Green Valentines Day Gifts

This Valentine’s Day you can feel great going green by giving ethical and eco-friendly gifts to your friends and loved ones. The traditional presents may be romantic, but bouquets and diamonds simply aren’t practical for many couples no matter how hard the commercials try to persuade you otherwise. Whether you’re environmentally aware or simply on a budget, green gifts always make a great impression with less consumption and waste. The following green gifts for him and her may require a little extra effort, but that’s what love is all about!

For Him

Finding the perfect girlie Valentine’s Day gift is easy, but the gentlemen are a little more difficult to shop for! Don’t be afraid to think outside the box. Some say that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and as silly as stereotyping is, there is no denying handmade sweet treats are always appreciated by anyone with taste buds. If you’re not a fan of the culinary arts, there are all kinds of alternatives for the techie type. Digital downloads are quick, simple, cheaper, and best of all: definitely green. Games, movies, and music can all be purchased online – eliminating production and packaging waste. The possibilities for completely digital gifts are endless.

For Her

Roses have always been a popular gift, but they’re just a temporary sentiment that will eventually get thrown out. If you want to make a more permanent impression this Valentine’s Day, consider going with potted roses instead. Think big and contact a local professional about a native fruit tree that you could plant together for a gift that keeps on giving. Valentine’s Day is the second most popular day for the exchange of greeting cards, but going green doesn’t mean dropping this traditional favorite! Instead of purchasing a card from the store – make one at home with your own message and content. Maybe even include a few romantic coupons for a sensual massage or thoughtful favor. Have fun and be creative!

Forcing Branches for Beautiful Winter Blooms!

The wintertime can be rather boring for those with a green thumb: no luscious blooms of vibrant color, no weeds to pull or plants to water, nothing to occupy our hands until the frosts ease up and Spring pops in for a welcome visit. Are you itching to pull out your shears yet? Many gardeners forget that we can “trick” plants to give up their flowers – as early as late January! If you want to fill your home with fragrant blossoms without paying flower shop prices, consider forcing a few branches from trees that bloom early! With the proper technique, you can coax the most beautiful floral display even in the dead of winter!

Selecting Branches

Trees and shrubs that bloom early in the springtime develop flowering buds in the previous autumn before dormancy. We will be forcing these types of samples into bloom. By mid-January, many types of early-blooming trees will have already received enough hours of cold temperature and are technically no longer dormant. This stage is often called “quiescence”, or a period of quiet. Select young, vigorous branches that have a large number of flower buds. These buds are often larger than regular leaf buds – but if you have trouble telling them apart, do not be afraid to split a few open and take a look inside. Choose branches that are over twelve inches long, and prune them flush with the trunk or main branch to avoid tree damage.

Forcing the Branches
Once branches have been pruned from the flowering tree or shrub they should be put into water immediately. If you have a large tub available, it may be better to totally submerge the selection in room-temperature water overnight. After the buds have softened, move the branches to bucket of water and frequently mist for the next few days.

Now it is time to recreate the conditions of springtime, which will bring these babies into full, spectacular bloom. Move your selected branches to a relatively cold location (around 60 degrees). Warmer temperatures will create a smaller quantity of flowers, but the blooms will develop rapidly with diminished size and color. Branches will need plenty of natural sunlight, but they should not be placed directly in the sun. Mist occasionally, and wait for the results!

Luscious Winter Blooms!

Once the buds are beginning to show a bit of color, remove them from the buckets, and arrange them in your choice of containers. Your beautiful bounty will unfold right before your very eyes! To make them last even longer, move the branches to cooler temperatures (around 40 degrees) overnight. Send them as gifts to surprise a friend with a fresh winter bloom, or place the flowering branches throughout the home to introduce an early touch of spring. Beware: your friends my begin begging you for the secret to fresh winter flowers!

Winter Care for Potted Evergreens

The holiday season is almost over, and green households all over the nation will soon be left with potted evergreens and no idea what to do with them during remainder of winter. Fortunately, the process of overwintering an evergreen is an inexpensive weekend project will ensure your investment is protected even during the harshest weather. Nobody wants to spend all winter fretting over his or her dying evergreen, so prepare your tree for the worst!

Choosing a Spot

Find an area of your yard that provides protection from harsh western winds and potentially damaging southern sun, erecting a trellis or wind barrier if nothing else is available. Make sure that your chosen location is far away from any roads or sidewalks that will be treated with salt because these plants are extremely sensitive to the substance- even in the air.

