CHRISTMAS TREES

I inherited a mantelpiece Christmas decoration a couple of years ago from my mother. It is a collection of moulded together resin figures that have a frequency sensitive snow effect backdrop, which automatically plays a selection of Christmas carols at totally inappropriate moments. It gave my mother loads of enjoyment, as she would leave it on all year round to irritate the carers that come to visit her when she was ill. I tried to keep the tradition going in my own house after she died, but the rest of the family know where the off switch is on the back. However once the Christmas season comes it takes its place at the heart of the trappings and decorations of the season. Apart from this ‘Christmas tat’ as my 14 year old son calls this family heirloom with a look of patronising disdain, the other favourite decoration in our house (and in many others) is the Christmas tree. Now Although our family tend to put up our tree sometime in the week before Christmas, I have noticed many families locally put it up in the first weekend in December. So what are the options when choosing your tree?


SELECTION AND CARE OF YOUR TREE
You might be opting for the synthetic tree, which have their merits. Every year our family debates the merits of synthetic versus real. In practice this means I try and persuade Julie to have a practical, tidy, non needle dropping, reuse every year synthetic one and every year after politely listening to my great oratory powers, Julie goes out and gets a real one. When you are selecting your real Christmas tree always bear in mind where you are going to place it in the house. Check that the size suits your home and the room you are going to put it into. For most modern homes a 6ft Christmas tree is very suitable.

Check that the stem is straight and the tree has even, dense branches and a fresh colour. When you bring your Christmas tree home, cut an inch or two off the bottom of the stem and stand it outside in a bucket of water. Shake off any loose needles before you bring it inside and stand it in a special Christmas tree stand or in a bucket of wet sand with a water bowl to which you should add a pint of water daily (avoiding the electrics). Try not to let the tree dry out, as the base will re-seal itself and stop taking in water. Water is important as it prevents the needles from drying and dropping off and the branches from drooping. Water also keeps the tree fragrant. Place the tree in the coolest part of the room away from fires and radiators, as central heating is the worst enemy of a tree.

ROOTED TREES
If you have a big garden, then why not consider buying a rooted tree in a pot. Rooted trees in pots have the best chance of survival if they are kept in the house over the Christmas period. If you water them well they should still be alive at the end of the holiday and you can plant them outside in a half barrel in the garden ready for next year. I have known people successfully re-use their trees for a couple of years this way. They were planted into a bigger pot every year and it was a good while before the trees got too big for the house. It can be a lot of work keeping them watered in summer though.
Christmas trees to plant outdoors

Maybe you would like something Christmassy in the garden all year round. There are a few trees that would be suitable. Don't plant Norway spruce though unless you have a very large garden. It grows to about 30m (100ft) and drops needles all year. Instead, try:

· Abies koreana - grows to 12m (40ft) and therefore more suitable for the smaller garden.
· Abies procera - silvery-blue, fragrant tips, smooth, grey bark, and good needle retention.
· Abies fraseri - soft needles, which also hold well, and strong boughs that are ideal for supporting heavy ornaments.


TREE SAFETY
Make sure your tree is properly secured and positioned clear of doorways, stairs, heaters and open fires. Christmas tree lights can be dangerous if not properly wired. There are a lot of different types to go for in the shops. Look for the approved safety standards sign on the box and go for the low energy ones like the Buncrana Christmas Lights Committee have done this year. Remember to unplug tree lights and other decorations when out of the house or going to bed at night. And if you have a cat, make sure that it doesn’t jump up the tree to get to the shiny baubles and bring the whole lot down.



TREE TYPES

The most popular types of Christmas tree sold include:

· Norway spruce - the traditional choice and usually the cheapest. It has fallen from favour in recent years, as it tends to shed needles quite heavily. Nevertheless, if well watered and kept away from radiators it will drop fewer needles.
· Nordmann fir - the most popular tree these days due to its needle-holding qualities. It has strong, straight branches clothed with thick, flat needles with a silvery underside. But it's the most expensive as it's much slower growing.
· Fraser fir - this has a good shape and excellent needle-holding qualities.
· Blue spruce - this tree has a silvery-blue colour to the thick needles and an aromatic, citrus scent.
· Scots pine - a little more unusual, but a wonderful, bushy tree, with extra long needles that don't drop as readily.

