| Decking the Halls By Janet Bennett Washingtonpost.com Staff Tuesday, November 14, 2000 | ||
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Yes, Virginia, you can order a live Christmas tree from a number of Web sites this season, as well as boughs of holly, garlands of evergreens, eucalyptus centerpieces, and plenty of dried and fresh wreaths and swags to deck the halls, adorn the manteland decorate front doors both inside and out.
As to where you'll be able to find what, how much it will cost and what shape it's likely to arrive in after it has been ordered, what follows is what we found.
We started by looking for a tree. At Garden.com you can add a 5 1/2- to 6 1/2-foot Fraser fir tree with stand and a tree care kit (including watering instructions, tree food and removal bag) to your wheelbarrow for $85, which will be shipped via FedEx starting Nov. 27.
L.L. Bean's fresh-cut, 5-foot-4 balsam pine tree will set you back $65; the larger 6- to 7-foot version costs $75 from the site, www.llbean.com.
Achristmastreestore.com gives you a choice of Oregon-grown Douglas, noble and grand fir trees ranging in price from $49.95 for a 4- to 5-foot tree to $79.95 for one 6 feet to 7 feet. The simple, well-organized site backs up its offerings with well-written directions on caring for trees, plus plenty of background on the species of evergreen for sale.
Hammacher Schlemmer (www.hammacher.com) will deliver fresh-cut firs from North Carolina that come packed in wax-lined boxes and range in price from $69.95 for a five-foot tree to $99.95 for a whopping eight-foot tree. Plus, for smaller spaces, hammacher.com also offers a 6-, 7- or 8-foot slim-line tree that's not as full but only a bit less expensive. (A tip: Don't bother trying to browse your way to the trees at this site; just do a search for "Christmas tree.")
After trees come greenery. Do-it-yourself-decorators may want to take advantage of Jackson & Perkins's (www.jacksonandperkins.com) seven-pound collection of holiday greenery (noble fir, sugar pine cones, red cedar sprigs, pomegranates, limes and more), which comes packed in boxes wrapped in tissue paper at $49.95 or $74.95 for a 14-pound box. White Flower Farm's (www.whiteflowerfarm.com) 14-pound Fragrant Holiday Boughs collection for $80 includes an assortment of red-twig dogwood, noble fir, red cedar, juniper and English holly.
When it comes to buying a wreath online, the number of choices is daunting. The simplest and least expensive we found was Garden.com's classic 24-inch, $29 evergreen wreath. Jackson & Perkins sold an 18-inch noble fir wreath for $29.95, the same price asked for a similar one at Harry and David (www.harryanddavid.com). A Harry and David customer-service representative noted that the company had experienced few problems shipping fir wreaths last year. She wasn't as confident about the luscious-looking pepperberry-and-pine-cone wreath ($69.95), saying that herbal wreaths are prone to losing some of those bits of dried herbs in transit.
For the greatest selection and most-elaborate-looking wreath confections, Calyx and Corolla (www.calyxandcorolla.com),with more than 40 choices, and Smith and Hawken (www.smithandhawken.com), with about 30 to choose from, were the undisputed winners, followed by White Flower Farm.
Even the names of Calyx and Corolla's wreaths sound inviting--winter rose wreath ($96 with brass hanger), Victorian holiday, wassail centerpiece and antiqued holiday wreath ($98). These all include ingredients such as dried hydrangea leaves, artemisia, ti tree, lemon leaves and white statice.
How do such delicacies survive the stress of United Parcel Service and/or the U.S. Postal Service? Calyx and Corolla's customer representative said they are wired into a sturdy box packed with tissue paper and raffia, but are also packed exceptionally full to allow for some loss of foliage in transit.
All of the companies we spoke to said that, in case of damage from shipping, they would either refund a customer's money or replace the damaged wreath.
Selections at Smith and Hawken are divided into three categories: evergreen, everlasting and unique. And indeed there are some unique choices, among them a jolly-looking pomegranate wreath for $129, a red halo of faux cranberries ($49) and a fabulous red coxcomb wreath for $69.
To kick the tires, so to speak, I ordered a pepperberry, eucalyptus and pine cone wreath for $48 from Garden.com, which arrived within the three- to five-day period advertised. One of the pine cones had fallen off, as had some of the pepperberries, but the eucalyptus was unruffled. I was satisfied enough to hang it outside on my porch in a sheltered area, as directed by the enclosed card.
But I have yet to receive the "heirloom" wreath I ordered from White Flower Farm on Oct. 30. Somehow, said a customer-service rep, the site had read my selection for express shipment as one for standard delivery. The site pledged to make good on its mistake and ship it to arrive in the next two days.
Alas, that would be too late for my deadline, but not for another lesson--that to avert holiday mail mishaps, the earlier you order, the better.
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