Where has the past year gone too? its the same question we ask ourselves year after year, and our festive season still seems to come around quicker than the last!
As the time comes closer to rush out to the local garden centre and buy our freshly cut trees and Christmas trimmings its not long before were all “wrapped up” in the on coming events, every year we choose to “go fresh” with our christmas tree’s, in our home we opt for the gorgeous and rather more robust ”Nordmans fur” which is renowned for holding onto its needles longer reducing the onset of “prickled feet syndrome”!
                                       

In our garden we always buy a large 8ft Norway spruce which sits in its home in the centre of our garden, once decked with the festive clear lights, she looks great sparkling away to cheer us all up on what ever weathers are thrown at us and reminding us that “Santa’s on his way very,very soon. On buying our trees i always choose the more bushier specimens that looks “fresh” and straight in shape, the trees that stand out with glossier, healthier balance are the trees that get chosen to come home with us at the end of our scrupulous examinations! Upon getting home the tree which is being decorated indoors is unwrapped and allowed to stand for a couple of hours, this helps the tree relax its branches and settle to its normal shape, there’s nothing worse than going to the trouble of decorating with all the lights and baubles and hours later having to adjust and perfect it all again as the tree has “sagged”! Before i place my indoor tree into its stand i always cut around two inches from the base of the trunk, this because after being cut from the growing field and stood for a period of time the trunk will start to try and heal itself and “scab” over which reduces the water consumption of the tree in question, cutting part of the base away allows a better water flow which in turn keeps your purchase fresher for longer!
 
Topping the water level on a regular basis keeps your tree thirst free and quiet and content for the purpose its intended, so that way there will be less of the old “needle fall” so that’s good news all round.
When positioning the tree in your home make sure its away from direct heat of a radiator or fire as this will dehydrate it and hamper its decorative life!

After the buying and decorating of our trees is complete i like to buy a nice, colourful Holly wreath for my front door, there’s a local green grocer near to where i live who sells very nice examples, so once my purchase arrives home i waste no time in hanging it on the door, its great to add some colour and brighten up any dreary old day! Festive wreathes are a great buy as even though they are created from cut flowers and foliage, in the outdoor elements they stay fresh and healthy so don’t really require any care, one thing less to be worrying about i hear you say!
 
After the main festive decorations are taken care of i like to add a few seasonal house plants to the theme, there’s your normal choice of poinsettia’s and flowering azaleas, then there is the cheerful cyclamen available in a nice range of shades, then you have the colourful Christmas solanum’s and delicate orchids all adding interest and vibrancy, some types add a zest of fragrance to the home too, care is easy enough just keep moist and away from any serious draughts and these little darlings should do fine and keep on performing long after the turkey has been banished to the dust bin!
 

So even though outdoors can look rather on the glum side this time of year, there’s no excuses not too add a touch glamour and bling to the inside of your humble abode making the whole Christmas experience as exciting as saint Nicholas delivering you all of those well earned presents………and on that note, have a very merry “colourful” Christmas.