Frosted Birds & Berries Italian Stone Pine Christmas Tree

Jackson & Perkins Proudly Introduces Frosted Trees for Holiday 2012!

An environmentally friendly update of the vintage “flocking” style, our frosted holiday trees are the hottest new trend of 2012! A selection of our fresh, live evergreen trees are lightly dusted with “snow,” giving them a realistic woodland look that lasts all season.

Unlike the flocking of the past, our “frosting” is biodegradable, with no harmful ingredients. We’ve even mixed in a fire retardant, making frosted trees even safer than untreated ones! And there’s no doubt they’re more beautiful, with their glaze of snowy white making a fine contrast with the natural rich green of the needles.

Enjoy an old-fashioned look for the holidays with all the modern improvements! Send everyone on your list a handsome frosted tree from Jackson & Perkins this season!

Ready to Display, Right Out of the Box!

When you order a live decorated holiday tree from Jackson & Perkins, it arrives in our special shake-proof container, keeping all the ornaments and lights in place throughout the journey. This container features a unique “front door” opening that makes it easy for you to open the box right-side-up and remove the tree.

Once the tree is out of the box, just fluff up the branches, plug in the string of tiny white lights, and admire. Your fragrant, living holiday tree is all set!

Tips for Caring for Your Live Decorated Holiday Tree

Your holiday tree from Jackson & Perkins needs no special attention to look its best! However, if you want to help it remain fresh and healthy all season long, here are a few tips:

• When the tree arrives, remove it from its planter, set it in the sink or onto a saucer, and water it well. When the water has drained, place the tree back in its container
• Place it in a cool area, away from heater vents
• Water it periodically (once or twice a week) throughout the holiday season
• Snip off any bent branches or brown needles as they arise.

Planting Your Holiday Tree after Christmas

Your live decorated tree is intended for enjoyment over the holidays, but in certain circumstances you may be able to extend its life by planting it outdoors after Christmas. Here are some tips for caring for and transplanting your evergreen:

• Follow all of the instructions listed above, paying particular attention to finding a cool location inside your home to display the tree
• As soon as possible after the holidays, remove the ornaments, lights, and outer container from the tree. Set the tree in its plastic nursery pot in a cool but frost-free location outdoors, such as a garage. Let it acclimatize for several days in this location
• Cut the plastic pot carefully away from the tree and its roots, keeping the root ball and soil intact. Immediately plant the tree in a hole in full sunshine or partial shade, setting it to the same depth as it was in the container
• Water the tree in well. Do not add any fertilizers or growth stimulants until spring.

Italian Stone Pine

(Pinus pinea) This Mediterranean native has been gracing woodlands since prehistoric times. During the Renaissance it played a prominent role in Italian gardens, and is still widely used for bonsai. The Royal Horticulture Society has given this tree its highest honor, the Award of Garden Merit.

Italian Stone Pine is a rounded, dense evergreen with pliable blue-green needles and thick reddish-brown bark, deeply grooved. Its cones take a very long time to mature, and so are unlikely to be present on a young tree.

5 Most Commonly Asked Questions About Holiday Trees

1. Where should I place the holiday tree in my home?

Placement in the home should be away from any heat source such as a fireplace, wood stove, heat register, etc., that could dry out needles on the tree. A cooler room (55-60F) with bright light would be best for the tree, because it is an evergreen and does require light, in order to remain healthy. Being an evergreen, in the presence of light, they continue to make food to sustain themselves. So, be sure and give it the best light possible.

2. How often should I water the holiday tree?

All of the holiday trees are drought tolerant by nature (especially, if planted outdoors later), but indoors you still need to check your holiday tree for watering once every 1-2 weeks, depending on how warm the room temperatures and how high or low the humidity in the air. So, the important thing to remember, is that your holiday tree does not like to be over-watered, but rather to be just kept moist, allowing the surface of the soil to slightly dry before re-watering. To check to see if your tree needs water, simply touch the soil surface or slightly poke your finger into the soil to test moisture content. If it feels dry, it is time to water and if it feels moist, skip a few days and check it again. The rule of thumb is to begin with less water and then add more if needed, so start with 4 ounces (half cup) to 8 ounces (1 cup) of water and then add more if required, until it feels moist. Also, they can be fertilized once per month with half-strength water soluble fertilizer. The holiday tree would appreciate high humidity while in the home environment, so misting a few times a day would be beneficial.

3. There are some loose needles in the delivery box, is my holiday tree “OK”?

When removing the tree from the box the tree may leave some needles behind. This is a normal process on all evergreens and nothing to be concerned about. Evergreens will periodically shed older needles, usually a little at a time. During the shipping process, the movement will loosen the older needles at once, rather than over time, making it more noticeable when you look in the bottom of the box. But, again, not to worry, this is to be expected. Also, while the tree is being displayed during the holidays, you may or may not see a small amount of needle drop, which is just the normal tree process. On the other hand, if you see more than a small amount of needle drop, you would want to check the tree soil for the moisture content; as described above under “watering”, to be sure it is properly watered. Misting the tree with water a few times per day will also keep the tree healthy and reduce any possible needle drop; as mentioned above under “watering”.

4. How do I hold my holiday tree for spring planting, the ground is frozen?

For those people that live in areas where the soil is frozen by the end of the holidays, we suggest the following to help hold and keep the holiday tree alive until Spring planting. Basic recommendations would be to place the plant in a unheated sun room where the plant could get plenty of light, but would be allowed to go semi-dormant. If the home offers no suitable cool, bright location, it would be better to put the potted holiday tree outdoors. Being out in the cold, even freezing weather, is better for the health of the tree, than to stay in the house any longer. Place in a protected spot close to a house wall, for added warmth. Wrap the pot in an insulating material, to keep the soil warmer, and the soil should be kept moist, but not wet. Water about once a month or so. If you know in advance of the tree's arrival, a planting hole could be pre-dug before it arrives. That way the tree can be set it in the hole after the holidays and it will make it through the winter just fine.

5. How should the holiday tree be planted outdoors, after the Holidays are over?

In cold winter climates, if you know in advance the tree is coming, you might want to consider pre-digging the planting hole before the ground freezes. When digging the hole, it is more important to dig it wider than it is deep. For 1 gallon size holiday trees, dig the hole 12-18” wide and 8-12” deep. For 2 gallon size holiday trees, dig the hole 18-24” wide and 10-12” deep. After the hole has been dug, fill the hole with mulch (which will be easy to remove later at planting time), and cover the excavated soil with a tarp for protection. Once the Holidays are over, and you want to plant the tree outdoors, place in a garage or shed for a few days to adjust to the colder air before planting. While in the shed, you can place ice cubes on top of the rootball as needed to keep the roots barely moist and cool. After the tree has acclimated, you can plant the tree in the prepared hole mentioned earlier. Remove the mulch from the hole, slip the nursery pot off the tree rootball and place in the hole so that the top of the rootball is level with the ground surface. Backfill the hole completely to the top with the excavated soil, previously dug, and gently tamp down. Water deeply and mulch heavily. In harsh climates, evergreens are vulnerable to wind damage during their first winter. Protect them with a burlap screen or spray liberally with an anti-dessicant product like Wilt-Pruf. If you cannot pre-dig a planting hole, it is not a problem, because you can follow the same basic planting instructions, mentioned above, at a later date.