WINTER GARDENING FOR KIDS

MEETING YOUR NEEDS

I never noticed, or remember bad weather days when I was a child. I also can’t imagine being hot when my toes feel like icicles. It’s no doubt a safety feature we have built into us so we don’t suffer unnecessarily. Imagine being able to feel toothache when you don’t have it…not nice at all.

There must have been days when I just couldn’t go out though and I also must have found things to do to occupy myself. I remember having a day off school because of an illness when I was about six. This must have been one of the longest days of my life….. My mother had to put me on the settee, throw a blanket over me and left me there until teatime when she got back from work. I must have been ill because I didn’t move all day other than to see if there were any children’s programmes on the television. There weren’t. The only programme on was a schools programme called “Meeting Your Needs”, or Needing Your Meats as the producers so cleverly called it by altering the title in this edition. That phrase has haunted me ever since and I can’t help but think of it when I hear meat being mentioned. I was glad to get back to school the next day I can tell you and realised that you miss nothing if you stay off school. From then on I dragged myself in every day until I left.

GARDENING FUN FOR THE CHILDREN

Gardening fun doesn’t just have to be in the summer months. So, how can we generate a bit of horticultural interest in children and get them away from the snappy catchphrases of daytime TV and the relentless Christmas advertising? Here are a few ideas.


1. If I had a hammer: If you are handy with a hammer and nails, how about giving the children a hand making a bird house. The wood yards around Inishowen are very good at cutting wood to the right length for you if you are not too confident about cutting it yourself…It’s only a question of fixing it together with a few nails ..check out the internet for a plan.

2. Windowsill Gardens: When the relentless rain and winter cold keeps children inside, try cultivating a windowsill garden. All you need is a sunny spot and a few containers of soil. Herbs are an excellent choice for windowsills and you can plant bulbs now (just about).

3. Garden crafts: There are several projects you can try, depending on their age and interest. Hand-painted plant markers or homemade whirligigs to put between rows to frighten off birds. Check the internet for more ideas.

4. Garden Centre Visits: Plan a visit to the local garden centre to buy seeds. Or let your child help select varieties from the seed catalogues. Then start seeds indoors to plant outside after the last frost. Ask the experts at your garden centre or check the internet or your favourite gardening book to determine when to start seeds.

5. Carnivorous Plants: What child wouldn't be fascinated by an insect-eating plant? Many garden centres sell Venus Flytraps in their houseplant section.

6. Watch Seeds Sprout: Put some paper towels into a jar or on a saucer. Sprinkle on some large seeds like courgettes or smaller seeds like mustard and cress. Keep them moist and leave them on the kitchen windowsill. Seeds should sprout in a few days.
7. Potty People: Draw or paint faces on small clay pots, then fill with soil. Plant grass seed, water, and watch the "hair" grow. The other idea is to make a grasshead. Make a ball from a pair of old tights and fill with a mix of wood shavings and grass seed at the top, before tying up the end. This can then be made into a face and watered.
8. Paint and Decorate: Let children indulge their natural creativity by painting inexpensive terra cotta pots to use next spring or for repotting houseplants this winter. They also make nice birthday and thank you gifts. If you use water based paints (recommended if you are doing this inside) then a coat of varnish after the paint has dried will seal in the colour.

9. Worm Farm. Line a large cardboard box with a dustbin liner bag. Fill it with soil, organic matter, and a few worms. Keep it shady and moist, but not too wet. Add vegetable kitchen scraps to the top of the pile. Worms help teach children about the interdependence of plants and organisms as they turn vegetable kitchen scraps into valuable compost. Get them to hold one as well…..

