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.
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Garden Checklist for week of Nov. 3
November still offers good weather for fall planting:
* If you haven't already, it's time to clean up the remains of summer. Pull faded annuals and vegetables. Prune dead or broken branches from trees.
* Now is the best time to plant most trees and shrubs. This gives them plenty of time for root development before spring growth. They also benefit from fall and winter rains.
* Set out cool-weather annuals such as pansies and snapdragons.
* Lettuce, cabbage and broccoli also can be planted now.
* Plant garlic and onions.
* Keep planting bulbs to spread out your spring bloom. Some possible suggestions: daffodils, crocuses, hyacinths, tulips, anemones and scillas.
* This is also a good time to seed wildflowers and plant such spring bloomers as sweet pea, sweet alyssum and bachelor buttons.
* Rake and compost leaves, but dispose of any diseased plant material. For example, if peach and nectarine trees showed signs of leaf curl this year, clean up under trees and dispose of those leaves instead of composting.
* Save dry stalks and seedpods from poppies and coneflowers for fall bouquets and holiday decorating.
* For holiday blooms indoors, plant paperwhite narcissus bulbs now. Fill a shallow bowl or dish with 2 inches of rocks or pebbles. Place bulbs in the dish with the root end nestled in the rocks. Add water until it just touches the bottom of the bulbs. Place the dish in a sunny window. Add water as needed.
* Give your azaleas, gardenias and camellias a boost with chelated iron.
* For larger blooms, pinch off some camellia buds.
* Prune non-flowering trees and shrubs while dormant.
* To help prevent leaf curl, apply a copper fungicide spray to peach and nectarine trees after they lose their leaves this month. Leaf curl, which shows up in the spring, is caused by a fungus that winters as spores on the limbs and around the tree in fallen leaves. Sprays are most effective now.
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