Winter--probably the two most important considerations to keep in mind are the maintenance of a cool, uniform temperature and adequate moisture. If you plan to purchase a Christmas Tree to be planted later, here are some steps to overcome potential problems:

1. Before the ground freezes, dig a hole in a sheltered location in the landscape. Take care to fill the hole with leaves, straw, or other lightweight organic material. Put any soil taken from the hole into a container and keep it in the garage or basement to prevent freezing.

2. Once the tree is home, place in a cool, unheated garage or porch to begin the process of acclimating it to warmer temperatures--about 7-10 days.

3. Move the tree indoors for holiday display. Take care to wrap the soil ball in a plastic garbage bag to hold moisture and prevent damage to floor and carpets. Then set in a large tub or container. Be sure to provide water--but not too much--while the tree is in the house, never allowing the soil to become dry or muddy.

4. When you're ready to take your tree down after the holidays, bring it back to the garage or an unheated area to acclimatization back to outside temperature. This may take up to two weeks, and is very important. Remove any plastic covering.

5. Remove organic material from pre-dug hole and plant tree using soil taken from hole (which should be in the container spoken of in step 1). Provide a leaf or straw mulch around the base of the tree to a depth of 3-4 inches. When Spring arrives, you can plant the tree in a permanent location in the landscape.