Last winter's moisture helped this holiday season's crop of firs and cedars
Fresh Christmas trees already have arrived at local businesses, including The Plant Foundry, above, and Green Acres. For those who like to choose and cut their own trees, El Dorado County growers report a good supply. Courtesy The Plant Foundry
We’re still busy with Thanksgiving preparations but our attention has already turned the holiday page. Christmas trees have arrived in local stores and nurseries, and the scent of fresh evergreens has us craving a tree in the living room.
They may be pricey, but Christmas trees should be in good supply this holiday season. Just shop early, says the National Christmas Tree Association.
Wildfires in Canada and droughts in the U.S. have affected tree supply elsewhere in the country, particularly on the East Coast.
“Supplies are tight and some locations will sell out early, but there are enough real farm-grown Christmas trees for everyone who wants one to get one,” says the association. “Supplies of real farm-grown trees have been tight since 2016, but each year shoppers have been able to find a tree.”
In particular, trees should be in good shape and plentiful from El Dorado County growers. Last winter’s heavy snow and abundant moisture really plumped up the firs and cedars. Recent rain was just enough to refresh their needles and help them look their best.
In its 2022 post-holiday survey of tree shopping habits, the national association found that nearly 31% of all fresh trees were purchased from choose-and-cut farms. About 20% came from chain stores and almost 17% were purchased at nurseries.
Nationwide, the average price in 2022 for a fresh tree was $80. This holiday season in the greater Sacramento area, expect to pay $95 or more for a 6-foot noble fir.
Clustered around Placerville in the Apple Hill area, local growers traditionally open their tree farms to visitors the day after Thanksgiving and keep selling until sold out. That may be pretty fast; some El Dorado County growers reported they sold out in 2022 on opening weekend. For a map, details and directions, go to https://chooseandcut.com/.
Several Apple Hill farms offer apple treats or other seasonal goodies along with trees. Find a map and more information here: https://applehill.com/grower-cat/christmas-trees/.
City shoppers also should find a healthy selection of fresh trees, says the national association.
In the greater Sacramento area, fresh trees have arrived at many local nurseries including all seven Green Acres locations as well as The Plant Foundry and The Secret Garden.
Looking for a Christmas tree near you? Check out the tree locator map (and tree tips) at: www.itschristmaskeepitreal.com.
What about a potted living tree? Firs, pines and other conifers are not houseplants; it’s best if these trees’ days indoors are numbered.
If you decide to use a living Christmas tree, keep it outside in a sunny location and well-watered until Christmas week. This reduces stress on the young tree. Make its stay indoors as brief as possible before returning outside – and hopefully finding a spot where it can put its roots down.
Comments
0 comments have been posted.Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
Thanks to Our Sponsor!
Local News
Sites We Like
Garden Checklist for week of Jan. 12
Once the winds die down, it’s good winter gardening weather with plenty to do:
* Prune, prune, prune. Now is the time to cut back most deciduous trees and shrubs. The exceptions are spring-flowering shrubs such as lilacs.
* Now is the time to prune fruit trees. (The exceptions are apricot and cherry trees, which are susceptible to a fungus that causes dieback. Save them until summer.) Clean up leaves and debris around the trees to prevent the spread of disease.
* Prune roses, even if they’re still trying to bloom. Strip off any remaining leaves, so the bush will be able to put out new growth in early spring.
* Clean up leaves and debris around your newly pruned roses and shrubs. Put down fresh mulch or bark to keep roots cozy.
* After the wind stops, apply horticultural oil to fruit trees to control scale, mites and aphids. Oils need 24 hours of dry weather after application to be effective.
* This is also the time to spray a copper-based fungicide to peach and nectarine trees to fight leaf curl. (The safest effective fungicides available for backyard trees are copper soap -- aka copper octanoate -- or copper ammonium, a fixed copper fungicide. Apply either of these copper products with 1% horticultural oil to increase effectiveness.)
* When forced bulbs sprout, move them to a cool, bright window. Give them a quarter turn each day so the stems will grow straight.
* Browse through seed catalogs and start making plans for spring and summer.
* Divide daylilies, Shasta daisies and other perennials.
* Cut back and divide chrysanthemums.
* Plant bare-root roses, trees and shrubs.
* Transplant pansies, violas, calendulas, English daisies, snapdragons and fairy primroses.
* In the vegetable garden, plant fava beans, head lettuce, mustard, onion sets, radicchio and radishes.
* Plant bare-root asparagus and root divisions of rhubarb.
* In the bulb department, plant callas, anemones, ranunculus and gladioli for bloom from late spring into summer.
* Plant blooming azaleas, camellias and rhododendrons. If you’re shopping for these beautiful landscape plants, you can now find them in full flower at local nurseries.
Powered by California Local
