Tree farms foster Christmas spirit

Greg Burghardt

A natural Christmas tree adds more that just aroma to a living room for most people.

The most popular Christmas tree is a blue spruce, and the trees grow both green and blue and have branches firm enough to hold holiday ornaments, said Ken Schaeffer, owner of Schaeffer’s Christmas Tree Farm and Nursery, 552 S. Whiteville Road.

“They last longer and they are nice and heavy. They don’t sag or anything when you decorate them,” said Pam Compson, employee of Alwood Landscaping and Nursery, 2945 S. Meridian Road.

People enjoy this kind of tree because it has a nice color and aroma, Schaeffer said.

Schaeffer also raises Frasier fir and white pine trees, but blue spruce trees sell the best.

People started purchasing trees last week and will continue to purchase them for the next couple of weekends, Schaeffer said.

“We are usually busy on weekends and now it has snowed,” he said. “Thanksgiving is late this year and people are going to be thinking about Christmas.”

Business really starts to pick up the day after Thanksgiving, Compson said.

People can come right to the farm and pick out any tree that they desire, Schaeffer said.

“Some people take 15 minutes to find a tree. Some people take two hours.”

The farm attracts second- and third-generation customers who come annually to select the perfect tree, Schaeffer said.

The farm raises a wide variety of trees to choose from. The largest tree is 18 feet tall and the smallest is a potted version, standing 3 feet tall.

Trees cost anywhere from $15 to $40, depending on the size.

A 10-foot tree at Alwood’s cost $50, Compson said.

The trees at Schaeffer’s nursery are grown to look natural and are not trimmed into a ridged cone shape like some grower’s trees.

“I don’t prefer a tree that is trimmed tight. We try to keep them natural,” said Schaeffer, who has been raising trees for 60 years.

Once a customer brings a fresh tree home, it is necessary to take proper care.

Some suggest putting a tablespoon of bleach and some sugar in the water in which the tree sits to keep it alive and prevent the growth of mold and bacteria, Schaeffer said.

However, these measures are not necessary.

“I just put my tree in warm water,” he said.

By keeping a tree wet, the fire hazard is lessened, Schaeffer said.

Schaeffer and his family pick out a tree every year.

“You better believe it there is a fresh tree in the house. I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he said.

An artificial tree does not provide the same aroma and atmosphere the fresh trees provide, Schaeffer said.

The Schaeffer’s nursery is open year-round, also selling trees like maples and flowering crab trees.