This is the week that I start cutting greens to bring inside for holiday decorating. Cut boughs of pine, spruce and holly will look good through the holiday season even if they are without a source of water. To keep them looking fresh in table arrangements I use watertight containers that can hold oasis. The dry spongy oasis material absorbs a large quantity of water and provides a base to insert the greens, keeping them upright. Cuttings with thick stems and bark should be slit up the base or lightly crushed to allow water to be absorbed. Thinner stems just need a fresh bottom cut before putting them in the container. Oasis is the same material that the florists use in their arrangements. It is available in craft stores and some garden centers.
Besides the needled evergreens, broadleaved evergreen leaves from magnolias and rhododendrons can be also used in decking the halls. Many hollies and viburnums still have colorful berries that can also be added. Seedpods from perennials and wildflowers can add different textures to arrangements, garlands and wreaths.
Fresh cut Christmas trees should have at least an inch or two of the base of the trunk cut off before placing it into a tree stand. The reservoir in the stand needs to be capable of holding 2-3 gallons of water. Over the years there have been many suggestions on what to add to the water in the tree stand to prolong the life of the tree. My father used to make a mixture of water and corn syrup. Being an engineer, the concoction was accurately mixed to perfect proportion in a large measuring cup and added to the stand with a turkey baster. Apparently this was the perfect tool to reach the reservoir with the least disturbance of the tree. Yet, by New Year’s Day there seemed to be as many needles on the floor as left on the tree!
Aspirin, bleach, corn syrup and lemon lime soda are some of the products suggested through the years to keep cut trees fresh. There are some commercial products that are touted as tree preservers as well. Each of these ingredients is said to either keep the water clean and/or feed the tree some added nutrients. Last week I had a customer looking for some special ingredients for a recipe that was guaranteed to keep their tree looking great until Valentine’s Day. It was a fairly complicated brew that sounded as if it was developed by a chemist. I had to inform the customer that nothing has been proven to keep trees any fresher than using plain tap water. Select a healthy fresh tree; make a fresh cut before placing it in the stand and keep the reservoir filled with clean water to keep your tree looking great.
When it comes to growing Paperwhites, however, there is an
ingredient that can keep them form growing too tall. Paperwhites have an
annoying habit of growing so tall that they flop over. I told myself that I
would not grow them anymore. Tired of devising new methods of support and
trying all the suggested growing tips for keeping them in bounds I banned them
from the holiday display. And then came the results of a study from the bulb
research program at
Growing your Paperwhites with a little booze shortens their height by up to a half with no ill effect on flower formation or fragrance. Intrigued, I had to give it a try to see if it really works. Start the bulbs as usual in a dish of pebbles and water. Once the shoots sprout and roots begin to grow pour off the water. Replace the water with a solution of one part 40 percent distilled spirits such as rum, vodka, gin or whiskey and seven parts water. Use this solution to top off the water level as necessary. It really works. My Paperwhites are just starting to bloom and they are only half as tall as they used to grow since I served them the cocktail. A word of warning, keep the alcohol mix to a 4-6 percent solution. Apparently just as with humans, the Paperwhites can suffer from an overdose.
Manager at the Belle Mead Co-Op. Questions and comments can be sent to