Scottish Christmas Trees

As the nights close in and we begin to think about Christmas,  maybe this is the time to put some thought into your Christmas tree and how you’re going to decorate it.   Are you going to decorate it with all the old favourites, or are you going to create a new theme this year and have all your family and friends say WOW!

Instead of splashing out completely on a lot of new christmas lights and christmas baubles, why not even buy a few new christmas decorations that will give your christmas tree that little bit of special appeal.   LED christmas lights are a lot more reliable than the traditional fairy lights and also a lot more economical to run.   Now is the time to put a little thought into your Christmas tree, as you can order the tree and any new Christmas lights and Christmas baubles  and have them delivered on a date suitable to you at Christmas time.   By doing this it is one job less to do, as the busy Festive Season approaches.

At last the web site has most of the prices on it and most of the products can now be purchased.   We will begin to send out pot grown trees from Tuesday, 25th September, and I have some lovely ones available this year, especially the Fraser Fir.   The only thing that I’ve not completed on the web site are the wreaths, because we are still working on the designs of them.   This we hope to have completed soon and will take photos of them and get them online hopefully by early October.   Last year the ‘Limited Edition’ Wreaths were a great success and we will be doing them again, with a few colour changes.

Last night we had so much rain that this morning we had to go and rescue about 500 little pot grown christmas trees that were floating around in the nursery.   Something that I’ve never seen – not even during the wettest times in winter..
This week our guys have started  to side shearing the Fraser Fir Christmas Trees.   We do this to give the trees the shape of tree that you the customers are looking for.   The Fraser Fir tree is inclined to be quite an aggressive growing tree, so we have to cut the long branches to keep a nice Christmas Tree shape.
We are also beginning to mark which christmas trees we will be selling this Christmas time, by putting a little white tie on them.   In a few weeks time the guys will go through with a measuring stick and put on a coloured label, which will tell us which height band each tree falls into.

Our Christmas trees are enjoying this beautiful sunny spell of weather – do hope that it lasts. Christmas trees really don’t enjoy all the rain that we’ve had – if their roots are continually wet they struggle to take up the nutrients that trees need to grow. Growth has been very slow and not nearly as strong as in previous years. I think that 2012 has been worse than the last 2 wet years that we’ve had to put up with.
With this lovely sunny weather our work force is busy beginning to shear the sides of the Fraser Fir Christmas Trees. It is a very sticky job as the sap from the tree gets onto their cloths, and they find themselves sticking to everything!
In the office, I’m starting to gear up for Christmas by beginning to update the web site, and check our stock. Christmas is not so far away – it seems to come round quicker every year.

Mid summer, and we are very busy here at Glaisters Farm getting Christmas trees ready for the Festive Season.   Despite the unseasonally bad weather our guys are out every day working on the Christmas trees.   Just now we are making sure that every tree has a straight leader, the branch where the fairy goes.   If the leader is growing squint then we put a cane on the tree to pull the leader straight – who would like a Christmas tree with a crooked leader.
Xmas trees are not enjoying all the rain that we are getting and are very slow to grow this year – the growth rate must be at least 2 – 3 weeks behind normal.
One good day yesterday – hopefully we might get a few more of those!!

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.