EverWinter

In one of my earlier posts I stated that the "Firs" were my favorite of all the conifers, but, the true soldiers of Winter are the "Spruces". Their shape and branch structure differ slightly from the Firs in that they are a more dense tree. Their conical shape is more defined and consistent. There are less gaps in their branches. The needles are evenly distributed at 360 degrees around each branch. Typically Spruce needles are prickly to the touch. The cross-cut of a needle is shaped like a cross. In the valleys of the cross running the length of the needle is a thin white line. This feature tends to make the tree present with an overall lighter shade of the main color. One species that does not have this additional color is the Colorado Blue Spruce. All other Spruces have this. Their trunk bark is generally smooth with small randomly scattered ulcers approximately 3mm in diameter. The true calling of these green giants is in creating a privacy line or a wind break...

"Solemnly they stand, unwavering under a frozen blanket, the soldiers of Winter. God's sentry's over the forest as it sleeps. The wind blowing through their branches, transformed into the whispers of the ages." Thomas R. Marcucci

Today I had the privilege of putting out flags on the grave sites of our veterans to prepare for the memorial holiday. It was part of my sons Tiger Cub Scouts Project. Every year they get together with our local V.F.W. and help them. It was a great chance for me and my son to do something together. He had no trouble understanding why we were there and how important they were. We were there for about 3 hours. There were plenty of volunteers. In all total 1500 flags were placed. When we were done we looked across the cemetery and the first word that came to mind was...sobering. This was the local cemetery in my home town of Bensalem. There was a sea of flags. Add up all the cemetery s of our country and the picture would be staggering. I told my son that this is what it took for our family to be able to live the life that we live. This Memorial Day will be particularly important for us as our nephew has just deployed with the Marines to Afghanistan, this is his first o...

The Hollies, one of my favorite berrying evergreens. They are comprised of both evergreen and deciduous versions. There are many variations of holly available to the home owner. First we'll discuss the evergreen version. Typically they have tough glossy green foliage that has sharp points to help discourage foraging animals from eating all the fruits (berries). Varieties that grow in the northern regions tend to be tougher to survive harsher climate levels. The scientific classification is: Illex, the most common specimens available is Illex Meservae, sometimes called "China Girl" and "China Boy" its male counterpart. Another popular version is called Illex Opaca, it comes in two different berrying colors, red and yellow. Their common name is "American Holly", the yellow version has an additional common name, "Canary Yellow". Illex Opaca has been depicted in countless Christmas representations. Holly is found throughout the globe. There are ...

These are my favorites out of all the conifers. One key feature of Firs is their needles, They are an Emerald Green on the top side of their needles and a silvery blue on the bottom. This presents in a duel colored tree and the color changes if the wind blows. The needles on a Fir are not positioned in a 360 degree circle around the branches. Rather they are concentrated at 180 degrees to the branch. This gives the branches a fuller almost fuzzy appearance. It's no surprise that the firs are the most popular choice for Christmas trees each year. The most commonly used are the Balsam and Frasier Firs. These two also provide the best aroma inside the house that we all know and love. If you want to do something special one Christmas, consider getting a live tree instead of a cut tree and plant it outside in your yard after the holiday. But, enough about that, I'll do a post that goes into more detail closer to the holiday.  There are quite a few different specimen choices when i...