Poinsettias are a winter houseplant staple and come in a diverse array of beautiful colors and sizes, with many available here at Van Wilgen’s. With Christmas just around the corner, many of us are looking for gift ideas for family, friends, and coworkers. Poinsettias make the perfect gift for a business holiday party or as a festive decoration in the office and home! With our Poinsettia Wrapping Station, creating an amazingly festive gift is easy. Choose one of our diverse Poinsettia colors, and our team will help you choose a complementary wrap. For an extra twist, add one of our new holiday gift cards!

Keep your Poinsettia happy and healthy and ensure it lasts throughout the season with these easy tips!

Poinsettia Care Tips:

• Don’t let poinsettias get cold on the ride home from the store. Keep trips and exposure to the cold as short as possible.
• Let the soil dry before rewatering, and don’t drown your poinsettias! The pot itself will feel lighter and you may even notice the leaves of your plant starting to wilt when it’s time to water (similar to a peace lily). When you see this happening, give your poinsettia a thorough watering. It’ll do better with one long drink than multiple little ones.
• Thrive in a warm 68 to 72 degrees – limit exposure to the cold as well as drafts. No placing next to doors or open windows.
• Bright but not direct sunlight – 6 hours of indirect light per day. A sunny window is perfect!

Poinsettia varieties:

Classic Red

A deep, rich, red. An instant Christmas classic!

Classic White (Cream)

A creamy, pale white. Pairs well with classic red.

PINK

Classic poinsettia in a delicate rosy pink color!

Painted Blue

Blue spray paint on classic white, adds a unique flair.

TAPESTRY

Bright red bracts with yellow and green variegated foliage.

Jingle Bells

Huge dark red bracts splashed with cream!

Marbled

Marbled varieties can be a mix of pink, white, and red.

Princettia

A variety with bountiful and more compact bracts! Available in bright pink, pure white, and red.

Winter Rose

An older style that is growing in popularity again! Features red, wavy petals.

Which style is your favorite? We hope to see you soon!

O Christmas tree, o Christmas tree, what kind of Christmas tree is best for me?

For many of us, putting up and decorating a Christmas tree is a staple of the holiday season. Gathering with the family, pulling out boxes of handmade ornaments, and finding the perfect branch to put each one on is a time-honored tradition. For the truly adventurous, choosing a tree begins with a trek into our tree field with a saw in hand and seemingly limitless choices around you. At Van Wilgen’s, we carry several varieties of Christmas trees, each with unique features. To help make the choice a little easier, we’ve compiled a few quick facts about our favorite tree options.

Fraser Fir

• Pre-cut trees range in size from 4 feet up to 8 feet tall
• Needles are short, dark green with a silver underside
• Soft to the touch
• Very fragrant with excellent needle retention
• Branches are strong, making them great for heavy ornaments

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Douglas Fir

• Trees are up to 8-9 feet in height
• Needles are long and light green
• Soft to the touch
• Very full shape
• Extremely fragrant – smells like oranges!
• Best needle retention

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Blue Spruce

• Up to 10 feet in height
• Needles are a frosty blue color
• Sharp to the touch…Kids and pets be careful!
• Has the strongest branches, making it the best choice for heavy ornaments
• Pleasant fragrance
• Good needle retention

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Turkish Fir

• A Van Wilgen Favorite!
• Up to 7-8 feet in height (6-7 feet is average)
• Dark green needles with silvery undersides
• Needles are larger and showier than Fraser Fir
• Soft to the touch
• Best fragrance and needle retention
• Sturdy branches are perfect for heavy ornaments

Turkish Fir is quickly becoming our most popular Choose & Cut Christmas tree at Van Wilgen’s. Growing Christmas trees is a labor of love. A lot of work goes into filling our fields with premium Van Wilgen Grown trees. We all know the Fraser Fir, the most popular Christmas tree in our area. They are great for needle retention, have great color contrast, and are pretty good for holding heavy ornaments. Frasers are slow-growing and may take up to 10 years before harvesting. They are also tricky to grow. Frasers do not like hot dry summers and are prone to pests and fungal problems.

Those are many of the reasons we started looking for alternatives to Fraser Fir for our fields. We needed a tree that had all the great features of Fraser without many of the headaches. After being recommended Turkish Fir by many in the industry, we decided to try them out. At the time none of us knew much about them. All the research was positive so we started planting them in our fields. We quickly saw we had a winner! They were growing much faster and fuller than Fraser and had not suffered pest damage or root rot like Fraser either.

Turkish Fir is native to the mountains of the Black Sea. Their needles are two-tone green and silvery blue, giving off a shimmery look. They are very full and elegant and have been the top choice for Christmas trees in Europe for many years. They have sturdy branches for heavy ornaments and excellent needle retention. I invite you to walk our 15 acres of trees and see how great Turkish Fir are.

