Caring for your Christmas greenery and flowers

Christmas is coming, bringing with it memories filled with colourful sights and sounds. But don’t forget the wonderful, evocative scents, some of which come from seasonal greenery and flowers.

Fresh flowers and Christmas trees are beautiful additions to our Christmas decor, and in a perfect world we’d like to keep them looking fresh and lovely until at least Jan. 2. The Brandon Sun checked in with some local experts who shared tips for keeping those plants vibrant throughout the season.

Brandon Hills U-Cut Christmas Trees, 10 minutes south of Brandon, is where Jared and Sandra Smith are carrying on a family tradition, growing trees at their Terra Verde Farms property, now open on weekends until Dec. 14.

“We enjoy seeing the families each year, excited to come and cut down their own Christmas tree. It’s nice to catch up with the repeat customers and meet new people,” Sandra said.

The Smiths’ Scots pines need eight to 12 years to reach ideal height, with Jared Smith trimming them in June to encourage the “classic Christmas tree shape.” Folks can choose from 500 trees, five to seven feet tall, for $85. The Smiths supply the saw and families get to bring out their “inner Paul Bunyan” and cut their own tree.

Before you head out to cut your tree, have a sturdy stand ready at home that holds plenty of water. Freshly cut trees can drink over a litre of water a day.

“The most important tip is to ensure the tree never runs out of water. They are very thirsty when they are first cut and the longevity of the tree depends on adequate watering,” Sandra said.

If you can’t set your tree up right away, take it into a porch or garage and set it in a bucket of water.

It is not necessary to re-cut the trunk on fresh, locally grown trees. Trees cut weeks before sale need to have the ends re-cut about an inch.

“Our freshly cut trees will last over four weeks. Many of our customers say their tree was up for six to eight weeks and barely dropped any needles,” she said.

Jared said he enjoys seeing families heading out to cut a fresh tree at Christmas time.

“Some people spend an hour debating tree to tree and really enjoying themselves. Everyone has their own opinion. Sometimes ‘Charlie Brown’ wins out. Sometimes, not,” he said.

The Smiths also carry fresh swags and wreaths from April Willis, Wooded and Wild Botanicals.

Willis said outdoor greenery pots keep well during freezing weather, and wreaths or swags can look nice for months depending on weather.

Indoors, swags and mantel pieces should last up to three weeks if spritzed with water on the back side where open branch cuts are. Keep them away from heat, drafts and sunlight. Willis recommends a product called “Wilt Stop” to promote long life. Fresh cut greens held in green floral foam with a reservoir of frequently changed water will do well.

Once you’ve settled on a tree and greens, it’s time to consider fresh flowers. Shaun and Trish Fjeldsted run The BloomBox (bloomboxonline.com) at B-1451 Rosser Ave. East, producing beautiful arrangements and gift packages since 2008.

“There are many things we love about the business and the most special of all is being trusted to be part of so many deeply personal occasions for our regular clients,” Trish said.

Fjeldsted encourages early advance ordering, at least one to two weeks or more. Bring home fresh flowers as close to Christmas as is practical — between Dec. 22 and 24 to last through the holiday. With proper care, quality flowers should last seven to 10 days. They can also recommend more long-lived varieties.

“Follow the daily water-change care routine carefully,” Trish said.

“Our BloomBox Grinch Trees, for example, made from fresh materials, typically hold up through the holidays with minimal care. Whatever we send out is guaranteed for seven days.”

Instructions for both bouquets in vase, or arrangements in floral foam, are basic:

Change (don’t top up) the water every day to prevent bacterial growth.

“Our rule is if you wouldn’t drink the water, your flowers shouldn’t either,” Trish said.

Avoid direct sunlight and heat vents. Cooler, stable room temperatures are best.

To refresh flowers, place the whole piece in the sink and run cool water into the vase or gently rinse the foam until visible impurities are gone. Drain excess water. Dry any exposed surfaces, then return the piece to its display spot.

Shaun adds an important note for ordering flowers at Christmas time: be extremely cautious about ordering from online businesses who may use third party delivery services. Stories abound of flowers mishandled or left out to freeze. As well, The BloomBox is often mistaken online for another company with a similar name — it is extremely important to clearly read online information for any business you are dealing with.

“If you’re sending flowers to another city, please order from a real local florist in that community. If you’re unsure, call us and we’ll point you to a trusted local florist,” Shaun said.

Fresh flowers add so much to the decor.

“Floral arrangements are especially important to people on the Canadian prairie because we lose our ability to see the green of summer and have living and growing things around. Our olfactory senses are the strongest and a lot of people have memories of certain scents of the season that they’re really tied to that just make the holiday,” Trish said.

“And pine, cedar, fir and fresh greenery are definitely some of those scents.”

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