The Garden Ramble, Holiday Edition

This week a holiday ramble with some important December garden tips. Some Christmas tree advice, holiday plant reminders and tips for keeping the deer at bay.

At our upstate home the deer are an issue very early this year. This is because we’ve had very early snow and cold, forcing the deer down from the mountains and into the hamlet where they love to feed on low trees, shrubs and any perennials that they can dig down to get at the foliage. Down on the East End the deer are much less a seasonal issue and more a persistent year-round issue.

Depending on how you’re landscaped, you may have to fence your entire perimeter, but also consider fencing individual gardens or plants as a much less expensive alternative. There are many effective repellents that you can spray on your trees and shrubs, but despite the labels they do not and will not last all season. At the very least you will need two applications. These should be done on a sunny day when it’s over 40 degrees and when rain isn’t expected for 24 hours. As for bags of human hair, soap and other concoctions — when there’s little else to eat the deer will simply giggle at these home remedies and munch away. Fence when you can; use repellent sprays for all else.

When it comes to Poinsettias, I’m partial to the glorious red and green colors as they are somewhat traditional. However, you’ll find yellow, gold, pink, bicolored and other varieties to suit your decor. No, there is no scientific evidence to show that these plants are deadly or toxic if eaten by humans, cats or dogs. They can certainly upset your stomach, but they won’t kill you or your pets.

Mistletoe, however, is another story. In some states it’s been banned because the red berries are highly poisonous and toxic. The berries are particularly toxic to pets and children. You may be able to find the foliage though with fake berries wired to them.

Christmas cactus has also been bred to flower in a range of colors, but again, I’m partial to the reds. Unlike Poinsettias, which are nearly impossible to “reflower,” a Christmas cactus will reflower every year at the same time and sometimes twice. However, if you move the plant around the house instead of giving it a permanent home you will run into flowering issues. Give it a home with bright light, some early or late-day sun, water like it’s a cacti and it will do really well. It’s also very easy to take cuttings of the flat stems and make more of these after the blooming is over.

If you want to try a new(ish) plant for the holidays that also makes a great houseplant look for Aglaonema picta “Siam Red,” also known as the Chinese evergreen. I always avoided it because I didn’t find it appealing, but it does have a reputation as being hard to kill. Well my opinion changed when I found the tricolor variety and I had to buy one. It should never be grown in direct sun, so it’s a great houseplant, and for the most part it does well in a 6- or 8-inch pot.

The base color of the foliage is green, but this variety has red and pink striations along the leaf edges and tips with some speckling. I’ve had mine for a couple of months, and so far it’s been a great houseplant with little to no leaf drop. It adds wonderful color to a table or counter. The colors also give it decorative appeal for the holidays. This could turn out to be an ultimate houseplant with the plus of holiday appeal. It can be toxic to pets though.

As I contemplated going out to shop for this year’s Christmas tree I recalled reading years ago about making sure you get a “fresh” tree. After giving this some thought I realized that the majority of Christmas trees that are available are absolutely not “fresh” in spite of what a sign or salesperson might say. And waiting for the week before Christmas won’t make the tree fresher.

The fact is that most Christmas trees are cut or harvested weeks before Thanksgiving. They are then tied, maybe bundled and packed onto tractor trailers then shipped from tree farms hundreds of miles away. So, in reality, they are anything but “fresh” unless they’ve been cut on Long Island — and some are. You can even find farms locally where you can cut your own or have your choice tree cut for you.

But don’t worry. Most of these trees will stay in great shape for weeks and weeks as long as they are stored for and cared for properly. One caveat this year though. If you are buying a locally grown tree it should come from a farm where the tree has been irrigated. Remember the drought? The one that is still taking place? If these trees haven’t been properly watered they may be subject to early needle drop. You don’t want this happening before the holiday and there are ways to check.

First things first though. Once these evergreens are cut at the farm, the end where they are sawn begins to form a callous and this captures moisture within the tree. If the tree isn’t subject to warm temperatures and if it doesn’t sit in full sunlight day after day it should be just fine. You can do a simple but not foolproof test. When you choose your tree, lift it off the ground about a foot and let it drop on the cut end. As it hits the ground see if any needles drop. A few needle drops are fine and expected. But if it’s a blizzard of needles hitting the ground then you’ve got a stressed tree that should be avoided.

You may be asked if you want the end cut. This exposes somewhat fresh tissue at the bottom of the trunk and will allow the tree to again absorb water when you get in indoors. If you are not planning to take the tree inside right away pass on this cut but do it yourself the day you bring the tree in. You can use a hand saw, chain saw or reciprocal saw.

When you get the tree home try to keep it outside in a spot where the sun won’t hit it. An unheated garage or shed is fine. Leave the tree tied or bundled until you get it indoors. Just before bringing it inside, cut about an inch off the end of the trunk. The tree will need a reservoir of water at the base, and keep this filled until you take the tree back out for recycling or mulching.

As for artificial or fake trees, please don’t. The ones that appear to be the nicest are very expensive, and you can probably buy 10 to 12 years of live trees for the price of one fake one. They are made of plastics and other materials that are anything but environmentally friendly in their manufacture (usually in China) and even worse when they are disposed of. Some cost a thousand dollars or more. Fake at Christmas? Seems to be a bit unnatural to me. And remember, your live tree can be fully recycled either at home or through municipal recycling programs.

As an alternative you can buy a live, ball and burlapped tree. These are heavy and need to be kept outdoors and only brought inside for a week or so. After Christmas they need to be planted outdoors (dig the hole now) and you’ll have a living memory of the holiday and a great tradition if you choose to do this every year. Such a tree will set you back a few hundred dollars, and if you go this route let your local garden center know now as most don’t get these B&B trees unless requested.

Is it time for winter mulch in the gardens? Maybe. The trick to winter mulches is to lay them down when the ground is frozen. With the cold temperatures last week there was an opportunity, but if you missed it there will certainly be more. Remember that winter mulches keep your soil and plants stable through the winter and reduce the chances of damage from repeated freezing and thawing of the soil. Keep growing.