We’ve heard from several farms around the country who have reported sales started off brisk this weekend. I suspect that next weekend, many more people will start to get into the Christmas mood with a massive cold front coming through most of the country.
You may have heard about the Trees for Troops program. It kicks off the domestic routes next week and we’ll be posting many updates about that. If you do a search for a place to buy a Christmas Tree, you may notice a small icon next to some of the farms/lots. The icon indicates they have donated trees to the program. If you buy a tree from one of those farms with an icon, make sure and say thanks to them. The public can support the program by contributing to the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation .
Early this week, there was a problem with the zip code search function of the web site not returning results for zip codes in the East that begin with zero. This has been fixed and is now working properly. If you notice any problems with the web site as you’re looking for a place to buy a tree, please email info@realchristmastrees.org.
From: Linda
Sent: Friday, November 24, 2006
Subject: evergreen
I was wondering if you could answer a question...I was traveling on I-94 toward Detroit from Chicago and drove past a tree farm, I believe near Jackson, MI, where I noticed a most unusal shade of blue evergreen growing. Can you tell me what that tree is called?
Answer: Could be several different species that can have foliage with a blue tint. But in that area, most likely was a Blue Spruce.
http://www.christmastree.org/trees/bl_spruc.cfm
Showing posts with label tree species. Show all posts
Showing posts with label tree species. Show all posts
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Friday, November 10, 2006
Reader Q&A
From: Martha
Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Subject: Which Tree?
Which kind of tree would smell the best? I haven't had a real tree in years and I've missed it.
Answer: Glad to know you'll be going back to a traditional, farm-grown Christmas Tree Martha. It's impossible to tell you which tree smells the best. Smell is a very subjective sense...what smells "good" to me may not to other people, and so on. I can't even tell you that one species of tree smells stronger, for certain, because again, everyone smells things differently. There are some general consensus characteristics, such as Leyland Cypress has very little aroma, Douglas-fir has a citrus smell, White Pine has light aroma unless sap oozes out, most of the fir species are typically described as strong aroma. You can read more about general characteristics of common species on this page http://www.christmastree.org/common.cfm.
From: Bob and Mary Ellen
Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Subject: Blog Talk Ideas
We plan to cut a scraggley spruce or balsam tree from our woods to use for outdoor decorating and shelter for the birds at the feeders. Can this tree be cut now, though it is unseasonably warm at this moment here in northern Wisconsin? We would the tree to stay green through the winter.
Answer: hard to say...it would have a much better chance if you put the butt in a bucket of water and filled it through the season. Otherwise, how quickly it will dry out will depend on many things such as relative humidity, how much direct sunlight is on it each day, how much wind it is exposed to, how much snow and ice falls on it, etc.
Response from Mary Ellen: I am very impressed with your prompt reply and plan to do what you suggest (even though the consequence of putting one's butt into a bucket of water during northern Wisconsin winter would no doubt be to find one's butt in a bucket of ice before much time passes--sorry, I simply couldn't resist that comment :)
Thanks so much for taking your time to reply to our email. We will try our best to do as you suggest to keep the tree green as long as possible.
Answer: LOL...yeah, well, I guess I could have explained that a little better. The other tip I can suggest is to put the tree in a garage or someplace a little warmer than just outside once placed in a bucket of water. The warmer temp will stimulate water absorption, give it a few days then move it outside.
Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Subject: Which Tree?
Which kind of tree would smell the best? I haven't had a real tree in years and I've missed it.
Answer: Glad to know you'll be going back to a traditional, farm-grown Christmas Tree Martha. It's impossible to tell you which tree smells the best. Smell is a very subjective sense...what smells "good" to me may not to other people, and so on. I can't even tell you that one species of tree smells stronger, for certain, because again, everyone smells things differently. There are some general consensus characteristics, such as Leyland Cypress has very little aroma, Douglas-fir has a citrus smell, White Pine has light aroma unless sap oozes out, most of the fir species are typically described as strong aroma. You can read more about general characteristics of common species on this page http://www.christmastree.org/common.cfm.
From: Bob and Mary Ellen
Sent: Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Subject: Blog Talk Ideas
We plan to cut a scraggley spruce or balsam tree from our woods to use for outdoor decorating and shelter for the birds at the feeders. Can this tree be cut now, though it is unseasonably warm at this moment here in northern Wisconsin? We would the tree to stay green through the winter.
