Gardening
Recycle Your Christmas Tree into the Landscape
Removing the branches from Christmas trees and layering them over bulbs and perennials keeps the soil consistently cold, reducing the risk of early sprouting and winter damage.
Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com
Don't drag that Christmas tree to the curb to be hauled away by the trash collectors. Give it a second, even third life, in your landscape. No live Christmas tree? Don't worry. I'm sure your friends and neighbors will share theirs.
Move your locally grown Christmas tree outdoors after the holidays. Avoid trees imported from other states that may host invasive insects that can infest your landscape and nearby Christmas tree farms. Your local municipality or Department of Natural Resources has more information on any threats and disposal recommendations for your area.
Use your cut Christmas tree to protect evergreens in your landscape from winter winds and sun. They make excellent windbreaks while shading sensitive plants in your landscape. Strategically place your discarded tree on the windward side of rhododendron, boxwood, and other broadleaf evergreens to reduce problems with winter burn. Place it on the south side of these plants to shade them from the drying winter sun.
Or remove the branches and use them as winter mulch over bulbs and perennials. Layer the boughs over the plants and soil to keep the soil consistently cold. This reduces the risk of early sprouting and winter damage that can occur during winter thaws.
Or set the tree in the landscape for a bit of added greenery. Secure it in a snow pile or use stakes and guy wires in milder climates where the soil is not frozen. The birds will enjoy the added shelter and you will enjoy watching these visitors to your landscape.
Then consider adding a bit of food for your feathered visitors. Decorate the trees with fruits, berries, and seeds the birds can enjoy. Stringing cranberries and popcorn is a fun family activity and makes an attractive outdoor garland. Slices of oranges on colorful yarn and homemade bird ornaments can complete the adornments.
Sweep up the fallen needles that were under your tree indoors and use them as mulch in the garden. Place them directly on the soil or atop the snow. As the snow melts, the needles will be right where they belong. And don't worry, they will not make the soil too acidic. In fact, as they break down, they add organic matter to the soil.
As spring arrives, consider chipping and shredding your tree into mulch for trees and shrubs or pathways in the landscape. No chipper? You and your neighbors may want to rent a chipper to shred these and other prunings for use as mulch in your landscapes.
And, if this is not possible, check for recycling resources in your community. Many municipalities have special pickups for Christmas trees. These are chipped, shredded, and made available for citizens to use in their landscapes.
Lake communities often sink the discarded trees to the bottom of lakes and ponds to provide habitat for the fish. Another great way to give your tree a second life.
And once you discover the value of this free resource you may find yourself collecting a few more from the neighborhood. However, your family may ask that you wait until dark to drag your evergreen treasures back home.
Melinda Myers has written more than 20 gardening books, including The Midwest Gardener's Handbook, 2nd Edition and Small Space Gardening. She hosts The Great Courses "How to Grow Anything" DVD series and the nationally-syndicated Melinda's Garden Moment TV & radio program. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine. Her web site is www.MelindaMyers.com.
Antiques
Civil War Memorabilia and Firearms 2023 Auction Results
Photo courtesy of Wayne Tuiskula
I've shared results from our 2023 auctions over my last three columns. In today's column, I'll focus on Civil War memorabilia and firearms that sold well at auction.
Firearms manufactured in or before 1898 are considered antiques, according to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF). Antique firearms can be sold without having to be transferred by a federally licensed firearms dealer.
We sold several antique rifles and pistols from a northern central Massachusetts estate in our August auction. One of the rifles from the collection was a British Tower rifle. The Union Army used these .577 caliber rifles during the Civil War. It is estimated that around 500,000 rifles were imported during the war. The Enfield was a very accurate rifle, and many considered it to be the best firearm in the world at the start of the Civil War in 1861. The Enfield in our auction brought a little over $1,000.
Later in the 19th century, an American rifle became known as "the gun that won the West." Oliver Fisher Winchester started out in the men's shirt business in 1810 but bought a controlling interest in Volcanic Repeating Arms Company in 1857. Winchester refined designs and formed the Winchester Repeating Arms Company in 1866, according to the company's website. In 1873, the Winchester repeater rifle (the gun that won the West) was developed with lever action, allowing for faster firing. We sold an 1894 Remington lever action rifle that also sold for a little over $1,000.
It's not only the hardware that appeals to collectors. Letters from Civil War soldiers provided insights into the battles they fought and also offer a window into how the war affected the soldiers and their family members back home. The Library of Congress has many letters online for academics and also people who are generally curious. Locally, Brandeis University and Wellesley College received a grant to preserve Civil War letters for students, scholars, and researchers. They have nearly 450 letters in their collection.
Two sets of letters from Blackstone Valley estates were the top selling military related items in our 2023 auctions. A group of Civil War letters from Charles Carr along sold with a plate showing Lieutenant Charles Carr died in 1864, brought $1,300 in our January auction. A larger group of letters sent by George Maynard to Nellie Brown in Westborough, MA brought $3,775. The consigning family was pleased to have these important letters be sold to somewhere they can be researched and appreciated.
Our major auction of art, sterling, gold and platinum jewelry, and historical items recently ended. We are now accepting consignments of vintage collectibles, including sports cards, non-sports cards, comic books, and other memorabilia for a spring auction. Later in the spring, we expect to run another auction with more art, jewelry, sterling silver, and other antiques and collectibles. I will also be teaching my night class at the Bay Path Evening School in Charlton again in the spring and I'll be at the Learning in Retirement event in Danielson, Connecticut on May 6th. Please visit our website www.centralmassauctions.com for links to other upcoming events.
Contact us at: Wayne Tuiskula Auctioneer/Appraiser Central Mass Auctions for Antique, Collectibles Auctions and Appraisal Services www.centralmassauctions.com (508-612- 6111).