THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 10, 1995 TAG: 9512080076
SECTION: HOME PAGE: G1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY MARCIA MANGUM, HOME & GARDEN EDITOR
LENGTH: Long : 244 lines
DEBATE CAN RAGE for years about what kind of Christmas tree to buy - long-needle or short; pine, fir, spruce or cedar; pre-cut, cut-your-own or live with root-ball. It's a personal choice influenced by taste, tradition, price and geography.
But there's one indisputable fact of buying live trees: fresh is best, and water keeps it that way.
``Caring for your real tree is easy,'' says Bob Scott, president of the Milwaukee-based National Christmas Tree Association. ``The most important thing to remember is that real trees need water daily. Never let your tree stand go dry.''
Tom Kay, who with his son Tim owns Tim's Christmas Tree Farm in the Pungo section of Virginia Beach, encourages everyone who buys a tree from him to get a fresh cut on the bottom of the trunk before it's put in a stand.
``If you don't, the sap will form on the bottom of the tree, and it won't take up any water,'' he says. ``If you let it run out for a day or so, the sap will start sealing up the bottom of the tree.''
The tree association says a seal of sap can form within four hours when the water in a stand drops below the base of the tree. If a seal forms, make a fresh cut in the tree, or it will stop absorbing water, needles will dry and drop off and boughs will droop.
A tree will absorb as much as a gallon of water in the first 24 hours and one or more quarts a day thereafter, Scott says. All trees need at least a 2-quart stand; large trees need larger stands.
Here are some other suggestions for freshness from the tree association:
Before you buy, do a freshness test. Gently grasp a branch between your thumb and forefinger and pull it toward you. Few needles should fall off in your hand. Look at the ground around the tree and make sure it's not covered with needles.
Once you've chosen your tree, keep it in a sheltered, unheated area, such as a porch or garage, to protect it from wind and sun until you're ready to decorate. Get it in water as soon as possible,
Before you set up your tree, make a fresh, straight cut across the base, about a half-inch up from the previous cut.
Keep your tree away from heat and draft sources, such as fireplaces, radiators and televisions.
Test your light cords and connections to be sure they work before putting them on the tree. Discard any that have cracked insulation or broken or empty sockets.
Unplug tree lights when you leave the house or go to bed.
The Christmas tree as we know it was introduced in the 16th century, with a recorded reference in Strasbourg, Germany, of families decorating fir trees with colored paper, fruits and sweets.
But the tradition of using evergreen branches and palms pre-dates Christianity. Egyptians brought green palm branches into their homes on the shortest day of the year in December as a symbol of life's triumph over death, according to the National Christmas Tree Association.
Romans adorned their homes with evergreens during Saturn-alia, a winter festival in honor of Saturnus, their god of agriculture. And Druid priests decorated oak trees with golden apples for their winter solstice festival.
The custom of Christmas trees spread from Europe to the United States during the Revolutionary War. Charles Minnegrode introduced the custom of decorating trees in Williamsburg in 1842, the tree association reports.
Indeed, many families preserve Christmas tree traditions dating back through generations of family. Ornaments are handed down, only certain types of trees are chosen and certain customs are observed for decorating.
Though artificial trees have enjoyed an increasing popularity as manufacturers have made them more realistic looking, the tree association estimates that more than 35 million families purchased live trees in 1994, priced from $3.10 to $5.65 a foot.
The average life for an artificial tree is six years, after which they are usually discarded, according to the tree association. Live trees are a ``recyclable, renewable resource,'' says Keith Jacob, past president of the tree association.
In Hampton Roads, farms where families can cut their own, fresh Christmas trees are proliferating. The long-needle white pines are most easily grown in this area, but there also are a few farms with Scotch pines, Virginia pines, Norway spruce, Leyland cypress and red cedar (see box).
The popular Fraser firs and Douglas firs are not easily grown here, but some tree farms ship them in from Pennsylvania or North Carolina.
