Fresh. Maple Syrup. Delicious!
Our syrup is collected from local Sugar Maple trees in Marshall County. We bottle them in our Hensler Nursery maple syrup jars, available in our Christmas Shop
Don’t Miss It! Open House This Sunday!
Start your holiday home decorating and gift buying a little early this year. Stop by for our annual Christmas Open House this Sunday, November 16, 2014 from 1-4 p.m.
How long does a freshly cut Christmas tree last?
We get lots of questions about how to make your Christmas tree last, so we’ve have compiled all of our tips in one spot. Learn how to make your Christmas Tree last.
Tips to Make Your Christmas Tree Last
How to Keep a Christmas Tree Fresh
Whether you’ve put up your beautiful Christmas tree weeks in advance or just a few days prior to December 25, chances are you want to know how make this tree last and looking its best. Turns out you can reasonably keep a cut Christmas tree fresh for many weeks if you take a few extra steps to ensure its livelihood. And we’re going to tell you how to do it!
Before You Cut Your Christmas Tree:
It’s true that some trees are heartier than others when it comes to staying fresh over the course of a few weeks.
“Fir trees are a hearty tree and have many great qualities,” says John Hensler, a 40-year veteran tree grower and owner of Hensler Nursery. “They have a strong, lasting fragrance, sturdy needles, and with proper care has a good display life.”
Don’t let that keep you from selecting other favorites like the White Pine known for its soft needles making it a very child-friendly tree, or the vibrant Scotch Pine loved for its blue-green appearance.
Cutting Your Christmas Tree:
When selecting your tree to be cut, avoid trees with brown or dry needles. Make a clean cut. And just prior to placing the tree in the stand, make one more cut of ¼ to ½ inch.
“A fresh cut on the base should remove the naturally occurring sap that may have dried out at the base of the tree,” says John. “This will allow the tree to soak up water a little better.”
Inside Tip
There is no need to remove the bark at the base of the tree before placing the tree in the stand. Actually, the bark helps maintain moisture better than a bare stem.
Watering your Christmas Tree:
As you can probably expect, water is essential to a thriving tree. Make sure to get a cut tree in water as soon as possible. After that, water and water often.
A freshly-cut six-to-seven foot tree can take in over a quart of water a day. The water basin of the stand should be sufficiently large that the very bottom of the tree will always remain immersed in water.
“A tree can’t be overwatered,” John says. “The bigger problem would be if the tree dried up for even one day, the tree would no longer be able to take up additional water.”
Get A Quality Tree Stand:
Using a hefty tree stand goes a long way to ensuring not only stability of the tree, but helping the watering process.
“The best tree stands have a solid base and a large enough water bowl to keep the tree hydrated,” explains John.
The mechanisms for keeping the tree properly aligned need to be simple to use and adjust as needed. “We actually sell a stand with alignment screws that have a special feature so that the bolt will press lightly against the tree trunk and not screw into the tree,” he says.
Other Tips to Help Your Tree Last:
These tips might seem obvious but are often overlooked as we find space to showcase our beautiful tree. Keep them in mind when you bring your tree home and you’ll ensure longer-lasting freshness.
- The best spot in the house for your tree is one that is away from a heat source like a radiator vent. A cool, comfortable room is best.
- Keep the tree away from a window with direct, warming sunlight. You don’t want it to bake!
- Before placing your lights on the tree hold them with the lights grouped together while turned on and feel the heat they create. The less heat the better.
- Some people swear by adding a water additive like “Tree Life” to the water to help with needle retention. It doesn’t harm the tree and you can decide if it helps extend the life of your tree.
We Participate in Trees for Troops
Donating to the Trees For Troops Program is one of our favorite holiday charities to take part in. Hensler Nursery is donating 30 White Pine and 10 Fraser Fir farm-grown Christmas trees.
The Year of the Deer
Christmas 2014 is the year of the deer! In honor of Sven, the newest addition to our deer family, we’ve hand-crafted wooden reindeer that are perfectly suited for your front porch. Designed and constructed right here at Hensler’s.
Trees for Troops
Hensler Nursery and Trees for Troops Brings Military Families Together in the True Spirit of Christmas
- John Hensler
- Phone: 574-867-4192
- Fax: 574-867-4960
- Email: Info@henslernurseryindiana.com
- View PDF Version
Hamlet, Indiana, November 11, 2014 – Hensler Nursery is donating farm-grown Christmas Trees to U.S. troops and military families through Trees for Troops®, a nationwide program of the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation in conjunction with the National Christmas Tree Association, the Indiana Christmas Tree Growers Association, and FedEx.
