How To Preserve Evergreen Branches For Christmas
HERE’S A QUIT TIP FOR PRESERVING YOUR EVERGREEN BRANCHES TO MAKE THEM LAST THROUGH THE CHRISTMAS SEASON! YOU’LL WANT TO DO THIS RIGHT AFTER PURCHASING OR CUTTING YOUR EVERGREENS. JUST SCROLL BELOW TO SEE WHAT THE SECRET INGREDIENT IS!
It’s that time of year when we’re all excited to drag out the Christmas bins and have a jolly good time sipping hot cocoa and decorating with family.
If you’re like me and enjoy the smell of a fresh cut tree or you incorporate pine clippings and branches into your décor, you’ll want to try this easy trick to keep your evergreens from drying out giving you maximum time to enjoy them.
For me I’m fortunate to have access to pine trees, and several varieties of evergreen clippings on our property, so mine are ultra fresh and this tip works every time.
It doesn’t take long to do and is worth the effort. So preplan a day where you can soak your tree and branches overnight and you’ll be happily surprised just how long you’ll get from your natural décor.
Supplies
Bucket (I use a galvanized sap bucket, but use what you have)
Glycerin 6 oz. Bottle (You can find this at any pharmacy or big box store)
1-Gallon Warm Water
Garden Sheers
Method
Add the entire 6 oz bottle of Glycerin to the bucket you’ll be using. Don’t buy anything special, you can wash whatever you have and use it again. Add one-gallon warm water to the bucket. Give it a good stir with a long handled spoon. If you have a store bought tree, with a hand saw trim off ½ inch of the trunk and place the tree into the bucket cut side down. Use the garden sheers and cut all you clippings on a 45-degree angle and do the same with them, plunge the cut side into the bucket. Let everything soak overnight or for a 24 hour period. Remove the tree and clippings from the bucket and decorate as usual. If you have time try and mist the evergreens with water every few days to keep them hydrated.
Does this work with holly? So going to do this, and thank you for posting.
Diana I bet it will work for sure.
I did not know there were ways to preserve the fresh cut greens I buy at Trader Joe’s. I wasn’t going to buy any this year because they dried out too quickly last year. I’m going to use your tip.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Carol this will extend their life for sure.
My son had to cut down a pine tree. Is it possible to save all the branches to use In December as a cemetery blanket? I hate having to discRd all these branches on May. Will they be good in december
Livia, No unfortunately they won’t last that long.
Would it also help with branch longevity if you were to include glycerin in a vase with water if you intend to LEAVE the branch cuttings in the vase and water for the month of December? You’d have to add water to the vase every few days, but would you also add more glycerin, or is this pointless?
Hi, Dawn! How long will fresh cut boughs last using this method?
I have a small tree that I’d like to cut down. It’s probably 4′ tall. Do you think placing it in a bucket with stones and water would work? When I try to look up methods via Google all I get is ads for tabletop trees. TIA