Q: We were thinking of using a live Christmas tree this year instead of cutting one down. After the new year we want to plant it in our yard. Is there anything we should know about how to do this?

A: There are many tree species that can be used as a Christmas tree depending on where you live. Pick a tree that is appropriate for your landscape in terms of size and growth requirements like shade and soil or water tolerance. It doesn't have to be a typical evergreen, so be creative. A maple or a palm would be just as good with the lights, decorations and presents.

If you are in a cold climate and the indoor temperatures are going to be much warmer than the outdoor air the tree will be living in, you will need to acclimate the tree to the changes. Move the tree from the cold air and wind into an unheated garage for a day or two before moving it indoors. Keep it indoors for only a few days to a week at most. Move it back into the unheated space for a few days before planting it.

Measure the tree to make sure it is short enough to fit into the room when placed in a container. Remember that the roots will be very heavy, cumbersome and possibly muddy. Water the tree a day or two before bringing it in and it may not need to be watered while it is indoors, but keep an eye on it. Water it again when it goes back into the garage.

Prepare the hole for the tree as soon as possible while the soil is not frozen very deep. Measure the size and depth of the root ball or container and make sure the hole is big enough. Don't make the hole too deep or the tree will sink and be difficult to raise back up to the proper height.

Store the soil in the garage where it can be kept loose and not frozen into a solid lump. Store some mulch, too. Fill the hole with straw or paper and cover it with a tarp to keep it from filling with water and freezing solid.

Q: Last year, we lost some shrubs to deer or rodents eating the trunks. I hope I am not too late to do something this year. Is there something I can treat them with to stop the damage?

A: There are many sprays, liquids and powders available at the store and created with home recipes, but all of them require multiple treatments as they eventually wear off. Depending on the snow cover, you may not be able to treat the lower parts of the stems where the rodents will be eating, hidden under the snow.

The strongest layer of protection is a physical barrier. Fencing of some kind is best. Wrap a single-trunked tree in a layer of chicken wire or hardware cloth. Chicken wire fencing may have large enough holes between the wires to allow mice and voles to nibble on the bark, so a couple of wraps around the trunk may be necessary. The fencing may need to be raised higher if snow creates a taller artificial ground layer.

If you want to prevent deer from eating the ends of the branches, you can use a wire to create a new branch. Just take a short piece of a soft wire and loosely wrap it on the end of the branch and let it stick out. It will look like the end of the branch to the deer, and when it nibbles on it there won't be anything edible.

Q: I enjoyed your response to a reader's question in your "A Greener View" piece published in the Hunterdon Observer on Nov. 22, 2008.

I would like to suggest that the hawks the person sees circling might be red-tails or possibly turkey vultures. They might cause a temporary abandonment of the feeders but are not likely to be taking any songbirds.

Cooper's hawks and Sharp-shinned hawks would more likely be those taking the occasional feeder customer. My experience has been that doves are the prey of choice. My observation of their method of hunting is to wait patiently in concealment near a feeder, then strike at an opportune time.

Thanks for the insight and reinforcement that nature may not reflect our desire for interspecies harmony.

A: You make an excellent point that just because you can see birds flying above the feeder, they may not be at all interested in eating the other birds at the feeder, even though the birds may still scatter at their sight.

My observation of the Sharp-shins in my neighborhood is that they will often glide for three or four house lots, through numerous trees to swoop in on the feeder site to see what flies up. Thank you for writing and have fun watching the birds.

E-mail questions to Jeff Rugg, Kendall County unit educator, University of Illinois Extension at jrugg@uiuc.edu. To find out more about Jeff Rugg and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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