Evergreens, or conifer trees, retain their foliage year round, unlike its deciduous counterparts which shed leaves each fall. They’re used often in landscaping as hedges, windbreaks, and privacy screens, though this time of year, evergreens mean one thing: Christmas trees.
Like many modern-day traditions, Christmas trees are rooted in earlier paean practices. Many ancient religions viewed the sun as a god, whose shortened trip across the sky meant he was ill. When the winter solstice came on December 21 or 22, the shortest day of the year, people would celebrate the sun god’s health with evergreen branches, long held as a symbol of concurring death and overcoming illness, a symbol of everlasting life.
The Christian use of evergreens dates back to Germany when St. Boniface cut down an oak tree in anger when he witnessed a group of pagans worshiping it. From the stump, a fir tree began to grow, a sign of the Christian faith. Tree slowly came indoors in 16th Century Germany where Martin Luther was leading the Protestant Reformation. Tradition states that he was the first to use candles on the tree after witnessing the stars beautifully sparkling on the snow covered boughs. The Catholic Church in Rome, however, banned Christmas trees, declaring it a heathen practice.
In America, Christmas trees were still rare in the 19th Century, save for places with a high concentration of German immigrants, such as Pennsylvania. This changed when an image was circulated of the ever-fashionable Queen Victoria of England with the royal family around a Christmas tree. It was no coincidence that her husband, Prince Albert, was German. By 1890, the tradition of a decorated evergreen was mainstay. Today, 73 million Christmas trees are planted annually.
Location
Christmas trees are grown in all 50 U.S. states, including Alaska and Hawaii, since evergreens can thrive in many conditions. Once, tree farms were treated to poor soil, or “wastelands of agriculture,” though this has changed as the emphasis was placed on higher quality trees. Most evergreens prefer full sun on relatively flat or gently rolling, well drained land. Soil characteristics vary with each type of tree. Pine trees prefer sandy loam soil, while white spruce and fir trees take to fine-texture loams and clay loam soils.
Harvest
Evergreens reach maturity around six or ten years of age when being used as a Christmas tree. Pick-your-own tree farms offer the chance for you to harvest your own tree, scouring the farm for the perfect centerpiece to your holiday celebrations. Trees are also available in convenient lots, though these trees won’t be the freshest choice. Other options include trekking through the forest for your tree (permit required) or purchasing a tree with its roots still intact, perfect for a spring replanting.
Did You Know?
Like many modern-day traditions, Christmas trees are rooted in earlier paean practices. Many ancient religions viewed the sun as a god, whose shortened trip across the sky meant he was ill. When the winter solstice came on December 21 or 22, the shortest day of the year, people would celebrate the sun god’s health with evergreen branches, long held as a symbol of concurring death and overcoming illness, a symbol of everlasting life.
The Christian use of evergreens dates back to Germany when St. Boniface cut down an oak tree in anger when he witnessed a group of pagans worshiping it. From the stump, a fir tree began to grow, a sign of the Christian faith. Tree slowly came indoors in 16th Century Germany where Martin Luther was leading the Protestant Reformation. Tradition states that he was the first to use candles on the tree after witnessing the stars beautifully sparkling on the snow covered boughs. The Catholic Church in Rome, however, banned Christmas trees, declaring it a heathen practice.
In America, Christmas trees were still rare in the 19th Century, save for places with a high concentration of German immigrants, such as Pennsylvania. This changed when an image was circulated of the ever-fashionable Queen Victoria of England with the royal family around a Christmas tree. It was no coincidence that her husband, Prince Albert, was German. By 1890, the tradition of a decorated evergreen was mainstay. Today, 73 million Christmas trees are planted annually.
Location
Christmas trees are grown in all 50 U.S. states, including Alaska and Hawaii, since evergreens can thrive in many conditions. Once, tree farms were treated to poor soil, or “wastelands of agriculture,” though this has changed as the emphasis was placed on higher quality trees. Most evergreens prefer full sun on relatively flat or gently rolling, well drained land. Soil characteristics vary with each type of tree. Pine trees prefer sandy loam soil, while white spruce and fir trees take to fine-texture loams and clay loam soils.
Harvest
Evergreens reach maturity around six or ten years of age when being used as a Christmas tree. Pick-your-own tree farms offer the chance for you to harvest your own tree, scouring the farm for the perfect centerpiece to your holiday celebrations. Trees are also available in convenient lots, though these trees won’t be the freshest choice. Other options include trekking through the forest for your tree (permit required) or purchasing a tree with its roots still intact, perfect for a spring replanting.
Did You Know?
- United States, Germany and Canada produce the most evergreen trees.
- United States between 35 and 40 million trees are sold during the Christmas season.
- Oregon grows the largest amount of evergreens, followed by North Carolina, Washington, and Michigan.
- The most common types of Christmas tree are balsam fir, douglas fir, fraser fir, grand fir, noble fir, scotch pine, white pine and white spruce.