Happy Holidays!

• The holiday season is here. All of us at Barretta Garden Center would like to wish you and yours a safe and happy holiday season.

• Visit Barretta Garden Center this Christmas and discover the magic of the holiday season. We have beautiful live and fresh cut Christmas trees, wreaths, roping, poinsettias and holiday plants. Inside our Christmas Shop you will find gorgeous ornaments and great holiday decorating ideas.


Caring For a Cut Christmas Tree:

• Barretta Garden Center stocks an incredible selection of fresh cut Christmas trees in an assortment of sizes and varieties. We carry Fraser Fir, Douglas Fir, Noble Fir, White Pine, Scotch Pine and Blue Spruce.

• Proper care of your Christmas tree is the best assurance against a short life due to loss of moisture, loss of color, and needle drop. Here are some tips to keep your tree fresh and beautiful so that you can enjoy it throughout the holiday season.

• When you purchase a cut tree from Barretta Garden Center, we will put a fresh cut on the bottom. If you are going straight home and will put the tree up and in water within two hours, this cut should be sufficient. If you are not putting the tree up within two hours, the tree should be stored in a cool, shady place in a bucket full of water. You can also sprinkle the foliage and bark daily with water to protect it from the drying winds. A tree will not recover once it has dried out. When you are ready to decorate, put a fresh cut on the bottom of the tree and immediately place it in the stand and fill with water. Keep this filled each day since the warm temperature and dry air in the home will cause the tree to absorb water very rapidly.

• There are several formulas that claim to fireproof or increase the life of the tree, but we have no statistics. If you have used something successful in the past, that is fine, but we agree with the County Fire Marshall that it is most important to "obtain a fresh tree, give the butt a fresh cut, water daily and remove the tree when the needles become brittle and fall off." This will also make clean up easier!

Here are a few pointers for safety:

• Be sure the tree is well supported and is away from the source of heat such as radiators, air ducts and TV sets. This will keep the loss of moisture to a minimum.
• Open flames should never be used on or about Christmas trees.
• Check electric lights and connections. Worn, frayed wires or electric cords must not be used.
• Do not use combustible decorations or flammable reflectors. Be certain to keep metal foil or tinsel out if bulb sockets.
• Keep wrapping paper and other flammable material from accumulating under the tree. Turn off lights on the tree whenever no one will be in the room for any length of time.


Caring for a Live Christmas Tree:

• A live, balled and burlapped (B&B) Christmas tree can be your most economical and ecological purchase of the Yuletide season. Barretta Garden Center carries an excellent selection of live trees, including Douglas Fir, Colorado Blue Spruce (Shiners and Cultivars), Norway Spruce, Serbian Spruce, Engleman Spruce, White Spruce and Sheared White Pines.

• If properly cared for, a live Christmas tree can give you and your family joy and beauty for many years to come. If you observe the following guidelines, you should be successful with a live tree.

• If you prefer, you can dig the hole before Christmas when the ground is easier to work and the hole will already be prepared.

• When you are ready to dig the hole, measure the root ball and dig the hole slightly shallower than the ball is deep, but make the hole about twice as wide as the root ball.

• Cover the soil with plastic and cover the hole with plywood.

• When you get the tree home, if possible let it set for a day or so in a garage or up against the warmest side of the house. This will help acclimate the tree to the warmer conditions of the inside of the home.

• If you can, spray the tree with Wilt Pruf before you bring it inside the home (and again before moving it back outdoors).

• Then bring the tree inside and place the tree in a large tub, half barrel or even a snow saucer that the children use for sledding. Keep the root ball moist, even if you have to pour water on the root ball every day. But make sure the tree is not sitting in standing water. Placing ice cubs on top of the ball are good way to allow moisture soak down into the root ball.

• Do not place the tree near a heating vent.

• Do not flock the tree with artificial snow.

• Do not fertilize the tree.

• Try not to keep the tree indoors for more than 14 days.

• After the holidays, take the tree back out to the garage or up against the warmest side of the house for a day or so to help acclimate the tree to the colder outdoor temperatures.

• Then take the tree to where it will be planted. Dig your hole now or remove the plywood if you dug the hole before Christmas. Set the tree in the hole so that the top of the root ball is sitting slightly higher than ground level.

• Mix peat moss or Virginia Fines with the soil that you removed from the hole (1/3 soil additive to 2//3 existing soil). This will be used as backfill.

• Begin backfilling the hole, firmly tamping around the root ball as you proceed.

• Bring the soil up to the shoulder of the ball but not on top of the ball. Cut the string from around the trunk and cut the burlap away from the top of the root ball.

• When finished planting, water thoroughly. Please see a member of our staff for proper care instructions.


Care of Christmas Plants:

• Christmas gift plants provide color during the winter holidays. With proper care, their flowers and fruits will often live through the winter. Several general rules apply to all indoor plants during the winter.

• Water less than you would during the summer, and stop fertilizing.

• Empty water from saucers after an hour.

• Most plants with showy flowers and fruits need bright light, so do not display them in a dark location for long periods of time.

• Avoid drafts, heat ducts and locations where temperatures are likely to fluctuate greatly. If plants are very close to windows, remove them at night to prevent chilling. However, most plants do prefer cooler temperatures during the winter then at other times of the year.

Below is a description of the optimum growing conditions for four Christmas gift plants.

Poinsettia

The poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima, is the traditional Christmas plant. Its showy bracts may be red, pink or white.
• Light: Sunny window facing S or E
• Temp: 65-72 F
• Humidity: Normal house
• Water: Water thoroughly when soil is almost dry, 1" from surface
• Uses: Can be used as an indoor plant all year and with proper care, can be forced to bloom again.

Jerusalem Cherry

Solanum preudocapricum, the Jerusalem Cherry, produces long lasting shiny red-orange berries. These fruits are not edible. Changes in the light and temperature will cause leaves to drop.
• Light: Sunny window facing S or E
• Temp: 60-70 F
• Humidity: Stand on gravel tray with water below top of gravel.
• Water: Keep soil fairly moist to the touch.
• Uses: Decorative specimen plant that will fruit each year.

Christmas Cactus

The Christmas cactus, Schlumbergera bridgesii, and the Thanksgiving cactus, Zygocactus, produce red or lavender flowers in November and December. Both are originally from rain forests, so their care differs from that of other cacti.
• Light: Bright light, but not direct sun
• Temp: 60-70 F
• Humidity: Normal house
• Water: Keep soil slightly moist to the touch one inch below the surface.
• Uses: Hanging basket or pot plant year-round.

Christmas Pepper

The Christmas pepper, Capricum annum, bears oblong red and yellow fruits. As its name indicates, this plant lives only one year.
• Light: Sunny window facing S or E
• Temp: 65-75 F
• Humidity: Normal house
• Water: Keep soil evenly moist to the touch.
• Uses: Some cultivars produce edible fruits.


Additional Information:

For more information to help you garden more easily and successfully, stop in the garden center and pick-up a copy of the following bulletins:

• Poinsettias
• Amaryllis
• Paper White Narcissus
• Forcing Bulbs Indoors
• Live Christmas Tree Care
• Winter Damage on Plants
• Orchids
• African Violets
• Deer Resistant Plants
• Gardening for Birds


December Reminders:

• Our extensive selection of flower and vegetable seeds arrive in January, so be sure to visit Barretta Garden Center this winter and get your seed packages, trays, starter mixes and accessories.