Potted Christmas Trees are a nice alternative to artificial or cut Christmas trees. Bring your potted live evergreen in your home for the Christmas holidays. Once the holidays are over, plant outdoors for years of enjoyment. There are a few key things to keep in mind if you would like to make your potted Christmas tree a permanent part of your garden.
 

• In November (when the ground’s still workable) dig a hole where you intend to place the tree after the
• holidays.
• The hole should be approximately 50 cm (20”) deep and 60 cm (24”) wide.
• Loosen the soil at the bottom with your shovel.
• Add 5 cm - 10 cm (2” - 4”) of gravel on the bottom if you have heavy clay.
• Add 15 cm - 25 cm (6” - 8”) of Parkwood® 3 in 1 mixed with some manure or compost.
• Place the remainder of your soil mixture in the garage or basement so it does not freeze solid when you’re ready to back fill the sides at planting time in late December.
• Cover the planting hole with planks of wood or a sheet of plywood.
• Purchase your fresh potted evergreen at a Sheridan Nurseries Garden Centre near you in late fall. There are plenty of varieties and sizes to choose from.
• Bring your evergreen home and leave it outside in the cool temperatures.
• Water every 2 or 3 days to the point where you see water exiting the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot.

• Keep your potted evergreen inside for a maximum of 7 to 10 days.
• Be sure to position your tree in the coolest area of your home (i.e. near a window or door) and away from direct heat sources.
• Place a large, sturdy drainage tray under the tree for when you water.
• Decorate your tree with LED mini-lights and your favourite Christmas decorations.
• Water your living Christmas tree everyday.
   

• Harden your evergreen before putting it right into the ground after Christmas.
• Take your tree outside for a few hours each day and put it back in the garage overnight. It will gradually re-adjust to the colder temperatures.
• After a week has passed trim the rim of the fibre pot down to the soil level with a sharp knife and remove. Cut the bottom right off.
• Make four evenly spaced slits halfway up the fibre sides from bottom to top but do not remove. Leave the sides on to maintain the integrity of the root ball so it doesn’t fall apart during planting.
• Place the container in your pre-dug hole and back fill the sides firmly with the soil you stored in the garage.
• Water the area thoroughly, and then put an extra 10 cm (4”) of soil over the top to help insulate the root zone for winter.
• Maintain moisture in the foliage by spraying your evergreen with Wilt-Pruf to prevent windburn or you can surround your specimen with burlap stapled to sturdy garden stakes.
   

• Remove the burlap and the extra insulation soil once the ground begins to thaw in the spring.
• Dilute Parkwood® Transplanter 5-15-5 with water to promote immediate root growth.
• Repeat this treatment twice more at 2-week intervals with regular watering in between.
• Continue to keep your evergreen well watered especially through prolonged periods of high temperatures and drought.
• The following spring, make a yearly application of an evergreen fertilizer
   

• Prune your female and male Holly in December and bring the branches inside to decorate your home.
• Yellowtwig, Red Osier, Siberian, Ivory Halo, Silverleaf, or Winter Beauty Dogwood makes wonderful dried flower arrangements.
• If you don’t grow your own Dogwood you can buy stems from your nearest Sheridan Nurseries Garden Centre. We also stock Curly Willow, Winterberry branches and many more.
• Fresh wreaths are also available in Cedar, Balsam or Fraser Fir, Boxwood, Evergreen Magnolia, and mixed evergreens.
• Cedar or Balsam roping can be swaged across a fence or porch or spiraled down columns.
• Near the house, on an evergreen(s) in the back garden, you may want to string dried fruits, berries, rosehips, raisins, cranberries, dried apricots, even dried Sunflower heads as a Christmas present to the birds. Both wreaths and roping can be used indoors for a short period of time before dropping needles. To prolong the use of any fresh evergreens inside your home, spray with Wilt-Pruf before bringing indoors. This clear spray locks in moisture to keep greens going longer.