out from the hustle-bustle over the next couple of days to
go to your garden around mid-day.
Take note of how the sun has shifted in your garden from last season to this.
You may also observe how the flora respond to the subtleties of the long, golden light of winter.
Notice how deep the shadows are on the north side of a hedge or structure.
Pause to discover just how far into your south-facing porch the golden, winter light stretches.
This Season of Light is one extreme of the cycle, the Summer Solstice will be the other.
If you pay attention, you can watch the passing of seasons the way you
use a sundial to mark the passage of days.
Return to this practice of pausing to observe your garden
on the following occassions through the year:
Ground Hog's Day, the Vernal Equinox, Easter/Passover, May Day,
Summer Solstice, August Monday, Autumnal Equinox, Halloween/All Saints' Day,
and lo, you will have returned to the Winter Solstice.
You will be amazed at how much you will learn about your garden, and maybe about yourself !
You'll know it
when you see it!
Choose your "just right" tree from among our large selection of North Carolina Fraser Firs.
Why Fraser? Fraser Firs are simply the best trees for a Florida Christmas. These trees are grown sustainably and are selected for GREAT performance, even when subjected to our above-freezing temperatures, holding their needles well past Santa Clause! Of course, we handle them as only a nursery will: keeping them well-watered and protected from the elements. Allow us to put a fresh cut on your tree, then take it home to soak in a bucket of water over night. This technique will ensure that your tree gets re-hydrated before
going into its stand.
Prices start under $40
None more than $99
Are you wondering what's with the names?
The name is part of the tradition.
In our family, there are five of us who have to agree on the tree. It has to fit just right in its time-honored location, has to have sturdy branches to hold the ceramic ornaments the kids made, meet Dad's requirements of not-too-dry & not-too-expensive--PLUS satisfy 3 different pairs of child's eyes (you know, the kind of eyes that still see the magic). There would always be a disagreement about which tree met all the requirements. But the names would somehow help us recognize just WHO was the tree for us. It always seemed that if we could narrow it down to 2 or 3, one would have a name that brought to mind a special place, time or person. There is something else I have observed. Because our tree has a name, we seem to care more about it! It gets complimented (as we adjust ornaments & tinsel), bid goodnight (as we unplug the lights), cared about (as we water) and memorialized (as it is dragged to the back yard to serve as cover for wintering birds). All on a first name basis! As a result we all enjoy the tradition so much more. And we enjoy sending these individual treasures home with your family. I am always fascinated by how even the youngest child will recall the name of the tree they had last year!
marshmallows on the campfire adds to your family tradition.
FREE!
Roasting
Weekend evenings.
Folks rely on us to select the best varieties for their gardens.
Why should we settle for anything less
from our holiday treats? We don't.
We offer fabulous
FLORIST QUALITY, FLORIDA GROWN POINSETTIAS
in red, white and pink.
10" bush with foil pot cover
$24.95
6" plant with foil cover
$9.95
12" Side-Planted Hanging Basket
$29.95
The fact is, the Pinder Family has been buying poinsettias from the same grower since 1963. Selected for early and true color, disease resistance and sturdiness, these beauties can become a part of your South Florida garden. Just transplant to a southeastern exposure (avoid artificial light) before the Ides of March, prune & feed between Mother's Day & Father's Day.
While potted, enjoy indoors or on a covered lanai. Water the soil (not the leaves or colorful bracts) when dry to a depth of 1/2 inch. Dump excess water from foil pot cover within 20 minutes of watering. Stake as needed to support branches. Once bud is initiated, the plant will express the full bloom in very low light. Many people do not realize that the colorful part of the plant is not a blossom. It is a modified leaf known as a "bract".
You'll want to inquire about our upcoming classes that will guide you in designing your Natural Christmas.
Learn how to make a fresh Mistletoe Kissing Ball, how to decorate a wreath with natural items from your yard, or create gifts from nature to share with others.
Check out the Calendar of Events.
The Holly & The Ivy-
Zone 10 Style:East Palatka Holly & Ivy Geranium!
Plus, where else does "evergreen" apply to most "everything"?
Come and browse our Holiday themed displays
for a bit of inspiration and exaltation.
What to do After the Freeze
Interesting weather, isn't it? It's unusual to have such cold in December. And because that is different than what our typical experience is, it requires a more thoughtful approach to damage management. But don't panic. If you simply consider each aspect of plant care within the context of winter, you should be able to manage this with ease.
The basic aspects of plant care are:
1) Exposure to light, temperature and wind;
2) Hydration (or water) needs;
3) Sanitation;
4) Mechanical intervention (repotting, planting, pruning etc.)
5) Nutrition & fertilization; and,
6) Scouting for pests & disease.
Now some of you are thinking, "That's a long list of 'Basics'!" But it's not as troublesome or time-consuming as you may think. Let's look at each area.
Exposure & Hydration. By now, the effects of exposure to cold will be evident on many plants. You may see discoloration, or a mushy wetness. Sometimes cold damage appears as a silvery-grey cast to the foliage. Take note of the patterns of damage on plants. This will afford you some insight into where the coldest air settles in your microclimate of a yard. You should see a pattern on the north and west sides of plants directly exposed. You may see other patterns on plants that have some protection from other plants or buildings. I have a Costus barbatus along the south side of a porch. While you might think the south side would be protected, the porch roof slopes up steeply to the north. I can see by the damage pattern on the top leaves of this plant that the cold air just flowed down that roof, from north to south and puddled onto my plant much like water would have.