Answer: hard to say...it would have a much better chance if you put the butt in a bucket of water and filled it through the season. Otherwise, how quickly it will dry out will depend on many things such as relative humidity, how much direct sunlight is on it each day, how much wind it is exposed to, how much snow and ice falls on it, etc.
Response from Mary Ellen: I am very impressed with your prompt reply and plan to do what you suggest (even though the consequence of putting one's butt into a bucket of water during northern Wisconsin winter would no doubt be to find one's butt in a bucket of ice before much time passes--sorry, I simply couldn't resist that comment :)
Thanks so much for taking your time to reply to our email. We will try our best to do as you suggest to keep the tree green as long as possible.
Answer: LOL...yeah, well, I guess I could have explained that a little better. The other tip I can suggest is to put the tree in a garage or someplace a little warmer than just outside once placed in a bucket of water. The warmer temp will stimulate water absorption, give it a few days then move it outside.
Tuesday, November 7, 2006
Narrow Trees for Condos
Many people are beginning to think about their tree and decorating needs now that we are into November and chillier weather (at least it’s chilly here in St. Louis).
We got a great question from Travis this week about finding a narrow tree that fits in an urban condo. I face the same problem, as I live in a rennovated, 140 year old row house in St. Louis. The whole space of my place is only 14.5 feet wide, so I HAVE to get a narrow tree too. Here’s
Travis’ question and my advice:
From: Travis
Sent: Friday, November 03, 2006
Subject: suggestions???
We live in Chicago, in a great, but tight condo. We entertain alot, so we can't afford to lose a lot of floorspace for a tree. Do you have any suggestions on what type of tree we should get? We would like something very fragrant, tall (about 9 ft), but very slender. Pls advise.
Answer: That's a great question Travis. I'm in a similar situation and I'm sure many others are as well. Here's the main tidbit to know in order to get the best-sized tree for your situation. Taper is the term used to describe the general shape the tree is sheared. It's a measure of the proportion between a tree's height and width (at the widest point, usually the bottom whorl of branches). In general, trees are typically sheared to a 80 degree taper. This means, if a tree is 10 foot tall, it will be 8 foot wide at the bottom. Or, if it is sheared to a 50 degree taper, then a 10 foot tall tree will be only 5 feet wide.
Now, just about any species of tree can be sheared to different tapers, plus fullness of branches, space between whorls, leader height, etc. So it's not so much a matter of asking for a particular species, but asking the farm or retail lot person for a tree with a smaller taper. If you want a 9 foot tree, you should ask for one with a 50 or 60 degree taper, which will be pretty narrow. Level of "fragrant-ness" is completely subjective, so I can't tell you one species will smell "stronger" than another. However, I can tell you that most fir species sheared to that narrow of a taper will be more open, meaning space between branches...you will be able to "look through it". If you get a pine or spruce species, there will be more "fullness" to the appearance of the tree. Now, this is a general guideline, because like most things in nature, there are variations.
If you are going to a farm to cut a tree yourself, I do suggest calling ahead (and call during business hours on a week day if possible so the farmer him/herself is available). Tell them what you are looking for so you know if they have any trees like that available. Happy Hunting!
Note: For all you scrapbookers out there....
The National Scrapbooking Association will be hosting Harvesting Memories Charity Crops on Veterans Day, Saturday, November 11. The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation is the designated charity for the events and will receive donations. Crops are being held in Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas, St. Louis, Pasadena (CA) and Concord (NH). http://www.harvestingmemories.org/
Keep the questions coming!
We got a great question from Travis this week about finding a narrow tree that fits in an urban condo. I face the same problem, as I live in a rennovated, 140 year old row house in St. Louis. The whole space of my place is only 14.5 feet wide, so I HAVE to get a narrow tree too. Here’s
Travis’ question and my advice:
From: Travis
Sent: Friday, November 03, 2006
Subject: suggestions???
We live in Chicago, in a great, but tight condo. We entertain alot, so we can't afford to lose a lot of floorspace for a tree. Do you have any suggestions on what type of tree we should get? We would like something very fragrant, tall (about 9 ft), but very slender. Pls advise.
Answer: That's a great question Travis. I'm in a similar situation and I'm sure many others are as well. Here's the main tidbit to know in order to get the best-sized tree for your situation. Taper is the term used to describe the general shape the tree is sheared. It's a measure of the proportion between a tree's height and width (at the widest point, usually the bottom whorl of branches). In general, trees are typically sheared to a 80 degree taper. This means, if a tree is 10 foot tall, it will be 8 foot wide at the bottom. Or, if it is sheared to a 50 degree taper, then a 10 foot tall tree will be only 5 feet wide.
