We start the season of festive greenery early at Drummers Garden Center and Floral. Christmas Trees, as well as spruce tops, wreaths, garlands, and evergreen bundles including cedar, pine, and juniper are in around mid-November. We know some of you wave your magic wand of decorations as soon as you can and others fully enjoy just the cozy feel of the season so we have them for you before Thanksgiving!
Our Christmas Trees come from sustainably grown tree farms that focus on quality and providing freshly harvested trees. Nelson Family Farms up in Wild Rose, WI is one of our Christmas tree vendors and each year we unload a large semi full, and then hang from rafters of our greenhouse for easy viewing. The tree branches relax and you see them in their full form. We also cut the trunk, net them, and help you load if needed! The greenhouse also smells amazing with all the scent trapped inside.
We believe the trees we provide are the best value. We carry Fraser Fir, Balsam Fir, White Pine, and Victorian Fraser Fir. *See image with our four tree varieties
Tree attributes:
To help you decide on a Christmas tree this year here are a few attributes of each tree variety. The trees can vary in size 5′-14′ tall also so make sure you measure the height of the room it will be in.
White Pine: Size ranges from 6′-8′ tall and have soft, flexible needles that are bluish-green in color. Needles are 2½ – 5 in. long. They have good needle retention. These trees have little fragrance. Great for people who may have allergies to evergreen scent. These trees look so lovely with lights woven in and out of their long needles and lighter weight ornaments.
Fraser Fir: Size ranges from 6′-12′ tall and have good form and the best needle retention of all the varieties. The branches are slightly upturned. Has a pleasant fragrance. Our most popular tree!
Victorian Fraser Fir: Size ranges from 6′-14′ tall and are the same as Fraser Firs but untrimmed and space between branches are wide. This is a more traditional style of Christmas tree. True to natural form in the wild. Sometimes they are still adorned with little cones on them. Good needle retention.
Balsam Fir: Size ranges from 5′-12′ tall. These Christmas trees have the strongest and longest lasting fragrance of the tree varieties. These are relatively dense trees and have two toned needles with dark green on top and silvery green on the bottom.
Step-by-Step Amaryllis Bulb Planting
Amaryllis bulb planting is super simple and one of the easiest houseplants to take care of after they are done blooming. Watch our quick video on how to plant a single Amaryllis bulb or read the steps below!
Find the after blooming care instructions on he bottom of this post.
Gather all materials for planting your Amaryllis bulbChoose a pot that is at least 6″ deep and about an inch wider on all sides from your AmaryllisMake sure you pot has drainageChoose an Amaryllis bulb that is firm and not mushy or rottingFill your pot half way up with well-draining potting soilPlace bulb on soil and line up to the center of the potBulb should stick half way up over soil once fullSide view of pot to show bulb placementFill soil around the roots and bulbTap the soil down so the bulb will stay in placeWater in well and then add decorative mulch if you’d likeAdd additional decor like pine cones,figurines, twigs, etc
Select firm bulbs – the biggest you can find. The larger the bulb, the more blooms it can have. Use any pot, ideally at least 6″ deep, with drainage and about 1 to 2 inches wider than the bulb. Try a larger container with several amaryllis. Plant bulbs an inch apart, if planting more than one.
Plant or restart your bulb 8-10 weeks in advance of when you want it to bloom. If you want blooms during Christmas and New Year, plant your bulb at the beginning of November.
Fill the pot 1/2 full with all-purpose well draining potting soil. Set the bulb on top of soil and then fill the pot with soil so the 1/3 to 1/2 of the bulb is exposed. The soil can be topped with the moss, rocks, or other decorations.
Water well to settle the soil then water sparingly until active growth is visible. Around one fourth cup of water a week is usually adequate. You don’t want the soil to get bone dry but avoid it being soggy.
Place the pot in a warm sunny (indirect bright light is best) spot and you’ll start to see it growing its flower stalk soon. If the bloom stalk is leaning towards the light, rotate your pot one fourth turn every week. You’ll have blooms in about two months.
