For people who want to grow more food with less work. 🌱 This is my weekly newsletter loved by 38,000+ subscribers—here's what one of them had to say: "These are not the regular run-of-the-mill garden-based emails. You actually touch on more unusual tidbits that encourage me to keep growing and learning."
how to keep your wreath and garland green for 8 weeks!
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(And this is without sprays or preservatives. You don't need them!) This week I decorated my front door with a fresh-cut cedar garland and evergreen wreath, and they will look the same way they do now... in 8 weeks! (They even retain some of their scent, which I love because it makes me feel like I'm walking through a forest.) So what's the secret to keeping your holiday greenery this fresh for so long? It's not using anti-transpirant sprays or preservatives, or going with artificial wreaths. 😬 Wreaths, garlands, swags, and centerpieces are all prone to drying out—just like Christmas trees—and when they do, they turn brown and their needles start dropping. Even though they've been cut, wreaths are still very much alive, going through cellular processes like trees in the ground. Once you realize that, it's easy to understand how to keep them green for several weeks. Here are 4 things you should do when you bring home a wreath. (The most important step is one that most people skip!) Speaking of holiday greenery, our tree is decorated and lit! 🎄 You might remember from my email last weekend that we cut down a mountain hemlock this year to try something different. (We've had fir trees the last few years.) Hemlocks are one of my favorite evergreens and we've considered planting one in our yard some day. It's a beautiful conifer with shorter, almost feathery needles. I do miss having that classic Christmas tree smell in the house (which hemlocks don't really have) but an even bigger drawback, as I've recently found out, is that hemlocks don't last that long indoors once they're cut. Maybe that's why I've never seen one for sale as a Christmas tree? I got really curious about how long certain species stay green and keep their needles, which led to a new article I just wrote about the longest (and shortest) lasting Christmas tree varieties. Time will tell how long our hemlock actually lasts, but I'm crossing my fingers it stays green until Christmas! P.S. You can keep an evergreen wreath, garland, swag, or centerpiece fresh and green for up to 8 weeks—here's how to stave off browning and minimize needle drop. P.P.S. Stumped on what to get your favorite people for the holidays? I've got you covered: |
Garden Betty
For people who want to grow more food with less work. 🌱 This is my weekly newsletter loved by 38,000+ subscribers—here's what one of them had to say: "These are not the regular run-of-the-mill garden-based emails. You actually touch on more unusual tidbits that encourage me to keep growing and learning."