10. Terrariums. Carefully place some soil and a few mosses and plants (with roots) inside a clean mayonnaise jar. Keep your indoor garden moist with a plant mister, and cover the opening with clingfilm.

11. Feed the Birds. Stock up on birdseed and suet at your local garden centre, and feed the birds this winter. Have your child keep a record of all the species of birds that come to the feeder and what date each first was spotted.

Toys

TOYS FOR THE BOYS

I’m at the RDS in Dublin at the Toys for Big Boys weekend. The event is highly publicised and as I think of myself as a young lad still, I thought it would be interesting to see what was on offer. I’m not here to do a review on the event, so don’t stop reading just yet if you are worried that I will be talking about Chieftain Tanks, racing car simulators and Ferraris, which are here I might add, but well fenced off….

I did think that some gardening tools could be classed as Toys, chain saws, strimmers, ride on mowers and anything else with an engine, so I am looking around for something innovative. The closest that I have come to so far in my hour of squeezing through the crowd, is a fork (not a garden one I might add) with a battery operated swivel head for twisting your spaghetti around. I am one of those people who don’t mind twizzling pasta, so that doesn’t really appeal to me much. I have also spent most of my time looking in the opposite direction to the hoards of sales staff that have been set on to do a hard sell to the Christmas shoppers looking for gifts for their loved ones.

I am not fast enough though…..

FREEBIES – AT A PRICE

“Take this complimentary gift bag.” A young girl passes over a paper bag advertising the event in big red letters. Something for free at last, I think, and take it. It’s a bit like a grown up version of a Lucky Bag so I get out of the flow of people and have a peep inside to see what companies are trying to impress me with. First out of the bag is a national newspaper, not too bad, I can read that on the Dart journey later. I’m delving again. This time I pull out a tin of tuna, well it could be worse I suppose. Next out, a bag of crisps, followed by a small sample of anti-perspirant for men. I’m not impressed but delve deeper. Next is a free sachet of Brylcreem, as if I have a need for that. I suppose I could lubricate the door hinges with it at home, but I can’t see there being a place for it on my head. Rattling around the bottom of the bag was a couple of packets of chewing gum. I didn’t think it was possible but the bag is nearly as disappointing as I remember lucky bags being, this one didn’t have any jelly sweets either. It’s the anticipation before hand that is the fun part.

NEW INNOVATIONS

There are some great innovations in the gardening world at the moment but this isn’t the place to showcase them. I am heading upstairs where the foot spa’s, jewellery, aromatherapy, massage and teeth whitening stands are…..Maybe I am not the boy I thought I was.. fun never the less.

I don’t need a massage to start a reverie and as I have a cup of tea my mind starts to consider new innovations in the gardening world. One is growing dandelions on a large scale. Most of us have been managing to grow these for years in our own gardens, but this plan is to grow them commercially for natural latex. If you break open a dandelion stem, a milky sap comes out. This liquid is similar to the latex harvested in large quantities to make natural rubber. The latex gives elasticity to things like wheelbarrow tyres. Most of the latex is harvested from Asia, but during the Second World War, when supplies were cut off, attentions turned to the dandelion and this was used as a substitute. Rubber trees are experiencing a fungal disease at the moment and plantations are being wiped out so a natural solution is becoming vital. Rubber made with the dandelion latex seems to stop the problem of allergic reactions, which will make wearing rubber gloves to pick nettles that bit easier. If the plants were grown on a large scale every hectare would produce 500-1000 kilograms of latex per growing season, it would also make finding the plants to feed to my voracious guinea pigs a lot easier.

Another innovation that has have caught my eye recently are the new wave power farms that collect energy underwater by underwater turbines. They are unseen above ground and the tide is are really reliable. It doesn’t stop like the wind does.

Another ambitious project is to create and encyclopaedia all of the world’s species. (check out www.eol.org). This maps the appearance and movement of creatures that could either benefit or destroy plants. So now we can see those pests a-coming and get prepared. It’s interactive and free to go into (unlike most things at this exhibition).

