Keep water in your tree reservoir at all times. Make a fresh cut on your tree if it’s out of water for more than 15 minutes. If you cannot put your tree in your home right away, keep it in a cool shady area outside in water. Place your tree away from the heater/ac vents and sunlight as these dry the tree more quickly. Use our tree preservative to keep your tree as fresh as possible. Unplug lights when not at home; this reduces dry conditions and protects from fire hazard.
christmas
A beautiful holiday plant, the Christmas Cactus blooms at Christmas and also sometimes around Easter if cared for properly. A month prior to Christmas you will be able to watch the tips of the leaves beginning to grow. The tips grow darker as each day passes, until a bud forms. At Christmas time, as if by magic, the buds open to a beautiful flower that will add color and warmth to any holiday season. Keep the plant in a well lit location (like near a window) away from direct sunlight-too much heat and light can stunt the growth and burn the leaves. It should also be away from drafts, heat vents, or other sources of hot air. A Christmas Cactus is a tropical cactus, not a desert cactus. If the soil gets too dry, the flower buds will drop, and the plant will wilt. Feel the soil with your fingers; if it is dry, it’s time to water. When watering, thoroughly water the plant. Before watering again, check to see that the top inch of soil has dried thoroughly first. Using a moisture meter may help you determine if it is time to water again. Mist leaves as well as watering the soil. After the holiday season you can trim off any old blooms and move your plant to a shady patio once the weather warms up for Spring. Use a water soluble fertilizer every 2-4 weeks to maintain the health of your plant.
-DeAnna
We’ve all seen Christmas wreath vertically, but how about horizontally? Hanging multiple layers together can have a great ‘chandelier’ like effect. Just get at least two sizes and hang them from the ceiling with gorgeous thick ribbon. Then hang ornaments, lights, and sprigs of berries or mistletoe and Voila! But make sure you don’t use real candles, as they can burn the fresh wreaths and cause needle drop.
-Marta
It’s a wonderful crazy time each year as we ready for the arrival of Christmas trees. This year they are extra pretty and fresh! We look forward to helping you find your perfect tree!
Noble Firs
Our Noble Firs come from the state of Washington. They were discovered by Scottish Botanical Explorer, David Douglas, and are the tallest of the true firs. They have dark green upturned needles, exposing the lower branches. The tree is outstanding in its beauty, has a long cut life and its stiff branch holds heavy ornaments well.
Fraser Firs
Our Fraser Firs come from North Carolina. They are a native southern fir and naturally grow at elevations above 5,000 ft. The tree has excellent needle retention along with a wonderful scent. The 2-toned green and silver color and branches full to the trunk are excellent for lights and ornaments. Fraser Fir was named for Scot botanist John Fraser, who explored the Southern Appalachians in the late 1700’s.
How to Keep Your Christmas Tree Fresh and Beautiful
1. Keep water in your tree reservoir at all times.
When we deliver your tree, or if you pick it up, we’ll make a fresh cut. It’s a good idea to make a fresh cut on your tree if it’s out of water for more than 15 minutes. If you can’t put your tree in your home right away, keep it in a cool shady area outside in water. Use a watering elf for easier watering.
2. Location, location, location.
Avoid letting your tree dry out by placing your tree away from the heater or AC vents and keep out of direct sunlight. Also, unplug lights when not at home; this reduces dry conditions and protects from fire hazard.
3. Use Christmas Tree Preservative
Use our tree preservative to keep your tree as fresh as possible – 1 oz. per gallon of water.
4. Use a Disposal Bag for easy removal.
Place disposal bag between the base of your tree and stand. At the end of the season, just pull the bag up over your tree and haul out – no needle mess!
Impatiens & Wildflower Seeds
Get ’em in the ground now!
Plant Impatiens now for winter color in part sun to shade. They will give you show-stopping color into May of next year.
Sow wildflower seeds now for spring blooms.
Amaryllis & Paperwhite Bulbs
October is the month to dig and divide mature, crowded Amaryllis bulbs. This needs to be done every 3 years. We are receiving our Amaryllis bulbs next week at both stores.
We have Narcissus Paperwhite bulbs now! For successful bloom, refrigerate now for 4 weeks. Pot them in soil or water the weekend of Thanksgiving and they will be ready to give as gifts with buds and blooms for Christmas.
Beneficial Insects for Natural Pest Control
Ladybugs’ favorite foods are aphids, mealybugs, spider mites, thrips, and many other soft bodied insects. They should be released in the evening or very early morning or when it is cool or overcast. Moisten the infested plants first and then release the Ladybugs at the base of the plant. Each package contains approx. 1500 Ladybugs for $10.00.
Beneficial Nematodes are microscopic worms that seek out and destroy over 200 kinds of soil dwelling insects including grubs, flea larvae, cutworms, and root knot nematodes. Each package contains approx. 5 million Nematodes for $20.00.
We know it’s still early November, but we couldn’t resist! You have to see all the cute cute cute holiday decor we have coming in… happy (almost) holidays!!!
My Christmas Cactus from last year is nice & healthy but not a bud on it. To force blooming, move the pot into a dark spot, like a closet, for 12 hours a day and then out in good light for 12 hours. Fertilize with a water soluble fertilizer like Hasta Gro or Miracle Gro and you should get buds and blooms for the holiday season!
-Sally
We have lots of calls coming in about how this cold weather will affect plants. Winter is here, but the results won’t be too brutal for most. Some areas of the Coastal Bend are forecast to see a light freeze, and some not.
If temperatures stay above low 30’s:
Some tender house plants, such as Chinese evergreen and spathyphyllum, can be damaged by temperatures of 40 and below, so hopefully you have plans to bring those in, but ficus and schefflera and many others will be okay to 30 and a little below.
Esperanzas, hamelias, and many other tropical blooming shrubs will drop leaves and look bad, but that’s what to expect for this time of year, and they should come back fine next spring. If you want to try to keep them looking as nice as possible for Christmas, you could throw a sheet over them until temperatures are back in the high 40’s and hope for the best.
If temperatures drop below low 30’s:
Always continue to watch forecasts. If we have more clearing skies than expected, it could get a little colder. If it gets below the low thirties, some additional protection would be warranted.
If they can’t be brought inside, tender plants in pots should be watered just before a freeze, and tumped over so they are closer to the ground (a source of heat) and covered, not wrapped, so ground heat will be trapped under the cover and around the plant. We have reusable N-Sulate frost protection blankets available if you don’t want your bed sheets out in the garden.
Most citrus will be okay down into the high twenties. If you have questions not answered here, call us at Gill Landscape Nursery, 361-992-9674.
-James