We look forward to seeing you soon!

The holiday countdown is on! If you’re on the prowl for easy grab-and-go gifts for your friends and family, we’ve got you covered! We’ve put together a few of our favorite last-minute gifts that are sure to be a hit with the gardeners in your life. Shopping has never been easier!

Poinsettia

A beautiful holiday classic, you can’t go wrong with a festive poinsettia to bring your loved ones some joy and cheer. To make things easy, you can pair your gift with one of our self-watering containers (pictured above). Click here for additional poinsettia care tips.

Houseplants

Of course, poinsettias aren’t your only houseplant choice for holiday gift-giving. With the weather turning cloudy and gray, there’s nothing better than receiving a fresh, colorful plant that can be enjoyed well past the holidays. For some inspiration, check out our festive houseplant round-up.

Gardening Tools

Whether the gardener in your life is a beginner or expert, you can’t go wrong with a collection of useful tools. Consider a trowel combined with a kneeling pad, some gloves, a watering can, and seeds to give your gardener everything they’ll need in the spring.

Sloggers

Do you know someone who gardens no matter the conditions? For the messy gardener in your life, slogger footwear is just the thing to tackle those dirty projects where a waterproof finish is a must.

Scented Soaps

As we love to tell everyone, gardening is messy! So what better way to clean up after those messy jobs than with some of our luxurious fragrant scented soaps and hand creams. These make great stocking stuffers!

Gift Cards

Still not sure what to get? For the gardener that seemingly has everything, you can’t go wrong with a Van Wilgen’s gift card. Pick one up in the store, over the phone, or online.

In our Custom Wreath Room, we’re making more than just Christmas wreaths! We’re creating custom pieces, from tree toppers and mantle pieces to garlands and tablescapes, all to help make your Christmas decorations just a little more special. With our handpicked ribbon and pick selections, we have everything you need to make this Christmas uniquely yours. Even for our crafty DIY-ers, our custom wreath room is packed with inspiration. Whether you’re looking to make this year’s wreath pop from the road, try out a themed Christmas tree, or dress up your table for the season, we can help!

We’ll be busy creating in the custom wreath room all holiday season, ready to decorate on the spot! We can design a look to make a beach house a little more festive, a farmhouse feels like Christmas, or transform your front porch into a winter wonderland. As much fun as we have while crafting and decorating for our customers, nothing is better than seeing the finished product. A tree in the living room with a topper to match a festive custom mantelpiece makes a room come alive for the holidays, whether you’re enjoying cocoa by the fire or opening gifts on Christmas morning surrounded by family. A swag of fresh greens to coordinate with roping around a front door makes friends and family feel a warm festive welcome when visiting for the holidays. When we create pieces for our customers, we are creating happy feelings and memories too!

Come visit us in our Custom Wreath Room to get inspired this holiday season!

Here at Van Wilgen’s, we want to make your holiday as easy and as stress-free as possible. Unlike other tree farms and garden centers, we offer a range of services to make your holiday worry-free so you can focus on enjoying the holiday! Here’s what you can look forward to this holiday season:

Hands-on Tree Service

We’ll help you cut, bail, and tie your perfect tree to your car for the ride home. We’ll even deliver it to the parking lot for you if it’s too heavy to carry! In a rush? We also have a selection of pre-cut trees for your convenience.

Custom Wreath and Bow Making

We love Christmas and we want you to celebrate the joy of the season just like us! Our courtyard is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. We’re busy crafting all kinds of decorations. Wreaths, bows, tree toppers, swags, and garlands, the list is endless. Come in and we can make a unique wreath to order for any color scheme or theme.

Van Wilgen Grown Poinsettias

Not your average Poinsettia! From the new ‘Princettia’ to the classic reds and whites, we have a variety of colors and sizes to choose from. Need to wrap it up as a gift? No problem, from classic wrap to stylish self-watering pot colors we have lots of festive choices.

The holidays are upon us, and nothing brings that festive spirit out more than getting your Christmas tree. For many families, this means gathering up the family and traveling to cut a tree down. But for others, this means going to a nursery to pick out a live tree. While it may seem intimidating at first, decorating and then planting a tree that you can enjoy the rest of your life is simple, and only requires you to follow a few key guidelines.

• Pre dig your hole: By digging now and covering your hole with mulch or straw, you can avoid the hassle of having to dig in frozen ground.
• Slowly bring your tree inside: Your tree will be used to cold temperatures. Before bringing it to your heated indoor space, bring it to an unheated garage or porch first, allowing it to slowly acclimate.
• Plan to keep your tree inside no longer than five days. Any longer and the tree may begin to break dormancy.
• Keep the root ball moist but not overly wet.
• When moving outside, follow the same routine as you did while bringing them inside. Allow a week to readjust to colder temperatures before putting your tree out in the elements.

