Scottish Christmas Trees

Buying a real Christmas tree each year is one positive approach to having a green Christmas. Real Christmas trees spend up to ten years in the ground working as CO2 clearing houses. Artificial trees are often made using plastics which are petroleum-based products. Even in landfills, Christmas trees break down fairly quickly while artificial trees can take decades (or longer) to break down. However, while buying a real Christmas tree does help the environment, recycling your Christmas tree adds the finishing touch.

There are several ways to recycle a Christmas tree. Most councils now have drop off points where you can leave your Christmas tree once you have finished with it. Some councils are going that little extra and offering pick up services. Councils chip these old trees and use the wood chips as mulch on gardens – or sell it to gardeners to use in their gardens. As a mulch, wood chip slowly breaks down adding nutrients back into the soil. In the process, mulches become habitats for a wide range of insects and organisms, all beneficial to gardens.

You can also recycle your Christmas tree yourself. If you have your own garden mulcher, then cut the tree down to suitable sizes before mulching. If you don’t have a mulcher, you can cut the tree up into much smaller pieces and add them to your compost piles. The trunks will take a long time to break down, but they will eventually break down. You can also cut the trunk up, dry it, then use it as fuel in your open fire – just make sure it has dried out thoroughly first as green wood does tend to create a lot of smoke.

By recycling your Christmas tree, you are finishing a cycle that starts with a tiny seed. Rather than adding to our burgeoning land fill this year, recycle that Christmas tree – it’s a fitting end to a tree that’s delivered so much pleasure over the Christmas period.

If you have taken the effort to obtain a live cut Christmas tree, have you considered using real flowers to decorate your tree. There are number of ways to achieve this, and while we may be heading into winter, there are still a lot of flowering plants to choose from. If you have some early flowering Christmas (or Winter) Box, you can use several small sprays to liven up your Christmas tree – the perfume from the Box creates a great atmosphere.

Bright coloured Camellias add a big splash of colour if used judiciously while the yellow flowers of Winter Jasmine really stand out against the darker green foliage of your Christmas tree. The Christmas Rose is another that flowers well in winter, and it too looks great scattered throughout a tree. The downside to using cut flowers is that they do tend to wilt within days, so you do need a steady supply. There is an alternative.

One flower that I have seen used to great effect is the Winter Flowering Pansy and Violas. These are available in a range of colours with the Pansy flowers growing to more than three inches in diameter. The Violas are much smaller, but none the less effective. If you can find the smaller flowering Pansies then consider them, they are easier to use and easier to keep alive. So how do you keep them alive?

You can find finger pots in your local nursery. These are small thin pots, no wider than an inch, yet perfect for a single Pansy or Viola. Transfer your flowering plant into a finger pot, then carefully attach the pots to the stronger branches of your Christmas tree. You’ll be surprised at how light these potted plants are, and how far out you can attach them. If you don’t like the site of the pot hanging on your tree, cover them in a matching material – better yet, use cellophane to wrap the base of the pot attaching with an elastic band at the top of the pot. This will prevent water from dripping out of the pot – and yes, to keep your flowering Pansies and Violas alive, just water regularly.

Live flowers sprinkled throughout your Christmas tree together with LED lights (they don’t generate as much damaging heat), a few baubles, and garlands will turn your Christmas tree into a stunning display. And best of all, after Christmas, you can plant out your flowering Pansies and Violas.

If you’re looking for a pot grown Christmas tree, then you’d best be quick; we are running out of this years stock very quickly. These trees are becoming more popular as each year passes, especially for people who have limited space inside their homes, and for those who find it difficult to dispose of a real cut Christmas tree. At the time of writing, we only have in stock

Fraser Fir Potted Christmas Tree

• 110cm-130cm  (3ft7ins-4ft3ins)

Norway Spruce Potted Christmas Tree

• 70cm-90cm (2ft4ins-2ft11ins)
• 90cm-110cm ( 2ft11ins-3ft7ins)

There are, however, still a few cut Christmas trees available in a much wider range of sizes. The Nordman Fir is one of our most popular Christmas trees and we have run out of the tallest (8foot plus) stock, however, the other sizes are still available. Our cut Christmas tress tend to run out not long after our potted trees, so if you are looking for a real Christmas tree, you will need to order fairly quickly. We are already geared up to ship out our Christmas trees; in fact, many of them will hit the road starting from tomorrow (15/11/2011).

