Balsam Fir

National Christmas Tree Association released a list of the most popular Christmas tree types available around the world.

Here is the list of the sixteen most popular Christmas Trees:

1. Arizona Cypress
2. Colorado Blue Spruce
3. White Fir
4. Eastern Redcedar
5. Fraser Fir
6. Leyland Cypress
7. Norway Spruce
8. Virginia Pine
9. Balsam Fir
10. Canaan Fir
11. Douglas Fir
12. Eastern White Pine
13. Grand Fir
14. Noble Fir
15. Scotch Pine
16. White Spruce

My favorite is the Balsam Fir or Scotch Pine.  What is your favorite?

Garden accents for the holidays

(ARA) – As autumn fades and winter draws near, homes begin to reflect the approaching holiday season. For many of us, the cooler weather also signifies a lifestyle change.

In the south, cooler temperatures make this a great time of year for gardening and outdoor entertaining. For northerners, winter brings snow sports and indoor activities. Regardless of your region, you can decorate for the approaching holidays by bringing the beauty of the outdoors in. Use natural elements from the yard and garden to create a festive decor to not only recycle nature’s bounty, but also perk up your home for winter entertaining.

Outside:
In the north, annuals and perennials are done for the year. But, there are still plenty of other ways to add color and interest to an outdoor space. After removing all the remains of the summer flowers, take a long look at the remaining landscape and add focal points.

Is the front door the main area of interest? Feature a lovely evergreen with a light dusting of snow. Solar landscaping lights in containers work great next to the front door with a spot light angled to accent that beautiful tree. Want the apartment balcony to express a festive spirit? Set the mood and accent the desired focal points by incorporating other creative lighting. Try a string of festive lights across the balcony and evergreens in decorative pots.

Live evergreens of every size and shape are abundantly available in most areas at this time of year. You can easily plant them in yards in warmer regions, or pop them into a container to be placed on the front steps or along the walkway to welcome guests.

Many types of these evergreens are available in most home improvement stores nationwide. Add your own lights for a personal touch. Create your own topiary form by using chicken wire to structure a simple cone shape. Then, simply tuck in some moss or a few branches of greenery. Ask for some discarded branches that have been trimmed from Christmas trees at the local nursery or tree farm. Place your topiary in a large pot and wrap with twinkle lights to welcome guests to the front door. Come spring, transplant these trees in the yard with Miracle-Gro Garden Soil.

Inside:
Invite guests with fragrances of the season with well-placed potpourri or bits of cut evergreens. Pair the freshly cut boughs of evergreen with holly to accentuate the celebratory atmosphere of the season. Wire them together to make a garland with florist wire or tape. Then, place on the mantle, hang over the banister or use as a centerpiece for a table. Incorporate fruit such as apples, oranges, lemons, limes or pomegranates into garlands or floral arrangements for a fresh, fruity twist.

Use elements from nature that are unexpected for a splash of creativity. Dried flowers can simply be tucked into the boughs of a Christmas tree for an extra pop of festivity. Nuts are for more than just snacking; add them to the decorating mix for a surprise. Drill holes through acorns, walnuts or pecans and string them into a woodsy garland. Do not forget to use potted plants for decorating as well. Small live herbs trimmed in topiary forms can easily add a festive feel and fragrance to your home. Potted plants also make great hostess gifts and provide a beautiful bloom all year long.

This holiday season, do not leave the beauty of the garden outside. Welcome guests indoors with bits of the outdoors as fabulous decor.

The traditional holiday fir, the Norfolk Island Pine, has a back story worthy of a Hollywood movie. When you see these delicately shaped pines at your favorite retail store, you’re taking home a bit of nautical history.

Norfolk Island Pines or “Araucaria heterophylla” are native to Norfolk Island in the South Pacific. Their romantic history involves a famous sea captain and sultry South Sea Islands. In 1774, during his second exploratory sea voyage to the South Pacific, Captain James Cook discovered Norfolk Island.

Little Norfolk Island Pine trees make great gifts for your little ones.

On a weary vessel named Resolution, Cook and his crew also discovered stately 200-foot giant pines they named Norfolk Island Pines. They were prized as a source of pine planks desperately needed for ship building and nearby flax for making sails.

Today, like modern day explorers, a few intrepid seed cone “hunters” from Florida travel to the Hawaiian island of Oahu every two years to revisit the grand Norfolk Island Pines that thrive in the warm, tropical breezes and coastal soil.

The harvesters brave dizzying heights of 100 feet to pluck the hardiest seed cones from the whirling branches. The lime green prickly seed cones are then shipped to Costa Farms south of Miami, where horticultural experts plant them, using six to eight seeds per pot to assure consistently superior pines for perfect holiday decorating.

Add holiday cheer to a cozy corner in your living room with Norfolk Island Pines.

The soft and compact needles, strong branches, and naturally symmetrical shape of the Norfolk Island Pine make it the ideal holiday tree. It can handle homemade ornaments and keepsakes, and provide endless decorating and gift-giving options.

“Miniature evergreens are the trend in home decor, particularly with live trees like the Norfolk Island Pine,” says Ethne Clark of Traditional Home magazine. “These miniature versions are elegant in a lovely container on the mantel, or decorated in the children’s room for fun.”

Small enough for a table-top display or large enough to be the dramatic focal point of any room, the pines tuck nicely into tight spaces in apartments, dorm rooms, patios or cozy corners. And, they come in a variety of sizes from 14 to 44 inches tall for a nice floor plant.

