As a retailer this is my most challenging time of the year, but I have to admit that I live for the excitement of Christmas. For the next four weekends I’ll have to strap on the rockets in my annual attempt to keep up with customers’ needs. This retail season is so condensed into just a few weekends that it’s a challenge to anticipate demand for Christmas trees, wreaths, poinsettias, ornaments, etc. I don’t know how those without computer systems keep up with it all!

As you prepare for Christmas and begin to think of your freshly cut tree, I have some important advice: Don’t wait until the week before Christmas to buy your fresh-cut tree. Retailers, not wanting any trees leftover at season’s end, have pared back their inventories. That’s why for several years now local merchants have sold out of every cut tree. With the current economy, I predict this will be another year with a shortage of cut trees for sale.

I’m sure that over the weekends of December 4th and 11th people will buy most of the Christmas trees in the marketplace. After that the trees will look picked over and we'll begin to run out of several sizes and varieties. You want to buy your cut tree before December 18th. Please share this advice with family and friends. It breaks my heart to see a family unable to find a Christmas tree…….. anywhere in town.

This is the season that retailers, whether of grocery stores, drug stores, or garden centers, load up with holiday plants. One of my favorites is the Christmas cactus, zygo. This plant blooms around the holidays with an incredibly long bloom cycle and usually comes into bloom again in the spring. It’s not a true cactus, so it has no thorns, but its fleshy, cactus-like leaves are topped with long tubular flowers in shades of white, pink, and red. It is a very low water user that lives best in the house, lovingly neglected. If you’re unsure about having a green thumb, this is a good starter plant. Because it is long-lived and easy to grow this plant makes a great holiday gift and an appropriate “thank you” for a Christmas party host.

There are other holiday plants looking really attractive at the garden center. One is the anthurium, with its Christmas red and white heart-shaped flowers. Another, the amaryllis, already is heavy with buds and many huge blossoms in full bloom. Of course, the newest introductions of poinsettias in splashed pinks and reds are bigger, bolder, and more stunning than ever. As the holiday party season begins, remember that any of these plants make welcome, non-caloric, hostess gifts.

This is a good time to introduce children to the enjoyment of plants. Just add a potted amaryllis bulb to the hustle and bustle of the season. This plant grows so fast it brings to mind the story of ‘Jack and the Bean Stalk’. Its amazingly fast growth is topped-off with huge blossoms in spectacular colors. Another favorite, always enjoyed by our children, is a glass container planted with paperwhites. I defy anyone to walk by these stunning white holiday flowers without stopping to smell their intoxicating fragrance.

Keeping any holiday plant healthy comes down to placement because most are tropical plants that don't like temperatures below 50 degrees. Consequently, I would not buy any plants that have been displayed at the entrance of a store or by doors that are opened often. These plants will look great when you buy them, but will quickly drop their leaves or turn yellow. They won't die; they’ll just turn ugly and usually won't last through the season. At my garden center we put these plants in the room farthest from the doors. I even created a room specifically for these sensitive plants. It has special windows, full spectrum lighting, and most importantly . . . it is the room closest to the furnace to maintain consistently warm temperatures.

Our Christmas shop is filled with holiday decorations, designer trees, and everything else expected from a Christmas store. The only thing hard to purchase in a box is that traditional fresh tree smell. For those of you that prefer artificial trees but still want the aroma of a fresh Christmas tree, I suggest using fresh garlands or wreaths. Make sure these evergreen decorations are very fresh or they will wither and die long before the big day. As I write, the ladies are making our fresh wreaths that will arrive with the first order of fresh-cut trees.

Well, those are my tidbits of holiday plant information and things to look for to keep your home looking, smelling, and feeling festive throughout this holiday season.

Until next week, I'll see you at the garden center.