Last holiday season, more than 17,000 trees were delivered to 65 military bases in the U.S. and overseas. This brought the total to more than 139,000 Real Christmas Trees delivered through Trees for Troops since 2005.
Hensler Nursery is donating 30 White Pine and 10 Fraser Fir farm-grown Christmas trees. They will be delivered to the shipping point in Thornton, Indiana and disbursed to military bases and families nationally and internationally.
For 2014, Indiana growers are coming together to provide 182 total trees for this effort.
“We have been a proud participant of the Trees for Troops program since it began, making this our 10th year to support this great cause,” says Joe Hensler of Hensler Nursery. “Bringing real Christmas trees to the troops and families protecting America just seems like the right thing to do.”
Each year, hundreds of military families visit the Trees for Troops website and Facebook page to leave heartfelt thank you messages and pictures of their families celebrating around their beautifully decorated Christmas tree. For example, a message from a Camp Pendleton family read, “Thank you for our beautiful Christmas tree! We weren’t sure what we were going to do this year…Trees for Troops was an answer to our prayers.”
“Being involved with Trees for Troops is truly a gift that gives back,” said Nigel Manley, Christmas SPIRIT Foundation chairman. “It’s rewarding and meaningful to everyone involved, because it gives us the opportunity to say thank you to our troops, and help ensure military families have the kind of joyful, traditional Christmas memories that we would wish for America’s heroes.”
You can help support Trees for Troops by making a tax-deductible donation (www.treesfortroops.org) or by purchasing a Christmas tree at various farm & retail locations across the nation during Trees for Troops Weekend, Dec. 5-7, 2014.
About Hensler Nursery
For over sixty years, Hensler Nursery, Inc. has been growing high quality seedlings, transplants, and Christmas trees. A combination of fertile soils, a mild climate and expert foresters result in high-quality nursery plants and Christmas trees. Well-known in the industry for our seedlings and transplants, we also raise Scotch Pine, White Pine and Fraser Fir for wholesale and retail.
Visit our web site.
About Trees for Troops and the Christmas SPIRIT Foundation
The Christmas SPIRIT Foundation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization that works to recognize and support the true spirit of Christmas for U.S. troops through the Trees for Troops® program. The foundation was established in 2005 as the charitable branch of the National Christmas Tree Association and is among fewer than 5 percent of U.S. charities to be awarded the “Best in America” seal of excellence by Independent Charities of America. Trees for Troops was a Top 20 Finalist in the 2012 Joining Forces Campaign, a White House initiative that honors exemplary support organizations for military families. To learn more, visit www.treesfortroops.org or call 636/449-5060.
About FedEx
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenues of $46 billion, the company offers integrated business applications through operating companies competing collectively and managed collaboratively, under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world’s most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its more than 300,000 team members to remain “absolutely, positively” focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. For more information, visit news.fedex.com.
Veterans Day: Honoring All Who Served
Remembering and paying tribute to all of our Veterans today.
Local Organizations at the Eats Barn
Eat, drink and be merry when you visit Hensler Nursery for your tree! View our food and beverage service and see how we all support our local organizations together with each purchase.
See the entire food service schedule.
Food Vendors Schedule at the Eats Barn
2014 Food Service Schedule
We are pleased to announce the schedule of organizations who will set up shop in the Eats barn during Christmas Fest and offer food and beverage services.
Oregon-Davis Cheerleader Boosters
Fund raising efforts support the cheerleaders at Oregon-Davis Schools, Hamlet, IN.
Knox Tri Kappa, Zeta Eta, Inc.
Funds are raised to provide scholarships to send local students to camps, and to provide for other local philanthropic needs.
Koontz Lake Lions
The Lions have used their food sales proceeds to help needy families and for repairs to Lions Park, Koontz Lake, IN. 2014 proceeds will go for gift cards for Oregon-Davis families.
John Glenn Band Boosters
The John Glenn Band Boosters support the band program at all John Glenn Schools in Walkerton, IN.
The food service vendors at Hensler Nursery’s Christmas Fest are provided a heated building with inside serving area and tables for customers to relax and warm up after their visit to the tree fields. Christmas Fest donates the space to the various vendors, free of charge. We do stipulate that all vendors must remain open and have their comforting food and beverages available until Christmas Fest closes for the evening. By supporting these vendors, you support many organizations and their charitable activities in our local communities.
Also provided in the Eats area is our favorite piano player, Pat, to entertain guests with favorite Christmas tunes.
