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grEen News
from Smithfield Gardens
December 2009
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Dear Friends,
If you have not been by Smithfield Gardens lately, we look a little different, at least a little different from the rest of the year. In December the front of our store and our parking lot turn into a Christmas tree forest full of fresh cut Fraser firs from the mountains of North Carolina. If you have never bought one of our trees then you may not know that ours are not the same as you may see drying out in front of the grocery store. First we start with the highest grade of Fraser fir from a family we have done business with for years. When they get here we give the trees a fresh cut and place them in water filled stands. Then we spray them with Wilt-Pruf, which helps keep the moisture in the foliage. We go to all this trouble so that your tree will look good well beyond the holidays. In honor of the season, Les has written an article below about the history and ecology of the Fraser fir.
In addition to Christmas trees, you will be able to see other holiday appropriate plants. Our greenhouse is full of poinsettias in a wide range of colors and sizes. Oh, and if you haven't gotten the message yet - poinsettias are not poisonous to your or your pets. They may not taste good, but they will not kill you either. You can also find a good selection Norfolk Island pines as well as budded and blooming holiday cactus. If you would like to learn more about the cactus, we hope you will read Ann's article. If you are not ready for holiday plants, there is still time to take advantage of our big End-0f-Season Clearance Sale. All of our trees, shrubs and many of our perennials are on sale for 20-50% off. It is still a good time to plant, plus there must be someone on your list who would like a living gift.
We have a good selection of live as well as artificial wreaths and roping. Margie and the staff inside the garden center can help you enhance any of these with a great assortment of ribbon, bows and other decorations. If you need help picking out gifts for anyone we are full of suggestions, and if that doesn't work, you can always get a gift certificate. One final item:
please note we start winter store hours on the 26th of this month. You can see a complete list of our hours at the end of the newsletter.
All of us a Smithfield Gardens wish you the very best holidays and a safe and prosperous New Year!
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Upcoming Events and Classes at Smithfield Gardens
December 5th (Sat.) 2:00 - 3:30 p.m.
Holiday Decorating Using Live Cuttings
This timely class will teach you how you can use cuttings from your own garden to decorate with at the holidays. Taught by Jeff Williamson and Margie Cooper
If you would like to see which classes we are offering in 2010, you can visit our web site by clicking here.
Other Events:
Norfolk Master Gardeners are taking applications for their 10 week training program that begins February 2nd. For more information go to www.nmgv.org.
The Western Tidewater Master Gardener Training Program will begin on Thursday January 14th. Classes will meet every Tuesday and Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. through March 25th at the Isle of Wight Extension Office. Cost for the class and materials is $100.00. Class enrollment in limited. For more information, call 365-4362.
The Fred Huette Center in Norfolk is hosting the 2009 Urban Gardener Lecture Series and they have several events scheduled this month. Please visit www.fredheutte.org for more information.
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Consider a Holiday Cactus This Season
 Unlike many blooming houseplants purchased for the holidays, these cacti can be kept for several years---and even passed down to family members in the future. Before proceeding let me just say that there is a bit of confusion about botanical names for the types most commonly available this time of the year. Garden centers usually choose to offer one type, and that's any cactus easily recognized by shoppers as blooming around the holidays. Actually there are two types that provide color during November and December ---Thanksgiving cactus (Schlumbergera truncata, formerly called Zygocactus truncatus) and Christmas cactus (Schlumbergera bridgesii). Native to tropical rainforest areas these two types are attached to trees; this is a stark contrast to the prickly cacti plants many people grow on their windowsills.
 Schlumbergeras have a lax habit in a pot, with branching and arching stems composed of leaf-like flattened segments which are approximately 1½" to 2" long. The leaf margins offer the key to differentiating the two, with the Christmas cactus having rounded scalloped stem edges and the Thanksgiving cactus (also called crab or claw cactus) having pointed projections on the "leaf" edges. Many selections offered today are actually hybrid crosses between the Thanksgiving and Christmas cactus.
 Their flowers have a somewhat "hose-in-hose" appearance and come in pinks, reds, salmons, white, lavender and yellow. Both of the holiday cacti discussed here thrive on a little neglect, however to see them bloom again a few simple rules should be followed. When you purchase your plant it will probably be in bud or blooming. To keep these buds from dropping off water normally and place the plant in surroundings maintained at least 55 degrees F. After the flowering period is over the plants need a rest period, during which you reduce the watering and maintain a temperature of about 55 degrees F for two to three months. When you do resume more frequent watering don't allow the plants to sit in water. One of our customers puts her six year old plant outdoors for the summer in a partial shade location and is always rewarded with a heavily budded plant for the holiday season. She is, by her own admission, just an average gardener and she thinks if she can grow these plants anyone can. Perhaps this is your year to start growing a holiday classic!
Ann Weber
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A Christmas (Tree) Story
This past week at Smithfield Gardens we were up to our ankles, hips, necks and over our heads in Christmas trees. As we do every year, we got our shipment in from a family owned company in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Those of you who have gotten your trees from us before, may know we only sell Fraser Firs, and that we feel these are the best cut Christmas tree. So I thought I would share with you how this plant came to be so many families' preferred Christmas tree.
