Ten Minute Gardening

Imagine a Christmas without the pleasure of a real tree. Think of all the delightful experiences that would be missed:

– The trail of snow and needles in every room as the Christmas tree is wrestled into the house.

– The balancing act of straightening the tree

– The six inch spikes pounded into the wall and the mooring line that lassoes the tree to the spikes to prevent it from falling over

– The back breaking task of wriggling under the tree every morning to water it while being viciously attacked by needled branches.

– Keeping an eye on the dog who is contemplating the advisability of claiming the tree as his property.

– Preventing the cats from climbing it.

– The sheer joy of still vacuuming up needles in July.

But, when I awaken each morning to the scent of a fresh Christmas tree, I am taken back to my childhood when Christmas trees were at least thirty feet tall and Christmas never came fast enough. And the trials of having a real tree are worth it.

With the arrival of the New Year, the tree comes down and I can usually be found outside, in the garden, pruning shears in hand, cutting branches off the tree. Those branches are then placed over and around the roses and tender plants that need winter protection. The rest of the tree is set aside in a corner of the garden. Many years, we find birds have made their winter homes in amongst its branches, keeping them warm, dry and protected from the bitter winds of winter.

Tips of the branches are snipped off, dried, and will be used for potpourri later in the year.

In the spring when the annual clean up is in progress, the branches of the Christmas tree go through the chipper-shredder to become mulch and be returned to the earth. The trunk becomes part of Trevor’s twig creations – an arbour, a trellis, a gate, or furniture.

Virtually every part of our Christmas tree gets recycled. Not only do we help the environment by recycling our real tree, we get our money’s worth out of it. Win-win!