There’s nothing quite like the smell of freshly cut pine at Christmastime. Fake trees just don’t satiate the same craving for that notorious Christmas smell. According to the National Christmas Tree Association, there are close to 350 million Christmas trees currently growing on Christmas tree farms in the United States alone and about 25 to 30 million real Christmas trees sold every year. If you want to be a part of that statistic this holiday season but don’t want to go trekking into the forest with a saw in tow, Pine Lane Nursery in Parker has a diverse selection and the expert advice to help you find the perfect fit.
Pine Lane Nursery rests on nearly 10 acres of land and contains greenhouses, a fully-stocked warehouse, and ample rows of assorted tree varieties, including shade, aspen, container, conifer, and fruit trees, to name a few. Kurt and Angie Hughes have drastically expanded the space since they took ownership of Pine Lane in 2010.
“When we first got the place, it was just a wholesale warehouse. Now we have a garden center, home decor, seeds, and more,” Angie says. “Every year we try to do something to make the place a little bit nicer.”
One of their staple services has become their annual Christmas store. They stylize their regular store like the North Pole by draping it with lights and tucking presents into every corner. Even if customers aren’t in the market to buy a plant, there is a wide selection of gifts and activities for them to choose from. Santa Claus, a jolly old elf who the staff affectionately calls Johnny Claus, often makes an appearance.
“If you’re a Santa fan at all, your heart is just going to explode,” Angie says.
In addition to traditional Christmas trees, wintery plants such as poinsettias, paperwhites, and Christmas cacti are available. Jackie Steinheimer, the nursery manager who has a special appreciation for the Christmas cacti, posits that it just might be the hardest plant in the world to kill. In the southeast, the region responsible for the cactus’ namesake, the cacti bloom around Christmas time. But in Colorado they bloom around Halloween and Easter, making them more of an (unofficial) holiday cactus.
Naturally, everyone who works at Pine Lane has differing opinions on their favorite plants. It’s one of Jackie’s favorite things about working at Pine Lane.
“We’re all here because we’re plant nuts. You get to see the plant world from different lenses because people have diverse backgrounds like film school, veterinary medicine, business, and communications,” Jackie says. “We all have a passion for plants. And when you have passion, it just leaks all over the place.”
Pine Lane has a variety of Christmas tree species, including spruces, pines, and firs. Everyone’s preference is different, but one of the main differences in these trees is in the needles. The twigs on pine trees bear needles in groups of two, three, or five. If the twig bears the needles singly, it’s most likely a fir or spruce. When it comes to differentiating between firs and spruces, fir needles are softer and flat whereas spruce needles are sharply pointed.
To show some state pride, pick a Colorado Blue Spruce (the state tree of Colorado). Its strong limbs are sturdy enough to hold heavy ornaments and its blue tone gives it a tinge of originality.
Pine Line offers a selection of live and cut trees. Cut trees are kept for one holiday season and recycled afterward. Live trees, however, are planted after Christmas and continue to grow. Jackie says people will purchase live trees for the sake of tradition and plant them at significant moments in their lives, such as an anniversary or the birth of a child. The growing tree serves as a visual timeline for life’s big milestones. Another tradition is to cut a wooden sliver from the bottom of the trunk and turn it into an ornament.
Pine Lane Nursery is located at 18200 Apache Drive in Parker, Colorado. Their 2020 Holiday Open House on December 5th during business hours. Santa will make an appearance from 1:00 to 3:00, so come prepared with your best behavior and a wish list!