The Fraser Fir's (Abies fraseri) native range is in the southern Appalachian highlands at elevations over 5000' where the air is misty, rain fall plentiful, the summers short and cool, and the winter are long and often snowy. They grow in just a few places, but areas that are beautiful to visit, like Mt. Rogers in Virginia, Mt. Mitchell in North Carolina and Clingman's Dome in Tennessee. Their growing range was not always so limited. 18,000 years ago at the peak of the last ice age they grew in a vastly larger area covering several states and at much lower elevations. As temperatures rose, Fraser Firs and other plants retreated into the mountains onto the tallest southern peaks, forming islands of cold loving refugees. These areas have more in common with Canada then anywhere else in Carolina.
The first person to identify Fraser Fir as a distinct species was a Scotch botanist by the name of John Fraser, and it is he for whom the species is named. There is an interesting story that involves John Fraser and rival French botanist, Andre Michaux, the man who brought Camellias to the South. Michaux was constantly looking for new tree species to send to France for reforestation efforts. It seems the pair was travelling together looking for new discoveries, and Michaux increasingly thought Fraser talked too much. When their horses bolted one night, Michaux used the opportunity to part from Fraser, saying he would go find the horses and Fraser should press on. Press on he did and in 1787 he introduced the Fraser Fir to the western world, and Michaux did not.
The tree was not news to the local Cherokee Indians who had been using its sap medicinally, and they shared this knowledge with the European settlers. The Fraser Fir has a unique quality in that it forms blister-like pockets that fill with sap just under the skin of the tree. These can be pierced and milked for the clear thick resin; giving rise to one of the tree's other names - She Balsam. The wood of the Fraser Fir had little value to the people of the Appalachians, but a tree that grew in the same ecosystem, the Red Spruce (Picea rubens) was highly valued. By the early 1900's over-logging in the mountains was having a devastating affect on the environment, and areas where the Frasers grew were not immune. Eventually the threat was lessened as many mountain areas increasingly fell under protection and more responsible logging practices were being used.
The Fraser Fir was not unknown to the world of Christmas decorating, however it was valued more so for its foliage, which was harvested extensively for wreaths and garland. It was also grown as a nursery plant for use in cold climate gardens. Local people would harvest a few each year from the wild to sell for cut Christmas trees. It quickly became apparent how well-suited this plant was for the holidays. It had soft, very fragrant needles, branches that held ornaments well, but best of all the foliage retained its green color and the tree lasted well after Christmas was over. This long lasting quality is a result of the tree's biology. When Fraser Firs experience dry air, their stomates close. Stomates are openings in the needle that allow the tree to exchange gasses and when they are closed moisture is trapped inside.
In the 1950's the U.S. Forest Service and the North Carolina extension agents developed reliable methods of producing Fraser Fir seedlings. It was also discovered that the trees would grow well at less lofty elevations in soil not well-suited for other crops. Soon thereafter a new Christmas tree industry was born. Today there are thousands of Christmas tree farms growing Fraser Firs in the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia, with millions being harvested and sold every year. This industry has become a very important part of the economy in historically job-poor Appalachia.
Unlike other Christmas stories, this one does not necessarily have a happy ending. In the late 1950's an imported European pest arrived in the Southern Appalachians - the balsam wooly adelgid. This insect kills Fraser Firs (and several other trees) just as they reach reproductive age. In most areas of their native range, Fraser Firs have been decimated, with some areas having up to 90% of adult trees killed. Many scientists feel that the affects of acid rain and ozone pollution have weakened the Frasers making it even more difficult for them to fight off insect pests. Fortunately the commercial producers of Fraser Fir can protect their crops from the adelgid, while controls are being researched for wild stands and genetically resistant specimens studied. Hopefully a solution can be found so that this wonderful tree will again grow as easily in its native habitat, as it does at the tree farm where it waits to brighten someone's home for the holidays.
Les Parks |
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Holiday Decorating From Your Yard
 Going back to Jamestown, Yorktown and Williamsburg, using live cuttings in the home for decoration is a tradition in our area. Many colonial homes had decorations of cedar, holly, berries and fruit. Boxwood was added by our English ancestors and has remained a favorite. The looks that were achieved so long ago are timeless, simple and elegant which make them desirable still today. This look has been made popular in Colonial  Williamsburg, and I would suggest a trip there to really see this art form in all its grandeur. We are exceedingly fortunate to live in an area where the climate is mild enough to grow wonderfully decorative shrubs and plants. If you are interested, several lists are available at the garden center of greens, berried stems, perennials for cutting and decorationg. Pick up one of the lists the next time you are in the garden center.
 Depending on how elaborate you want your design, the amount of greenery you will use may be quite large. So if you don't have an unlimited supply, try using artificial base pieces. Now get those mental images out of your heads - this is not your grandma's greenery! Non-fade, life like greenery is available and affordable. This is a smart and effective alternative to bald shrubbery in the yard. Using the artificial will allow you to add to your arrangement and to replace wilted and browning pieces as the holidays progress. Also, keep in mind that most nurseries will have a good  supply of assorted greens and basic live wreaths and roping. We have a favorite tabletop boxwood tree that we make at the store during our greenery class. It is very easy to do and the instructions are available in our store at the front counter if you are interested. Please call us with any questions you have concerning decorating with live greenery. We will be glad to help you find the answers.
Margie Cooper
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