Overwintering the Evergreen

Even plastic pots can shatter because of freezing temperature, which is why the container of an overwintered evergreen must be buried in the ground. This will keep temperatures stable and the roots will remain safe. Be sure that the hole is just deep enough for the edges of the container to be level with the ground to prevent water accumulation, and make the area flat with some loose soil and autumn leaves.

Maintenance and Care

Since moisture loss is a real danger to potted evergreens it’s important to keep an eye out for those above-freezing days on which it would be safe to water the plant. If the plant is sustaining too much damage from the cold climate, it may be necessary to wrap the entire tree in a burlap sack. If the weather is just too extreme, the pot and plant may be moved inside a dark garage or a cold cellar. Your evergreens will certainly appreciate the effort and will live to see another beautiful spring!

Growing Citrus Trees Indoors

Dwarf fruit trees are sometimes all it takes to bring the tropics indoors for the winter. The fresh scent of citrus could provide just the right pick-me-up for any stale interior, while providing all of the benefits of a garden right in the home. Growing these little trees is a bit trickier than raising the average houseplant but the yields will prove to be worth the effort!

Choosing a Citrus Tree

Your choice of tree should take into account factors like sunshine availability, space, and upkeep. Trees that produce sour fruit often require less sunlight than other species. If you’re looking for a tree that will produce edible delicious goodies, choose something like the Sunquat or Papaya, both of which produce fruit that can be eaten straight off the tree. If aesthetics are more important, the Calamondin Orange will produce fragrant flowers and sour ornamental fruit, which can be used in marmalade or left to hang for months. Before planting a tree, consider all of the possibilities: it's likely that your citrus will outlive any plant you've owned before!

Potting a Citrus Tree

Drainage is very important but easily forgotten. Those who choose to keep indoor trees often focus more on the visual design of the pot while forgetting all about functionality. If the planter you choose doesn’t have drainage holes, simply keep the tree in a simple drainable pot inside of the larger one. Make sure to place a layer of gravel or broken pottery underneath the soil, which should preferably be light and airy. Larger trees may eventually be placed on a platform with wheels, to make trimming and pruning a little easier.

Citrus Tree Upkeep

Bright, direct light is recommended for most species of dwarf citrus tree. In the summer months, these dwarf varieties can enjoy some outdoor sun. Although your indoor plant may produce plenty of pretty blossoms, not all of them will produce fruit without a gentle helping hand. If you’ve gone a couple seasons with no results, try taking a dry paintbrush and gently transferring pollen from one flower to the next. By keeping your citrus happy and healthy, you’ll be enjoying limitless fruit all year long from the comfort of your own home!

A Sustainable Tree for Christmas

When you imagine a sustainable Christmas tree, you probably think of a plastic tree that can be reused from year to year. In all reality the greenest way to go is all natural. That's right, in order to have a sustainable Christmas I am suggesting that your family goes out to cut down a tree. Sounds counter intuitive? There are several good reasons to skip the false and go straight for what nature so graciously gave us.

Downfall of the Reusable Tree

Although this seems like it would be a great green Christmas idea, those fake trees are actually made of PVC (a petroleum product) that becomes tattered and dusty over the years. The majority of imitation pines purchased for the holidays are actually thrown out after just two years! Since they are made of plastic the tree will end up taking up space in a landfill forever. That's right, discarded artificial trees are made of material that will never degrade despite the expensive resources that went into the production.

Keepin' It Real

Real pines are grown primarily on farms, where they mature for several years before being cut down. The entire time that these trees are growing they are creating fresh oxygen and habitats for local creatures. With the rise of artificial trees these farms are being put out of business and the property ends up being paved over or turned into a less sustainable industry. Live Christmas trees can be purchased and potted whole to be replanted in your own yard, turning that seasonal decoration into a lifetime investment. Another benefit of real trees is that they they are often mulched and recycled in many communities, going to a better use than a landfill.

Wishing for a Green Christmas

This year, instead of dusting off the old PVC pre-lit tree, go on a family adventure to a Christmas tree farm. Everybody gets to work together to pick out the most beautiful live tree that will fill your home with a fresh pine scent that just can't be bought in a can. Technology often improves our life, but this Christmas let's get back to the basics. A live tree is a sustainable tree- nature's gift to us for the holidays.