Local experts say prices remain about the same this season as last, and the quality of trees is good. The dry hot summer made them tough, fall rains forced them to thicken up and an early winter hardened them, they report.
Some young trees, however, fared poorly in Hampton Roads' hot, dry summer. ``Our trees had a real hard stress time, and we lost a high percentage of young trees planted last year,'' said Jim Bright, owner of Bright's Farm in Creeds in Virginia Beach. ``At one time our trees looked real bad - limp from the heat. But once we started getting the rain, the bigger trees came out of it and they've got good color and look real good.''
Tree farms in the area range from small, unadorned fields with inexpensive trees to large operations, some with entertainment so you can take the kids and make it a day's outing.
Clay Hill Christmas Tree Farm in Suffolk, for example, has expanded each year, according to Kimberli Marshall, who works at the farm owned by her father, Buddy Wirt.
Children are greeted at the farm by a two-story tin soldier. While the adults browse for trees, the children can enjoy pony rides, a tractor converted to look like a train, hay rides, carnival games and a petting zoo. An old silo serves as the train station, where apple cider, hot chocolate and coffee are available.
Wirt started planting trees 10 years ago and opened for business three years ago selling white pines. This year Wirt has about 3,000 trees ready-to-cut, and he brought in some cut Fraser firs and blue spruce from Pennsylvania.
``If you put water in the trees you cut yourself, they'll last till June,'' Marshall says.
Even a pre-cut tree may last a long time, if you make sure it's fresh when you buy. Tom Kay of Tim's Christmas Tree Farm, the oldest in the region, says cut blue spruce are shipped to them every week from Pennsylvania and are set up in pipes filled with water to ensure freshness.
Whether you plan to pick up a tree at the grocery store lot or take a trip to the farm, remember to look for freshness - and preserve it. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
LAWRENCE JACKSON/The Virginian-Pilot
Fraser firs are the most popular Christmas tree in this area, but
more and more farms are growing various pines that can be cut
fresh.
Graphic
WHERE TO GO TO CUT YOUR OWN TREE
Chesapeake
Holiday Christmas Tree Farm
Hours: 2 to 6 p.m. weekdays and 9 to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays
through Dec. 23.
Products: White pines. Cut your own or they'll cut it. Also sell
trees with root balls for replanting. A variety of cut trees shipped
in.
How much: $40 for white pines from 6 feet to 12 feet.
Where: 3035 S. Battlefield Blvd., 1 mile south of Centerville
Turnpike intersection.
Info: 467-3594.
Noel Tree Farm
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturdays and 1 to 5 p.m. Sundays.
Products: White and Scotch pines, ranging from 4- to 8-foot
tall. You pick, you cut, or they cut.
How much: $20 any tree.
Where: 3320 Ballahack Road. Take State Route 168 (Battlefield
Boulevard) south. Turn right on Ballahack Road and go 7.5 miles;
it's on the right. From Route 17, it's 4.5 miles down Ballahack on
left.
Info: 421-2273.
Suffolk
Clay Hill Christmas Tree Farm
Hours: 9 a.m. until dark daily until Christmas Eve; on weekdays,
children's activities are available only from 3 p.m. until dark.
Products: White pines; blue spruce and Fraser firs shipped from
Pennsylvania.
Activities: For the children, pony rides, carnival games, a
petting zoo, hay rides and ``train'' rides on a converted tractor.
Hot chocolate, cider and coffee served at the train station, a
converted grain silo. All free if you buy a tree.
How much: $25 for all white pines grown on the farm; $30-$45,
depending on height, for blue spruce and Fraser firs.
Where: 3100 Clay Hill Road. Take Interstate 64 east through
Chesapeake; pick up U.S. 58 to Suffolk. Take the first Suffolk exit
and stay on that road for 4 miles. Turn left on U.S. 13 South. Go 4
miles and turn left on U.S. 32 South. Go 4 miles to State Route
675, turn left and follow the signs to the farm, about 1 mile.
