CFAES Give Today
OSU Extension

College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

CFAES

Winter Trees


Learn all there is to know about gardening in the winter season...


Seasonal Calendar

  • December 1st to February 28th (February 29th in a leap year)

Caring for Holiday Plants

  • Growing Christmas Cactus: The recipe for success for caring and reflowering your holiday plant, the Christmas cactus. Read more...
  • Caring for Poinsettias: Poinsettia plants (Euphorbia pulcherrima) remain one of the most popular holiday flowers. Read more...
  • Care after the Holidays: Some holiday plants grow year-round, while others can go out with the tinsel. Learn which ones to keep and which to toss. Read more...

Gift Giving with Plants

  • Traditions Behind Gifting of Holiday Plants: You've waited all year to brighten and scent your home with holiday plants and bushes. Enjoy your Christmas greens even more once you know the surprising Christmas traditions and lore that surrounds each plant. Read more...
  • 10 Best Christmas Plants: Here, we've rounded up the absolute best Christmas plants and flowers (think: Christmas trees, Christmas poinsettias, and even the lovely Christmas cactus) that'll keep your home feeling like a greenhouse all the way through the winter months. Read more...
  • Best Plants to Give as Gifts: Giving a gift that will stand the test of time is always a challenge, but giving plants is one way to try. Read more...

Holiday Decorating with Plants

  • Using Fresh Greenery: Decorating the house with fresh greenery is one of the oldest winter holiday traditions. Read more...
  • Decorating from the Garden: Decorating the home for the holidays has been a tradition for generations. Read more...
  • Decorating for the Birds: Decorating a tree with edible ornaments is a great way to share the holiday spirit with the birds, and there is a wide range of foods you can offer on a bird Christmas tree that will be welcomed by winter birds. Read more...

Live Christmas Trees

  • 5 Best Varieties of Christmas Trees: The annual institution of hunting down the perfect Christmas tree – a compact four weeks when 30 million evergreens make the transition from field to living room. Read more...
  • Tips for Selection and Care: Bringing a freshly cut tree into your home, having it hold irreplaceable ornaments and bear witness to the most loving traditions within your family deserves a bit of research. Read more...
  • Care for Potted or Balled Trees: Instead of buying a cut tree that gets used once, choosing a potted or burlap-bagged living Christmas tree can yield years of enjoyment. Read more...

Gardening Indoors

  • Herbs Indoors: Indoor herb gardens not only provide fresh herbs at your fingertips, but also fill your home with fragrance and greenery. Read more...
  • Tips for Growing Herbs Indoors: With winter on its way, the question is how to keep that craving for fresh herbs satisfied. Smart gardeners are solving that problem by growing more herbs indoors. Read more...

Winter Gardens

  • Winter Gardening: Gardening does not have to end with the falling leaves of autumn. Many of the leafy greens can be produced all winter. Read more...
  • Winter Sowing: The easy way to start your seeds in milk jugs  Read more...
  • Winter Garden How To: Many of you were inspired to keep your summer gardens going longer or to plant seeds just for fall and winter harvesting. Again this fall, there has been a lot of interest in extended-season gardening. Read more...
  • Hydroponics: Hydroponics is now a big trend. It’s a wonderful way to maximize your limited space. Read more...

Up Your Health with Plants

  • Improve Air Quality: Houseplants can brighten up a room and make it more inviting, but can they actually "clean" the air? As you'll see, the real story behind the connection between plants and air pollution is complicated. Read more...
  • 5 Houseplants to Boost Your Immune System: House plants are great at cleaning the air of our homes and offices, but they have the added benefit of helping boost our immune systems as well. Read more...
  • Benefits of Houseplants: According to scientific research from NASA and others, plants clean indoor air, stabilize carbon dioxide and create comfortable ambient air humidity. Plants also boost healing, happiness, and productivity. Read more...