When ordering your Christmas tree, be sure to arrange a delivery date that allows sufficient time to set up and decorate your tree. Some people like to leave delivery as late as possible to avoid needle drop, however, today’s trees, with the right care, generally last through to Christmas with few problems. The Norway Spruce is not as hardy when it comes to warm air and needle retention, however, kept cool and hydrated and the problem can be managed.

Christmas lights are traditionally hung around Christmas trees. If you take a little drive around your neighbourhood I am sure you will come across home owners who have found other uses for those lights. Some home owners have created absolute visual wonderlands using lights all over the external areas of their homes. You don’t have to go those lengths, however, there are some areas where Christmas lights can help to add that little extra magic to Christmas.

When it comes to outside areas, be sure you are using lights specifically designed for outdoor use. You can use external Christmas lights to decorate a tree in your front garden – small white twinkling lights really do look like a touch of magic, especially if used sparingly. There are times where people just overdo it using far too many lights, and far too many colours. If you want to set your house off, or a Christmas tree in the window, then use the outside lights to draw the eye rather than completely taking over.

You can also decorate front entrances, eaves, and windows. Internally, the options are only limited by the physical limitations of your home, and your imagination. Popular uses for Christmas lights include running them down stair cases, hanging them in windows, framing doorways, framing mantles and disused fireplaces, and hanging from, of all places, the top of an old four-poster bed.

There is a whole range of Christmas lights that can be used including:

• net/icicle lights
• rope lights
• micro lights
• cluster lights
• decorative lights
• traditional LED or bulb lights

Choose your lights depending on the effect you wish to create, then experiment. You will be surprised at much a simple set of Christmas lights can change a room, hallway, or the exterior of your home.

This may sound like a silly question, however, I’ll ask it anyway. What’s behind your Christmas tree? Having a well decorated Christmas tree can be spoilt by a poor background. Professionals, when photographing decorated Christmas trees, often use black curtains as a backdrop. The Christmas tree really stands out and photographs really well. If you go to shows where decorated Christmas trees are on show, you’ll notice the same.  You could hang a black curtain behind your Christmas tree, however, you don’t need to go to that extreme. Just stand back and look at the space either side and behind, then consider what you could add to finish the effect. Here are a few suggestions:

• A Christmas wreath – this is the simplest addition. Hang a Christmas wreath at a height and distance that adds to the overall effect of your Christmas tree. This is particularly useful if you have a wide light coloured wall behind your tree. It also looks good hanging from a curtain rail in a window.
• Potted colour – while winter may be approaching, you can still find garden shops with flowering pot plants. Place these on a stand to one side of your Christmas tree. Find flowers who’s colour complement your Christmas tree. If you have a wide wall behind your tree, you could try placing potted colour either side of your Christmas tree.
• Baubles – hang two or three large baubles, or a single ball made from large baubles, to one side and just below the height of your Christmas tree. If you are using several large baubles, vary their height. To make a single ball using baubles, using a hot glue gun to attach baubles around a central bauble.
• Garlands – garlands made from anything that catches your imagination can add to interest to your Christmas tree. Hang several garlands below each other in a wave shape rather than using straight lines.
• Christmas lights – hang net lights behind your Christmas tree. This doesn’t add a lot to your tree during the day unless you have a dark background. However, it can add a touch of magic at night.

Of course, you could mix and match those ideas, however, our suggestion is simple – less is more. Your Christmas tree is the star of the show, anything else is designed to complement it and to help it stand out. It’s always a lot of fun putting it altogether however.

While we traditionally decorate a Christmas tree with a wide range of decorations, you don’t have to stop there. Christmas decorations can be used anywhere in the home, it just takes a little imagination and the desire to do something different. One area of the home that always looks great when decorated is a staircase. Consider some of these ideas, and if you don’t have a staircase, take the ideas on board and use them to affect elsewhere.