Info: 986-2459
Ehrenzeller Tree Farm Inc.
Hours: 9 a.m. to dark daily until Christmas Eve.
Products: Scotch pine and white pine to 15 feet. Deer Path farm
has a larger selection of Scotch pines; Old Somerton Road has the
larger selection of white pines. Wreaths and roping/garland
available. Also trees balled and wrapped in burlap. Cutting and
twine available.
How much: $24.84, except for imported trees.
Where: Two tree farms, one at 4022 Deer Path Road and one at 1225
Old Somerton Road. To get to the Deer Path Road farm, take U.S. 58
West past downtown Suffolk. From the light at the western end of the
Suffolk bypass, continue west on 58, 1.5 miles to Kenyon Road
(second light). Turn right on Kenyon Road. Go 1.1 miles to the stop
sign at Indian Trail; turn left and go 0.2 miles and turn left on
Deer Path Road. The entrance is two miles on the right.
Info: 539-3543.
Isle of Wight
Tomlin Hill Tree Farm
Hours: 2 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to dusk
Saturday and Sunday through Dec. 17.
Products: 4- to 6-foot white pines; small Norway spruce. ``You
choose, we cut.''
How much: $10 for all trees
Where: 19362 Tomlin Hill Drive, Zuni. Take U.S. 58 West to 460
West to Zuni. Turn right on Fire Tower Road, go 0.75 mile; turn left
on Tomlin Hill Drive and farm is 0.5 mile on the left.
Info: 242-9641.
The Homeplace Christmas Tree Farm
Hours: 10 a.m. to dusk Friday, Saturday and Sunday through next
Sunday.
Products: Scotch and white pines; Fraser firs from N.C.
mountains. Handmade wreaths, pine roping and tree stands.
Activities: Hay ride to the fields.
How much: $4.25 a foot for Scotch and white pines; Fraser firs
priced separately.
Where: 11209 White House Road, about six miles outside of
Smithfield. Follow Route 10 west (the Smithfield Bypass) to U.S.
258, turn left. Turn right on Four Square Road, follow it 2.5 miles
and turn right on Comet Road. Go 1.5 miles and turn right on White
House Road. The Homeplace is a quarter mile on the right.
Info: 255-4000.
Virginia Beach
Tim's Christmas Tree Farm in Pungo
Hours: 9 a.m. to dark Saturday and Sunday; weekdays noon to dark
through Christmas Eve. Appointments available at other times if you
call ahead.
Products: Norway spruce, white pine; root-ball norway spruce,
white pine and Fraser fir; imported cut blue spruce from
Pennsylvania. Saws available if you want to cut your own. Trees are
covered with netting for easy transporting. Free garlands, pine
cones, holly.
Activities: Plenty of farm animals and a fish pond for the kids
to see.
How much: Any size white pine, $29; any short-needle tree for
$39. Root-ball trees are $10 more.
Where: 1641 Princess Anne Road. Take General Booth Boulevard or
Indian River Road to Princess Anne Road. Go 0.75-mile south of the
Pungo traffic light, and the farm is on the right.
Info: 426-2128.
Bright's Farm
Hours: 9 a.m. to dusk Saturdays and Sundays; may close for the
season today.
Products: White pines and Virginia pines.
How much: $20 any Virginia pine; $5 a foot for white pines.
Where: 643 Princess Anne Road in Creeds. Eight miles south of the
stoplight at Pungo on Princess Anne Road.
Info: 426-7832
The Henley Farm
Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily through Christmas Eve.
Products: Virginia pine, white pine, Scotch pine, Leyland cypress
and red cedar; Fraser firs and Douglas firs from western North
Carolina. Trees range in size up to 10 feet.
Where: 3513 Charity Neck Road. Take Indian River Road or Princess
Anne Road to the Pungo traffic light. Go about 1.5 miles east of the
light on Princess Anne Road and follow the signs to Henley Farm.
Info: 426-7501.
by CNB