(12/1) Wow! December already! And what happened to fall? Now that we are in the midst of the holiday season, many chores, sometimes fun chores – sometimes not, live on a list. That list may include things like: shop for friends and family, find a wreath for the door, get a centerpiece for the table, put up the Christmas tree, string lights outside. The chores sometimes may seem burdensome, but what if we made all of them fun?

Let’s start at the top…shop for friends and family… If they are gardeners, I might have a few suggestions. 1. Gardeners love plant books, especially with pictures. Garden design books have great pictures and ideas that can be incorporated into your own garden. Books about plant science will also be a hit. Yes, give a gardener a book about botany, and they will love it!

2. Give a houseplant. Most gardeners appreciate house plants. This time of year, there are lots of indoor plants that are flowering. Cyclamen, Christmas cactus and poinsettias are the easiest to find – just about anywhere. And where a non-gardener would throw them away after they are done blooming, a gardener will try to keep it alive all year long. It will become a challenge for them to see if they can get it to re-bloom next year.

Other plants you might choose could include orchids. Phalaenopsis, or moth orchid, is very common and easy to grow. Once they are in bloom the flowers can last for a few months! The diversity of flower colors ranges from purple and pink, white, yellow, speckled and striped. It likes an eastern window and does well in temperatures above 60 degrees. Moth orchids typically are planted in either moss or bark. Moss would probably need less water than the bark, but on average, water about once a week. If the house is dry, put the orchid on top of a tray of pebbles to increase humidity.

3. You can’t go wrong with an amaryllis or paperwhites! These bulbs are for indoor flowers. Amaryllis typically can be purchased in a box that has the pot, soil and bulb. Easy to give as a gift, and something for the gardener to look forward to after the holiday. These bulbs usually take six to eight weeks to come into bloom, and the larger the bulb, the nicer the flower display.

Amaryllis can also be purchased as an individual bulb. (This is the way I prefer to purchase them.) When you can see the bulb, it’s easy to tell the quality and size. It can still be easily given as a gift – just purchase a clay pot and box it yourself!

Paperwhites are often sold in prepackaged bags or sometimes loose in a box. Either way, these are fun gifts to give. They have a strong fragrance when in bloom, so keep that in mind when gifting these bulbs. The gardener can plant them in a pot of potting mix, or in a shallow dish of pebbles and water, for forcing indoors.

So we’ve checked off the gift-giving. Now onto a wreath for the door. If you have some evergreens, why not make your own this season? Gather a crate full of 12" – 18" evergreen cuttings of all different textures. Some of the most common evergreens we might use are spruce and pine. However, cypress, yews, junipers, boxwood, and hollies are great to add to a wreath for variation. Get yourself a wire wreath form from a craft store and some wire on a spool. Bundle small grouping of evergreens and begin wiring them onto the form. Before you know it, you’ll have a beautiful wreath! After the base is complete, add some berries, ribbon and cones to complete the look.

Our Master Gardeners are very talented, and one in particular taught me how to make a living wreath. Which brings us to our next item on the list: a centerpiece. A living wreath is simply a form that takes the shape of a wreath that plants can live. Typically, moss is used to hold soil in place; wire is used to hold the moss in place; plants are planted through the moss, hence, a living wreath.

This time of year, we would probably use succulents as our plant of choice. There are hardy succulents, like Sedums and Sempervirens, and there are succulents that would be grown in the house, like jade plants and echeveria. If you choose to use the hardy succulents, the wreath would need to go outside, and be brought in when ready to use. Other plants that might be used in a living wreath at other times of the year might be pansies in the spring or herbs for the summer. These wreaths are great for the table with a candle in the middle during the holidays. Make it even more fun and invite some friends for a wreath-making party! A little mulled cider and holiday cookies would make a great day with friends!

Alright. We have the gifts, the door wreath, the centerpiece, and now onto the Christmas tree! What kind of tree should you get? An artificial tree is the answer if it’s up for 4+ weeks. Cut trees, whether cut your own, or pre-cut from a lot, will get very dry after four weeks in the house. And live trees? They last about 7 - 10 days in the house, so if you are looking at a balled and burlapped tree that can be planted in the yard after it’s completed its duty inside, be sure to get it back outside in a short period of time.

Here are some tips on pre-cut trees:

If choosing from a lot, be sure to check for freshness of the trees to ensure longevity in the home. Check for fragrance of the tree, as the fresher the tree, the more fragrant it is. Also shake the tree to see how many needles drop. If the tree has been cut for a while and the weather is warm, it won’t hold its needles.

Another way to purchase your Christmas tree is through a ‘Cut Your Own" tree farm. This way your tree will be the freshest it can be. Most tree farms have many varieties and sizes and often offer tree baling and loading as well as seasonal foods and drinks.

After getting your tree home, make a fresh cut about one inch above the base. Place your tree into water right away, even if you are not bringing it inside immediately. Don’t let it dry out! Treat your cut tree as you would a fresh bouquet of flowers.

Locate the tree by a wall or corner where it will not be knocked over. Keep the tree away from heat sources, such as fire places, wood stoves, and heat ducts. Keep fresh water in the tree stand always and keep the room cool. Following these steps, your cut tree should last up to three weeks!

And what about a live tree?

Balled and burlapped trees are very cumbersome to handle. So knowing how and when to handle these trees is imperative to the life of that tree.

A living Christmas tree should be in the house for no more than 7-10 days. Before entering the house, it should be conditioned first. Keep the tree in an unheated, protected location for a few days before bringing it inside. During this conditioning period, be sure the root ball is watered. If the ball dries out, roots will die, lessening the survival rate of that tree.

When bringing your tree inside, place it in a large bucket or pan to prevent the soil and water from staining the floor. Again, keep the root ball moistened at all times. Locate the tree in the coolest room of your home, away from any heat sources, like a fire place, wood stove, or heat ducts. You don’t want the tree to break its dormancy, which will cause tips to grow, and then die when exposed to the cold weather again.

After you are finished with the tree indoors - and remember, no more than ten days – you’ll need to re-condition it to the outdoors. Place the tree in an unheated, protected location for a few days, and then it should be ready to plant.

Hopefully, the ground won’t be frozen when you’re ready to plant the tree. You can prepare for this possibility ahead of time by digging the hole before the holidays and storing the soil in an unheated garage or storage shed. That way, when you’re ready to plant, the hole is already there, and you won’t have frozen ground to use to backfill. If, however, the hole is not dug, and the ground is frozen, place your tree in a sheltered area and mulch the root ball heavily. Keep the soil ball moist until the ground is workable.

After planting the tree, water it well, and mulch it. This will protect the root ball through the rest of the winter months. The tree should remain dormant until the spring when it will start growing with all other vegetation.

Everything is checked on our list! Except hanging the Christmas lights! If you have any extra greens from that wreath making project, use some as garland and tie it to the string of lights to add a bit of extra interest. Visit us on Facebook – Penn State Master Gardener in Adams County - to see video instructions!

There, all done! Now rest and enjoy the season!

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