Moving Potted Plants Indoors for the Winter

Perhaps you have invested in a new species of potted plant, or maybe you have recently purchased your first one, but what will happen to your root-bound friend when the temperatures outside drop to an inhospitable level? Big or small, you can’t just haul your potted tree indoors without a little bit of preparation. If the transition is made incorrectly your formerly flourishing foliage may begin to whither away before your eyes even if you aren’t doing anything different from when you first bought it. 

Preparation

It may not seem like your potted tree need a new pot quite yet, but if you think you will need to change it within the next year go ahead and do it now. Upgrading to a larger pot may become necessary in the winter, forcing you to expose the tree’s delicate roots to the extreme winter climate when you do change to a larger pot. 

Go ahead and prune your potted trees, removing all dead plant matter that could obstruct the scant amounts of indoor window sun. Be careful not to make any shocking changes, since any transport (even short distances!) are already traumatic enough for any live plant. Sometimes declining health of an indoor tree is a sign of root shock from moving, not from improper care. 

Moving the Tree

This is the important part. Large potted plants can weigh more than can be safely carried, and even smaller trees can be rather cumbersome to transport without damage. Rent or invest in a plant dolly that has plenty of rooms for fragile branches, and wrap a sheet around the tree so that nothing snags on the door. A doily or mat should be placed on carpet to prevent permanent dents and a felt pad is great to protect hardwood from scratches. 

Considerations for Placement

Just because your plant thrived great outdoors doesn’t meant that it got full sunlight all day. Try to mimic the same sun patterns indoors that your potted tree is used to. A sudden change can really impact your tree’s health, although it’s not likely to kill the thing if you’re planning on a permanent arrangement. Large trees can be hard to spray for pests so ensure the chosen area is easily accessible to you, but impossible for pets to reach. 

 

With a little planning and forethought your potted tree should have no problems making the change. Many of these tips also apply for the move back outdoors which can be twice as cumbersome if your plant grows quickly! Any supplies needed for placement, moving, or maintenance can be recommended by your local tree care professional so you can have the right tools for job!

Indoor Potted Trees to Clean Air

So many of us are primarily concerned with the air quality outdoors, but what about the air that we must breathe inside of our homes? Most homeowners would be disgusted to discover that the stale air trapped in our houses can actually be up to ten times more harmful than the polluted air outdoors. This is because all of the plastics and chemicals that we use on surfaces and furniture are always degrading very slowly, releasing potentially toxic gases into our breathing space. There are very few ways to avoid this, but keeping healthy indoor plants and trees can help to keep the contaminants under control.

While the country is preparing to close up the windows and doors in order to keep precious winter heat inside, homeowners are also trapping the harmful environmental contaminants that come from within our very own homes. Unfortunately, the lack of proper cold weather ventilation can cause all sorts of bacterial growth that just adds to the chemical contaminants that are already hiding in carpets, household products, and upholstery. 

Top Air Purifying Trees for the Home

We mostly talk about planting trees outdoors here at THTL, but there is actually an abundance of beautiful and hardy indoor varieties that will add a decorative flair while cleansing airborne impurities. One of my personal favorites happens to be the Madagascar dragon tree, which can grow to be a good couple feet tall but is still perfect for small areas that don’t get very much light. They are one of the hardiest varieties available and are heralded for their excellent trainability. 

Areca palms are another great indoor tree species that displays beautiful arching tropical leaves and graceful stalks. These are significantly larger than dragon trees and take up much more horizontal space, making them just as decorative as they are useful for filtering air. It’s impossible not to think about carefree breezes and lazy days when viewing this very exotic palm. 

For those who do not like tropical looking plants a great alternative is found with the weeping fig tree. These indoor plants are extremely tasteful and are often sold with beautiful intertwining trunks. The leaves are broad and flat, which improves the ability of the plant to absorb airborne contaminants. These small trees will adapt to the size of pot you keep it in, making them extremely versatile and perfect for any area with proper light availability. 

Where to Find Indoor Trees?

Indoor trees can be found at almost any home improvement store or can be ordered online. They make great gifts and a few select native varieties can even be transplanted outdoors later with the help of a tree service professional.  There is no reason to stand another winter stuck indoors with little to no fresh air, breathing in all of the contaminants and remnants of household cleaners and products. Purchasing an indoor tree is great for nature lovers who don’t want to give up lush greenery for a shade of winter gray.