Baubles are normally tied to a Christmas tree, yet they can look good anywhere. Tie a Christmassy ribbon to baubles and hang them from a staircase railing. Mix the colours around, or use contrasting decorations with just the one colour bauble. You can add red and white Santas, white stars, or white angels for contrast. Don’t fall into the trap of hanging everything the same length. Vary your length including allowing some to hang below the staircase to the supporting wall. Use your imagination and be sure to stand back constantly to review your handiwork. Don’t have a staircase – use the same principle to hang baubles of varying lengths in your window – that looks great too, especially at night from the outside with the interior lights highlighting them.

If you have a cut Christmas tree, cut the bottom branch or two off, trim them back a little, then run them down the length of the staircase railing. The green foliage looks good if offset by red, gold or silver baubles. Don’t forget to hang a length of foliage down the newel at the foot of the stairs.  You can decorate the foliage as well, however, use small decorations. There are two problems with using a branch from your Christmas tree – you need to be sure your tree still looks proportionate with missing lower branches, and, more importantly, the branch used on the staircase will suffer from needle drop.

Finally, add a string of Christmas lights. LED lights are best for this as they generate less heat and are more hardy. You could also consider rope lights or icicle lights depending on the size of your staircase. If you can place your decorated Christmas tree alongside your decorated staircase, the overall effect is terrific. Christmas decorations are not just for Christmas trees; they can be used anywhere you like.

Ever wonder where your Christmas tree is going to come from? You have an open invitation to visit Glaisters Christmas Tree Farm during December. There you’ll be able to see how Christmas trees are selected, cut and made ready for delivery. While you’re there you can select a Christmas tree of your own, a stand to hold your tree, and any decorations you need for a stunning display.

There is a lot of work involved with growing a Christmas tree. The process generally takes around ten years from seed planting to harvesting and along the way those trees need plenty of care and attention. The shaping of the tree starts from its third year in the ground – each tree is gently sheared each year to help develop that traditional Christmas tree shape. You’ll see the results of these efforts when you visit our farm.

The farm and farm shop are open for visitors between 10am and 4:30pm on:

3rd and 4th December
10th and 11th December
17th and 18th December

If you wish to visit on a weekday, please call ahead and book a suitable time – this is our busiest time of the year, however, we’ll always try to accommodate visitors outside of those weekend hours.

For those looking for something special in the way of Christmas wreaths, come and talk to us about specific colours or themes. Our in-house florist has a lot of experience creating wonderful wreaths, they may be able to help you create your wreath. If you need help finding us, feel free to give us call for directions. Glaisters,  Kirkgunzeon, Dumfries DG2 8JT Telephone: 01387 760234

We LOVE Copas Turkeys they are very very special!   We’ve teamed up with them to offer customers a a free Christmas Gift Pack when you order a turkey from Copas Turkeys before 30th
November.  The Christmas Gift Pack includes delicious accompaniments for
the festive season, including:

Cranberry Sauce, Boxing Day Chutney, Sage and Onion stuffing, plus a pop-up cooking timer for your next poultry roast.
RRP £10.75

All you have to do is order your turkey on Copas Turkey’s website:   www.copasturkeys.co.uk/trees.aspand use the code at the checkout TREE11 to claim your free gift!

Decorating a front door for Christmas used to start and stop with a Christmas wreath. Then plastics took over and we had all sorts of decorations including the plastic Santa mask. You can do a lot more than that and the end result is a front door that really does welcome your visitors. It doesn’t take a lot of work and it needn’t be expensive. Here are a few tips that may give you ideas on how to brighten your front door this Christmas.

• Icicles – For a simple look, hang a traditional wreath on the door, then hang white icicle lights above the door.
• Garlands – here, you can really use your imagination. Create a colourful garland using any form of greenery for the base. You can often buy these from garland bases from florists. Create a matching wreath to hang from the door, then hang the garland from the door frame. If you have themed your Christmas tree, then continue the theme to your front door.
• Potted Christmas tree – buy a small potted Christmas tree, decorate it and place outside rather than inside.
• Wreaths – not one, but two, three or even four wreaths. This will depend on the size of your door. The best effect is a large well decorated Christmas wreath in the middle with smaller less decorated wreaths top and bottom with the edges just touching.
• Rope lights – frame your door with rope lights. These have a lit length of eight meters so that’s plenty of light to frame your doorway.

You can really use anything to decorate your doorway. Use a little imagination, or take a walk around your neighbourhood to see what others are doing this year. A well decorated doorway always looks inviting, and it certainly works as a conversation starter.