“These living trees are affordable, eco-friendly ways to decorate and provide years of pleasure,” says Jose Smith, chief executive officer of Costa Farms, one of the nation’s leading nurseries.

Make a dramatic holiday display by your fireplace with Norfolk Island Pines.

After the holidays, you can place the tree in a pretty pot to beautify your spaces and naturally refresh your indoor air.

Other creative gift ideas and decorating tips with a Norfolk Island Pine include:

* Stumped on a teacher’s gift and refuse to buy another candle? Many table-top trees come fully decorated with a gift tag and fit nicely on desks.
* Holiday party coming up? The trees make great hostess gifts. Don’t forget your boss, friends, and colleagues.
* Express yourself! Enjoy your family time by encouraging your children to decorate their own tree. Create theme trees like a “tropical Christmas’ for your dining and family rooms — adorned with mini flowers, tropical fish ornaments and seashells.
* Don’t forget your kids in college. Norfolk Island Pines make perfect gifts for students who want to decorate and add green to their rooms.

Caring for Your Norfolk Island Pine:
* They grow best indoors in a sunny location and prefer to be near a window — but away from direct heat. Avoid direct intense sunlight.
* Indoors they flourish in 50 percent humidity so consider running a humidifier or sit them in a tray of pebbles, watering the pebbles during winter months.
* Keep the soil moist but don’t let it dry out or stand in water.
* If you live where the temperature stays above 60 degrees (such as zones nine and10), your Norfolk Island Pine can be planted outdoors in the landscape.
* As a houseplant, the Norfolk Island Pine naturally filters the air from indoor toxins and provides much-needed moisture during the dry winter months.

Select from 14- to 44-inch tall trees, fully decorated or ready for your finishing touch, available at neighborhood retailers. For more information or to find a retailer near you, visit www.costafarms.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent

And don

Think green is just the traditional color of the holidays? Think again. This season it’s more than a color. It’s the hippest way to decorate while giving back to both your family and Mother Earth.

And the easiest, most festive way to be an earth friendly elf is to decorate with a living Norfolk Island Pine. No live trees to cut down, no dead needles to clean up and no discarded tree to drag to the curb and overload the landfills.

“These living Christmas trees are inexpensive and eco-chic, all wrapped in one decorated package,” says Jose Smith, CEO of Costa Farms, one of the nation’s leading nurseries.

And since Christmas trees are one of the most popular traditions of the season, these miniature living trees present a variety of decorating and gift-giving options along with many green benefits.

But think small. According to Lynn Long from Southern Living, large living trees are “high-maintenance affairs, but these miniature versions are fun to decorate and have some definite advantages over their big, tall look-alikes.”

Easy to grow, Norfolk Island Pines make cheerful centerpieces during your holiday feast and add eco-flair to your home’s decor. A native of the South Pacific, the soft, compact needles and naturally symmetrical shape of the tree provides a charming backdrop for all your seasonal celebrations.

Small enough for a tabletop display in the kitchen or hall or large enough to be the focal point of any room, they tuck nicely into tight spaces in apartments, dorm rooms, patios or cozy corners. After the holidays, untrim your mini tree and place it in a pretty pot and use as a house plant. With just a little care, your Norfolk Island Pine will reward you for many Christmases to come.

Decorating and Gift Giving Tips with Mini Trees

For a green Christmas this year, check out these fun tips:

* “Why not have a living tree in every room?” suggests Southern Living’s Long. “You can get creative and have some fun using your special collections of ornaments on different trees, either in one location or scattered throughout the house.”

* Long suggests choosing a theme for each room, adding petite cooking utensils for the kitchen, candy canes in the den and lovely gold or silver ribbons entwined with flowers in the living room, all in colors that complement the room’s décor.

* For a dramatic look, decorate three to five “themed” trees and set them on your dining table or mantel.

* And don’t forget the children’s own little tree for their rooms. “Think of all the fun and memories you and your kids will have decorating the tree with handmade paper decorations, candies, popcorn and small miniature lights,” says Long.

* Norfolk Island Pines are perfect gifts for college students or apartment dwellers who want a touch of Christmas but don’t have space for a large tree.

* Don’t know what to give your child’s teacher, your boss or hostess? Pick up either the 14- or 22-inch Norfolk Island Pine fully decorated with a gift tag.

Care Tips
Place the Norfolk Island Pine in an open, bright location such as on countertops, tabletops or in an office, but not in full sun. They prefer to be near a window but away from direct heat. Keep the soil moist but don’t let it dry out or stand in water. Feed with a complete balanced fertilizer every month.

As a house plant, the Norfolk Island Pine naturally filters the air and adds much needed moisture to a room, especially needed during the winter. It also absorbs and breaks down harmful pollutants, giving you and your family an extra Christmas gift — a healthier and greener environment.

If you live where the temperature stays above 60 degrees, such as Zones 9 and 10, your Norfolk Island Pine tree can be planted in the landscape and loved for many years.

Available at neighborhood retailers, 14- or 22-inch Norfolk Island Pines come fully decorated and ready for the party, or select the larger 44-inch tree and custom decorate it with your favorite ornaments.

This year go “green” with a living Norfolk Island Pine and create lasting memories for you and your family. For more information or to find a retailer near you, visit www.costafarms.com.

Courtesy of ARAcontent