With most cold fronts there is a period of blustery winds just before the cold moves in. This most recent cold spell was preceded by 36 hours of windy weather. Wind causes plant moisture to evaporate. As a result, your plants are DRY. But you don't want to water during the cold temperatures. When day-time temperatures stay below 70 degrees farenheit, plants' metabolism slows down, with a resulting decrease in water uptake. You could "drown the roots" if you water in those cooler temperatures. But once "turned on" by the 70-degree-switch, they will be very thirsty! Water at the roots (avoid wetting the foliage-see Sanitation) and add SuperThrive (do not fertilize-see Nutrition).
Sanitation & Mechanical Intervention. If you have damage to your bedding plants (impatiens, begonias, etc) you will need to cut them back to below the damage and feed with the slow release Leonard’s 14-14-14. You’ll be amazed at how quickly they will snap back and look lovely again. For your woodier shrubs, trees and palms the focus of you efforts will be to get the plants cleaned up.
There is some truth behind the saying "Cleanliness is next to Godliness". Nipping disease in the bud is your immediate priority. Your plants are stressed from the physical demands of cold weather. Damage to the leaves impairs the plant's ability to block bacteria and fungi from setting up shop. These factors make the plant susceptible to infection. This is particularly a problem in that the damaged leaves on the plant are decaying tourines of microbial soup!
Get that stuff out of there. Use a shrub rake to remove fallen debris, and snip the rotting foliage off at a point well below the decay and just above a leaf node. Be careful not to transfer disease on your clippers. Make your cut through healthy flesh. Do not prune any more than is necessary to remove dead foliage (pruning stimulates a flush of new growth). This rotting material has to go because as rain or sprinkler water hits the diseased leaf, then splashes onto an area of healthy foliage it carries the infection with it. Take measures to limit opportunities for disease to get a foot-hold. Water early in the day so that leaves are dry during the night. To prevent disease, treat plants with SuperThrive or KeyPlex to boost immunity, and Serenade a beneficial microbe that is very effective in killing off the not-so-beneficial microbes. Palms can benefit from an application of fungicide whether or not symptoms of fungus are apparent. First check for viability by pulling on the leaf that is emerging from the top. If this pulls out, your palm is dead. If not, clean it up and treat with Liquid Copper.
The clearing of dead leaves is an important activity in a large part because it is an activity! I find a lot of folks too eager to cut back or pull out damaged plants. Just be patient. If you must do something then rake up the leaves. If you haven't mulched this fall, then mulch. This will protect the roots from future cold snaps and add a clean layer of substrate under the plant. DO NOT do any heavy pruning! You will cause of flush of tender young growth that will be a terrible exposure for the plant in the event of another salvo of cold. Save the heavy pruning for spring, after the "last frost date". Remember that phrase from your northern gardening experience? I hardly ever have to use it here!
Nutrition & Fertilization. Now is not the time for a general feeding. Hopefully, you fed in the fall. We recommend a prune & feed sometime between Labor Day & Columbus Day. This way the plant can build its nutrition reserves before metabolism (and rate of uptake) slow. Those reserves come in handy once we get higher night time temperatures and spring flush takes off. Sometimes winter cold damage only becomes apparent at in spring, when nutrition demand (spurred by rapid growth) outstrips the combined nutrition uptake and reserve. If you didn't feed in the fall, you could feed now with a liquid product, such as Jack's Classic or Southern Ag's Liquid Minors. These products can be absorbed through the plant's leaves and stems. I recommend this particularly if you begin to see a flush of new growth as we now warm up. Because plant metabolism slows in cooler temperatures, granular feed that requires breakdown and root absorption are of little help now. It will be critical, however, that you do use a slow release, complete granular fertilizer at the break of spring (Valentine's Day to the Ides of March) and again at the start of the summer rains (Mother's Day to Father's Day). For this we suggest Leonard’s Ornamental Mix: Palm & Shrub feed. It's a grower's product distributed by Harrell's Corporation. Marvin trusts this product and finds the capsules break down in a more consistent manner regardless of how hot or wet it is. Remember to feed any plants within 30 -50 feet of a palm with fertilizer labeled for palms.
Scouting. As I noted in the discussion of sanitation above, bacterial & fungal disease are the greatest problem now. These can be foliar (on the leaves), on the flowers, involve the stem, or affect the roots. They appear as grey to black or brown wet patches on leaves or at the base of the stem (where green flesh has contact with soil). In some cases you will see a little "fuzz" or grey mold. This is often seen on flowers, sometimes on the leaf surface. These "molds" (most commonly botrytis, downy & powdery mildew) are spread by spores, the fungus version of seeds. So as you are clearing plants of this debris, wear disposable gloves and grasp the entire mass of debris within your closed palm. This prevents the spores from becoming airborne and lighting on healthy tissue nearby. The good news is that cooler weather will decrease the populations of active pests. The time to be alert for those forces of evil will be with the new flush of growth.
That doesn't stop the perennial pest of Florida, the mosquito. These cool evenings make for great al fresco living. But you may find that with cuts in County services, mosquito populations are a bit higher this year. We have several great products that are great for controlling these buggers. I love my Thermacell Lantern. It provides a room-sized bubble of mosquito protection that I can take along with me as I move around the yard. For more consistent protection, CedarCide granules repel gnats, flies, fleas and mosquitoes with natural ingredients like cedar flakes, clove oil and rosemary. Effective, safe and it smells great!
So the truth is that after the freeze you need do nothing more than you do any other time. Simply always remember that a plant is a living organism, responding to an ever-changing environment. We can anticipate a specific response to the cold environment. If you keep that in mind, you will find you really know more than you think!
