Tick, tick, tick! If you have a truly live (balled and burlaped) Christmas tree that you鈥檙e planning to put in the ground as a permanent part of your landscape, 诲辞苍鈥檛 delay getting it out of the house.
The secret to getting a live tree to survive its first winter outside is to keep it indoors for as short a time as possible in the coolest location possible, and then to 鈥榟arden it off鈥� by moving it outdoors gradually (maybe first to an unheated garage and then to its final resting place 鈥� uh, planting spot).
I repeat:听Don鈥檛听keep the tree in the house a day more than you need to. Let it begin to go naturally dormant in a protected area outside as soon as possible (and pour some water on the root ball every day.)
Then 诲辞苍鈥檛 delay the actual planting听too听long. Be听sure听that the planting spot drains听exceptionally听well, gets full sun and isn鈥檛 too close to the house or other structures. (People are often unprepared for the width of the 鈥榮kirt鈥� that develops over time; the sides of these trees grow听very听wide).
Remove and discard the burlap, cage, wire and all other wrappings and then plant the tree high in the ground, not low. Dig a wide hole, not a deep one. You want to see the root flare听above听ground. The planted tree should not look like a lollipop!
Refill the hole with your garden soil; do听not听fill the hole up with peat moss, compost or anything else. Water after planting by letting a hose drip at the base for several hours, and continue to water during dry times afterward, including winter, spring, and especially this coming summer.
Oh 鈥� and if you听must听add mulch, do听not听let any mulch actually听touch听the tree.
听And Keep Cut Trees Watered!
And speaking of water, keep the reservoir underneath your听cut听Christmas tree nice and full; because if that water holder dries out completely, you鈥檒l need to start wearing chain-mail socks!
Okay, so it听isn鈥檛听a rose and it听doesn鈥檛听bloom in听December 鈥�
Looking for a slightly-later-than-last-minute gift? We have a suggestion that will delight gardeners blessed with abundant shade and/or those ravenous white-tailed stomachs-on-legs that we听诲辞苍鈥檛听hold dear:听Helloborus听niger.
The common name of this underutilized plant is 鈥榯he Christmas Rose鈥� because early botanists confused the first hellebores they saw with wild roses, and听this specific species would often bloom on Christmas (at least according to the pre-Gregorian calendars that said Christmas fell on January 6th).
Hellebores are great plants 鈥� they bloom in the winter, naturalize well in the garden and aren鈥檛 bothered by Evil Squirrels, Dastardly Deer, Ravenous Rabbits, or any other kind of wildlife thanks to their inherent toxicity (even handling the plants without gloves can cause a rash, so be careful.)
You should be able to find nice ones in bloom at garden centers and upscale supermarkets right now. Plant them outdoors in dappled shade in a spot that drains well.
That last part is important 鈥� the only thing that can kill a hellebore is 鈥渨et feet鈥�.
Get your amaryllis to re-bloom!
Did you have a big听amaryllis听blooming for the holidays? Well,听now听is the time to start getting it ready for a听second听round of flowers.
- After the blooms have faded, clip off the top of the flower stalk but leave the green leaves unmolested.
- Move the plant into the brightest light you have, and feed it with a gentle non-smelly organic fertilizer, like compost or worm castings.
- Water听lightly; 诲辞苍鈥檛 let any water sit in the protective saucer underneath.
- Then take it outside for the summer, but wait until the weather is warm enough for tomatoes; 诲辞苍鈥檛 rush the season.
- Feed it once more and continue watering lightly. And 诲辞苍鈥檛 molest those green leaves; they鈥檙e fueling the growth of the next run of flowers!
- To try and achieve听Christmas听re-bloom, put the bulb in a cool, dark place (in or out of its pot) with no food or water beginning around mid-July. A dark basement-type area is ideal.
- Let it rest until the first of November, then bring it back into warmth and water it well and it should be ready to re-bloom about six weeks later.
On-sale amaryllis blooms are just as bright!
There are lots of Christmas closeout sales this weekend, and one thing听I听always look for in the discount rack is/are amaryllis.听 If the plants are already potted up and in bloom, keep them warm on the way home, but then display them in a cool spot indoors with just ambient light to keep the flowers looking good the longest. Then follow the re-blooming instructions above.
You may also find leftover holiday amaryllis on sale still in their kit form; you know, a colorful box that contains a big bulb, a little pot and enough soil-free mix to cover about half the bulb. Buy as many as you like, take them home and examine them. If the bulbs haven鈥檛 yet sprouted 鈥� or the sprouts are very small 鈥� store them 鈥榓s is鈥� (in their box, unpotted) in a cool, dark spot. Then bring them out and pot them up as directed in March. You should get a nice run of flowers about six weeks later.
Why are we waiting so long? Because听now听you can move these tropical beauties outside right after the flowers fade; no more subjecting the poor plant鈥檚 sun-hungry leaves to the very un-merry months and dim windows of January and February.
But if that boxed bulb has already sent up a sizable stalk, water it, give it good light and enjoy the flowers in February 鈥� when we听need a little color!
Clean and Jerk: How to get that old tree听OUT听of the house
I know you鈥檙e probably not ready to take your Christmas tree down just yet, but here鈥檚 how听to听do it to minimize that dreaded last minute needle drop!
- Use a turkey baster followed by a final blot of paper towels to completely empty out the water holder under the tree.
- Remove all the ornaments and lights.
- Lay a clean tarp or old sheet on the floor.
- Quickly turn the tree sideways onto the tarp.
- Carry the tree outside on the tarp, rear end of the tree out the door first.
And that鈥檚 it; any dropped needles should be on the tarp, not the carpet!
Then recycle the tree at the curb if your community offers such a service. Or prune off all the branches and use them as mulch around acid loving plants. Or stand it up unpruned in the backyard and hang suet feeders on it for the birds.
鈥淩e-decorated鈥� trees offer food and protection for our finest feathered friends!
Mike McGrath was Editor-in-Chief of ORGANIC GARDENING magazine from 1990 through 1997. He has been the host of the nationally syndicated Public Radio show 鈥淵ou Bet Your Garden鈥� since 1998 and Garden Editor for WTOP since 1999. Send him your garden or pest control questions at MikeMcG@PTD.net.
