My family and I have always been obsessed with Christmas trees. I have vivid childhood memories of our family tree decorating parties and my mother’s “Proper Tree Decorating Geometry Theory” (which I still practice today, but that’s another story) and perhaps most of all, sitting by the tree while enjoying the holidays with family and friends and marveling at its beauty.
However, in our house, a Christmas tree always meant one thing: it had to be a living tree that could be planted in our garden in the New Year. My mother was always overly concerned with the idea of cutting down a tree for the holidays, so we always chose beautiful live specimens. The added benefit of this was enjoying each tree for the rest of the year in the garden, and then decorating the “Christmas trees” planted from previous years in the garden each following year. Even after moving to the city we still have living trees; we simply donated them each New Year to a local municipal park.
Growing up, many people thought this was somewhat eccentric, however today many people are getting into “Living Christmas Trees”. Another added benefit of having a live Christmas tree is the lower likelihood of fire from cut trees.
Live tree tips
1. Plan where you will put your tree before you buy it.
2. Measure exactly how much space you have. This will determine the size of the tree you can buy.
3. Living trees are very heavy. Always have at least one friend or family member to help you move your tree into place.
4. Choose a tree that has a tightly wrapped root ball. This will ensure your good health.
5. Always move your tree by the root ball and never by the trunk or branches of the tree.
6. Before placing your tree from outside in your home. Let it acclimate to the warmest temperature in your garage for a few days beforehand. This will ensure that you will not be shocked by the change in temperature.
7. Keep your root ball moist. Generally this means giving him a jug of water every day.
8. Find a large, festive container for the root ball. Oversized galvanized steel buckets or huge Mexican terra cotta pots work great.
Recommended specimens of Robin
1. Blue Spruce: the Christmas classic. Bushy, dark green and beautiful.
2. Eastern Hemlock: a lush dark green with an unusual and sharp shape.
3. Balsam fir: another Christmas classic. Traditional look and heavenly scent.