Now, just about any species of tree can be sheared to different tapers, plus fullness of branches, space between whorls, leader height, etc. So it's not so much a matter of asking for a particular species, but asking the farm or retail lot person for a tree with a smaller taper. If you want a 9 foot tree, you should ask for one with a 50 or 60 degree taper, which will be pretty narrow. Level of "fragrant-ness" is completely subjective, so I can't tell you one species will smell "stronger" than another. However, I can tell you that most fir species sheared to that narrow of a taper will be more open, meaning space between branches...you will be able to "look through it". If you get a pine or spruce species, there will be more "fullness" to the appearance of the tree. Now, this is a general guideline, because like most things in nature, there are variations.
If you are going to a farm to cut a tree yourself, I do suggest calling ahead (and call during business hours on a week day if possible so the farmer him/herself is available). Tell them what you are looking for so you know if they have any trees like that available. Happy Hunting!
Note: For all you scrapbookers out there....
The National Scrapbooking Association will be hosting Harvesting Memories Charity Crops on Veterans Day, Saturday, November 11. The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation is the designated charity for the events and will receive donations. Crops are being held in Dallas, Detroit, Las Vegas, St. Louis, Pasadena (CA) and Concord (NH). http://www.harvestingmemories.org/
Keep the questions coming!
Monday, December 12, 2005
Reader Q&A
We live in Arizona and used to put our tree in the swimming pool when we had chlorine and it seemed to last longer. Now we have a salt chlorinated pool is it still ok to put it into the pool?
Answer: Ummm...OK, I give up, why would you put a Christmas Tree in your pool?
From: Scott
Subject: Birch Pines
At my place of employment we are discussing the pros & cons of various Christmas tree species. One of my fellow co-workers is stating that he has found a place that is selling Birch Pines. because of this he is taking quiet a bit of flak due to no one else being able to find documentation of that species. Could you please settle this discussion before we purchase live tree's for this holiday season.
Answer: Never heard of a "Birch Pine" species grown as a Christmas Tree, nor can I find it listed on the Arbor Day Foundation's tree guide http://arborday.org/trees/treeguide/browsetrees.cfm?Sort=Common.
However, that doesn't mean that I don't believe your co-worker when he says there's a place selling "Birch Pines" as Christmas Trees. It's not terribly uncommon for a species of tree to be referred to in unique regional lexicon names. For example, the Red Fir is a species native to northern California and not uncommon in western states, but to most people in California, they are not referred to as "Red Fir" but as "Silvertip." Another example would be Concolor Fir, which is commonly referred to as "White Fir" even though it's scientific name is abies concolor Hildebr. Often this is the result of various "cultivars" of the same species being grown by different growers.
So, while Birch Pine is not a species unto itself, I would say the "flack" he is receiving should be reserved until he is proven wrong by a visit to the retail location itself. They may indeed be selling a tree which they call "Birch Pine."
Answer: Ummm...OK, I give up, why would you put a Christmas Tree in your pool?
From: Scott
Subject: Birch Pines
At my place of employment we are discussing the pros & cons of various Christmas tree species. One of my fellow co-workers is stating that he has found a place that is selling Birch Pines. because of this he is taking quiet a bit of flak due to no one else being able to find documentation of that species. Could you please settle this discussion before we purchase live tree's for this holiday season.
Answer: Never heard of a "Birch Pine" species grown as a Christmas Tree, nor can I find it listed on the Arbor Day Foundation's tree guide http://arborday.org/trees/treeguide/browsetrees.cfm?Sort=Common.
However, that doesn't mean that I don't believe your co-worker when he says there's a place selling "Birch Pines" as Christmas Trees. It's not terribly uncommon for a species of tree to be referred to in unique regional lexicon names. For example, the Red Fir is a species native to northern California and not uncommon in western states, but to most people in California, they are not referred to as "Red Fir" but as "Silvertip." Another example would be Concolor Fir, which is commonly referred to as "White Fir" even though it's scientific name is abies concolor Hildebr. Often this is the result of various "cultivars" of the same species being grown by different growers.
So, while Birch Pine is not a species unto itself, I would say the "flack" he is receiving should be reserved until he is proven wrong by a visit to the retail location itself. They may indeed be selling a tree which they call "Birch Pine."
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