Choosing a Christmas tree becomes easier the more Christmases a person has experienced, but some of the glitches–though not exactly treasured–can become a Christmas memory to laugh about every year.

For instance, measuring the space available before buying a cut tree doesn’t just mean checking the ceiling height. A tree that spreads its branches too wide for the available space must be pruned. When this happened to us years ago, we were glad we had loppers in the house.

Toddlers and pets can do interesting things to a tree. At seven months old, our oldest daughter with help from the kitten pulled the tree right over. After that, we invested in a heavy tree stand that held four litres of water, and we tied the tree to the piano.

Cut trees and living ones drink at least three litres of water daily. They should never dry out and they also should be kept cool. It’s important to keep them away from heat and candles. Mini lights are safer than large, hot ones.

Yellowing needles, falling needles and needles that snap if you bend them hard are all signs a tree is a fire hazard. But even a tree that’s green and fresh in the tree lot can become dangerous if it’s allowed to dry out.

Cut trees should be re-cut at home an inch above the original cut and immediately plunged in water. The tree stand should hold several litres of water and be topped up several times a day. Both cut and living trees should be set on a plastic sheet (suitably disguised) to guard against spills.

Living trees shouldn’t stay inside for more than 10 days as warm temperatures will encourage them to shoot out. Some people keep them cool inside by putting ice cubes on the root ball.

A lot of people seek perfectly shaped cut trees. But if it’s going to stand up against a wall, a tree that’s flat on one side is ideal. Dense trees look great with garlands and lights wound around the outside. But people with dangling ornaments will be happiest if their tree has well-spaced, tiered branches.

The cheapest and most available tree is always the Douglas Fir. But it grows too fast and tall to be a good living tree (except on country acreages). As a cut tree, it’s quick to drop needles.

Good choices are the Omorika spruce (tall, but very narrow) or the Alberta spruce, which grows slowly and handles container life well. But really, the best way to choose a living Christmas tree is to wander round nurseries and find something you really like. It’s important it’s compact and slow-growing or it will quickly outgrow containers or smaller-space gardens.

The words nana, minima, pygmea and compacta indicate dwarfness. But beware of labels that aren’t fastened to the tree–and if the label doesn’t indicate the rate of growth, check with staff.

Anne Marrison is happy to answer garden questions. Send them to her via amarrison@shaw.ca.

Source: © Vancouver Courier 2009