You can then move the pot wherever you’d like indoors to enjoy after they are in bloom.
After Blooming Care:
Once the blooms are done, Amaryllis will grow long leaves. Keep your plant in direct to indirect bright light and fertilize about once a month if there is active growth. Once the temps are 50F or above outdoors, acclimate your plant outside to the bright sun. Keep your plant outside all summer until the temps drop again. This is the best way to get blooms next year since they need to store a lot of energy for blooms the next winter.
Fertilize your plant every other week and water when the top couple inches of soil is dry.
In the fall, once the temps drop to around 50F bring your plant into a dark cool area and stop watering to induce dormancy.
Once the leaves yellow and die, cut them off about an inch above the bulb.
Leave your plant in a cool dark place for 2-3 months.
Once you start to see a bloom bud coming, take out of dark area and water your pot. Placing your pot in a sink filled with water for about 10 mins is the best way to get water around the roots of the bulb when you are initially taking it out of dormancy.
Follow the above care instructions starting at #5.
As you can see, Amaryllis bulb planting is super easy and is well worth the effort to have the colorful blooms during the cold winter months.
Spruce Top Style Ideas
Styling a spruce top container can be a lot of fun but sometimes daunting if there are so many options! That’s why we put together three styles for you! Add or take away what you want or grab the whole decoration bundle while in the store when you are getting your evergreens!
Without any further delay, here are the three easy styles!
Woodsy Winter Neutrals
Ingredients:
Curly Willow
Frosted Cones
White berries
Sakai Pod
Greens: Spruce, Pine, Cedar, and Berried Juniper
Recommended add-ins: Magnolia or Eucalyptus Leaves, Variegated Oregonia bundle, Dried Hydrangea Flowers
Classic Christmas
Ingredients:
Red Twig Dogwood
Birch Pole
Red Berries
White-tipped Pine Cones
Buffalo Check Ribbon
Greens: Spruce tops, Cedar, Pine
Recommended add-ons: Broom Bloom ( Neutral or Red), Red Ornaments
Glitzy Frost
Ingredients:
Metallic Green Berries
Frosted and Silvery Evergreen Foliage
Greens: Norway Pine, White Pine, Shore Pine, Cedar
Recommended add-ins: Short spruce tops if you want height, metallic globes, glitter pine cones, or glitter vines.
Poinsettias
Originally red, poinsettias are available in a huge variety of sizes and colors.
The best tips for keeping poinsettias in good shape are: keep them out of drafts, allow them to dry slightly between watering, and be sure to empty excess water from the bottom tray or cover provided when you purchased it. Here is Minnesota Gardener’s guide to caring for Poinsettias during the Holiday and year-round!
In season, purchase these beautiful plants in our store or on our floral website.
It’s the bracts of the plant, or modified leaves, that provide most of the color to poinsettias. The flower itself does provide a bright spot of color, see it? The yellow flowers are located in the center of each colorful bract.
Holiday Houseplants
These Holiday houseplants are great for a fresh finishing touch to your decorations or great to give as a gift! With some care these houseplants can live all year-long, year-after-year.
1. Poinsettia
When you see Poinsettias, you think Christmas! The bright colored foliage of the Poinsettia instantly adds the joy of the Holiday season into your home or office! Read more about Poinsettias here!
2. Holiday Cactus
These Holiday cactus are long lasting, and easy to care for plants that bloom beautiful light pink, bright pink, deep red, or white. Some varieties bloom around Thanksgiving, some later near Christmas time!
3. Norfolk Pine
These “little Christmas trees” are great au natural or add small lights and decorations. These will last you for years with care and many more Holiday seasons!
4. Cyclamen
These houseplants have distinctive patterned foliage and adorable little heart-shaped flowers that definitely bring joy to any room.
Amaryllis bulbs are also an easy care plant that blooms during the Holidays that you can keep blooming year after year and have them outside in the summer!
With any of these Holiday houseplants, you can dress them up a bit with a ribbon (we have a lot of different styles!) or decorations that fit in with the Holiday decorations in your home!
