Cultivation Of Crops: Christmas in July

Since the first ray of bright sunshine hinted at the the start of summer, all I've been thinking about (aside from flowers) is barbecues, sunscreen and swimming. But as it turns out, I should have been thinking about Christmas, of all things. Mind numbed by a warm weather-induced mental vacation, I turned to my team members last week for interesting topics to write about (they came up with a lot!), and someone mentioned the Christmas Greens industry gearing up for the holiday... in July. Aside from the Christmas Planner in Florists Review, I didn't know much about this at all. So, I sat down with our West Coast Evergreen division's greens expert extraordinaire Debbie to learn a bit more about the scent-astic world of Christmas evergreens.

Cedar

The very first thing I asked was "Why Christmas in July?" (Seemed like a good place to start.) She said it boils down to basic preparedness. Think of it this way: Remember Tickle Me Elmo? (Maybe there's a more recent example, but I'm not up on my must-have toys these days.) If you didn't get to that guffawing Muppet in time, you were going to have deal with some serious frowny faces come Christmas morning. Well, it happens pretty much the same way with Christmas Greens. While there sure are a lot of fir, pine and cedar trees out there, they're still a limited resource. The sooner you get to them, the more likely you are to get dibs on the primo varieties. This being Sun Valley, the Pacific Northwest greens we offer are the Tickle Me Elmos of the greens world, the premium stuff. Booking now equates to less frowny faces (read: more smiley faces) among your florist friends!

Douglas Fir

"What are Christmas Greens?" This is pretty basic, but I certainly would not have been able to give you the simplified answer before, which is incidentally Fir, Pine and Cedar. These three greens are the key ingredients that give us the signature smells and textures of Christmas. You could try lighting a candle to get those scents, but honestly nothing but the fresh greens themselves will give you the unique and special aromas. And you certainly won't get the symbolic meaning (evergreens are widely regarded as symbols of "eternal life") from an air freshener!

Our greens come from close surroundings, since our Arcata farm is essentially located in the heart of the Evergreens. Given our prime location, we're able to focus our energies on selecting the best greens available - the quality is based on color tones (we like the blue-green varieties), texture and vase life (it better last through the holiday!). Our close proximty to the product also allows us to obtain the greens when they're at their peak in the growing cycle.

Princess Pine

"How do we get our Christmas Greens?" The gathering of our Christmas greens depends on the season (obviously) and the elevation (interestingly). A general rule of thumb is that Christmas green collecting starts at low elevations, and as the season progresses, the elevation increases. So, right now our greens gatherers are scouting for the best trees, getting the required permits renewed, and collecting Pine Cones. Makes sense since the cones are the lowest to the ground! Juniper is foraged earliest in the season. Further up the hill, Cedar is gathered when its tips set (meaning new growth has stopped) just before the winter chill sets in. Once the first cold snap occurs, Noble Fir is ready to gather. Finally, Pine and Douglas Fir, which pack the most powerful scents, are brought in from the highest elevations until access is restricted due to the mountain snow.

"Who's bringing the green?" The people gathering our West Coast Evergreens usually consist of families who have been foraging for years. The trade is passed down from generation to generation, which means these folks are incredibly experienced. They have to be, since it's no cake walk getting to some of the greens, especially at high elevations. They must have a profound love of being in the woods as well, since they're spending a good portion of their time among the trees.

"How do you keep the greens green?" This may be common knowledge, but greens in general are the longest lasting part of an arrangement. The same is true for Christmas greens. Before they are ready to be made into wreaths or arrangements, they like to stay in their boxes in cold temperatures (not just cool; their natural environment is cold, so the colder, the better). To prolong their display life, your best bet is to keep them moist - use a spray bottle to give them a light mist. This also gives them a nice sheen. When they're part of an arrangement and the other flowers fade, the greens themselves can be kept and displayed on their own, or just add more flowers for an entirely new arrangement. No matter what, you'll be able to enjoy that fabulous smell throughout the holidays!

After learning a bit more about what goes on with our West Coast Evergreen division this time of year, I'll be thinking of Christmas scents and Santa in addition to sunglasses and sand. If you're already starting to tackle your Christmas list, make sure you put Cedar, Douglas Fir, Princess Pine and Noble Fir at the top of your priority list. Like the Xbox 360 of 2009 or Furbies of 1998, these greens won't be on the shelves long!

And for more ways to enjoy your Christmas greens, check out some of these enhanced bunches:

Red and Green Supreme (Ilex with Cedar)

10 stem Tulips and Douglas Fir

3 stem Orientals and Cedar

Please visit our resource page to learn more about West Coast Evergreen: http://www.thesunvalleygroup.com/thesunvalleygroup/pdf/SV_RP_WestcoastEvergreen.pdf

And to learn more about our Holiday Tulip Enhanced Bunches, please visit:
http://www.thesunvalleygroup.com/thesunvalleygroup/pdf/SV_RP_HolidayTulipsECB.pdf

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