STAR WARS

I digress though, and after resisting the urge to whiten the few teeth that I still have left, I decide that it’s time to leave. My goodie bag is full of leaflets offering me 10% off of helicopter rides and free paint balls when I sign up to a weekend of adventures in the woods.

“David Prowse will be here later this afternoon.” A voice is telling me. I look around and am confronted by an army of stormtroopers complete with guns. I’m not too worried though as I don’t think that a Stormtrooper actually managed to shoot anyone in any of the Star Wars films, they were pretty poor shots. “He plays Darth Vader in the Star Wars films and he’s here to sign autographs.” They tell me in a robotic voice. I am tempted, but decline the invitation to wait around for another two hours. I have some dandelions to grow.

AN HOUR TO SPARE

Photo: Coming out with flippant remarks on a forum site could get you bitten.

What do you do when have a spare hour, but it’s too wet to go outside and do some work in the garden? One job I tend to do in the wet is sorting out the shed. Have you ever noticed that any space you have is soon taken up with stuff…when I say stuff I mean old packaging for recycling, newspapers, old clothes, furniture, machinery. In fact anything your imagination will stretch to usually gets dumped in the garage, shed, or any other corner of the house. You might have experienced the phenomenon if you ever tried to keep a spare room clear for any length of time.

CHECK OUT THE WEB
This can get a bit tedious though, moving rubbish from one shelf to another, so if its really bad outside I’ll check out the web. For a fleeting moment I got hooked on the social networking sites like facebook. Trouble is I’m not really that sociable and got a bit tired of all of the interacting. My lads use this method of contact far more effectively than me; it’s easier for them, probably because they have loads of friends from school to chat to.

GARDENING FORUMS
I do occasionally get involved with a couple of gardening forums from time to time and occasionally contribute something. I tend to be a bit flippant with the answers though and don’t take things too seriously, which doesn’t always go down very well. I have had my wrists virtually slapped a few times when I am asked how to sort out weeds in a garden and I suggest concrete.
Odd quirky remarks are best kept to a minimum when giving advice to total strangers.
For every gardening question posted onto the forum sites, there are as many answers as there are people reading it. I think that’s why I tend to hesitate when anyone asks me what is the best way to grow vegetables or cut a hedge, it can be very much down to the individual or circumstances.

IT’S NEVER TOO WET FOR WEBSITES
I also like checking out e-bay when it gets too wet to be outside in the garden. I don’t buy much but there’s no harm in looking and occasionally offering silly money for something…well, you never know, the seller might just say yes even though my dad used to say that a bargain isn’t a bargain if you don’t want it…..

GETTING READY FOR WINTER.
I like checking out the gardening equipment but with the way the economy is, it is probably better to take care of the metal tools that I have. I use WD40 to spray over the metal as I find dipping the lawnmower into a bucket of sand mixed with old oil a bit cumbersome (see what I mean about getting into trouble with being flippant). I would recommend running the mower out of petrol or emptying the tank and pipes totally before parking it up, so that the petrol doesn’t get the chance to go gloopy in the machine. I never seem to actually stop cutting the grass though, it was done last week and is already long enough to cut again. I’ll be out on St Stephen’s day – I just know it….maybe even Christmas day if it gets too noisy in the house.

SLIPPERY
Check your footwear has good grip. I say this because I went outside in my slippers the other day (yes I have started to wear slippers) and went over on the concrete slabs outside. They didn’t look slippery but they were like glass in the wet. I will be cleaning them with a stiff brush (the concrete that is, not the slippers) and some natural cleaning fluid, or even better, I might get a bargain pressure washer off of e-bay and clean all of the outside areas including the decking. There’s no point putting up with dangerous surfaces until spring, especially if I keep wearing inappropriate footwear. Clearing the area will also give the opportunity to tidy away all of the frost sensitive pots you have around the outside of the house. Take out the summer bedding in the hardy containers and get some winter colour such as pansies, polyanthus and heathers. Maybe you can pick some up cheap on e-bay….I’ll just go and have a check…..