By following this list, as well as your usual planting instructions, you will be able to enjoy your tree year after year. Happy Holidays!

There’s so much to love about the holiday season — the cooking and baking, the time spent with family and friends, and the festive plants. Poinsettias or a blooming Christmas cactus are compact yet boast of holiday spirit. The more plants, the merrier!

With just a little care, holiday houseplants can continue to thrive throughout the year. Knowing how to care for them helps to keep them beautiful. Repot later if needed.

So whether you’re getting or giving holiday houseplants, use these tips to help keep them blooming.

How to Care for Holiday Favorites

Poinsettia: No other plant quite marks the beginning of the holiday season like the poinsettia. With more than 100 varieties available today in colors of red, white, pink, and more, this plant can be found just about everywhere during the holidays.

First things first, don’t let poinsettias get cold on the ride home from the store. Keep trips and exposure to cold as short as possible. Once home, these cheery plants thrive on six hours of indirect light a day away from cold drafts and need proper watering. When the plant needs water, remove the decorative foil and let soak in a few inches of water for an hour or so. Let excess drain and rewrap.

Tip: Take the poinsettia out of its foil and place it in a decorative container.

Norfolk Island pine: A mini Christmas tree, this festive plant looks lovely when adorned with mini lights and homemade ornaments or just plain on its own.

Give pines about six to eight hours of light per day. Any less and lower branches are likely to drop. Water when dry to the touch. Fertilize Norfolk Island pines bi-monthly with our new liquid houseplant fertilizer to keep them happy and healthy.

Tip: Pines can last for years and be decorated for other seasons as well!

Christmas cactus: Though this cactus is known for blooming around Christmas, it’ll stay strong throughout the year and periodically rebloom. Its ruffled flowers range in color from reds to pinks to oranges and creams.

Give this plant bright indirect light and place it outdoors in a semi-shady spot during the summer months. Allow the plant to become slightly dry between waterings. Keeps this holiday plant reblooming for years to come by giving it a rest during the fall and placing it in the dark for about six to eight weeks, encouraging new blooms.

Tip: No matter how diligent you are about care, bloom time may vary based on variety. Whether or not it blooms in time for the holidays, you’ll still have winter blooms to enjoy.

Cyclamen: Cyclamen’s bright flowers in pink, white, or red are great for adding a pop of color where you need it. With the right conditions, they can bloom for more than eight weeks.

Cyclamen likes light, but not super-bright light. Keep the temperature consistent and deadhead spent flowers and leaves. Pour water into a saucer and let the plant absorb it for 15 to 20 minutes.

Tip: During the summer, cyclamen’s foliage turns yellow and dies back. This is their dormant period when they’re storing energy for the next flowering season.

It’s Christmas time!!, there’s nothing more exciting to me than decorating my home for the Christmas season.

Decorating should be fun, so put on some holiday music and let your imagination go.

Some of you will decorate with more of a classic style, and others will think outside the box just a bit more, like Trevor here at Van Wilgen’s. Did you know he has 9 trees set up in his house? Stop in our wreath room and talk to Trevor he has lots of cool ideas to help your tree or trees look amazing. Remember to have fun with it.

While Trevor likes to decorate with Lots of trees to get his holiday spirit on, I prefer to make my home festive by decorating with you guessed it, PLANTS!!

Our Poinsettias this year look amazing. So many colors to choose from, there’s something for everyone. Christmas red for the classic decorator and there’s even a blue for those thinking about something different. My favorite this year is one of our new poinsettias, the princettia series. The smaller and compact leaves give this poinsettia a stunning look. It is quickly becoming one of your favorites also as it is flying out the door fast this year.

You will need some companion plants to go along with your poinsettias, here’s a list of a few.

• Christmas cactus- colorful Christmas standard, everyone’s grandma had one years ago.
• Cyclamen-Lots of colors to choose from, gaining in popularity every year.
• Amaryllis- The large flowers on this plant are just stunning, and if your lucky and plan it perfectly they will bloom just in time for Christmas.
• Lemon cypress trees- These are for indoor use only. The color alone is a reason to have one, its lemony green color adds a great contrast in color to any holiday display, and the scent is oh so delicious.
• Norfolk Island pines- This is the perfect tree for those of you that want a real tree on a smaller scale. This is a tropical tree so it can not go outside when it’s cold. So, have fun decorating it for Christmas and afterward, you have a great houseplant for years to come.

There are even small 2 inch plants perfect for your office desk at work. Two of the favorites by far are the poinsettias and kalanchoes. Makes for a sweet little gift for someone.

Stop by, say hi, and get inspired to get your Christmas spirit on. Just walking into our greenhouse this time of year with all the colors going on in there will do just that.

Merry Christmas everyone