American Horticultural Society's Tree Display Begins Monday

The American Horticultural Society will have its annual holiday season tree display from Dec. 3 to 21, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The trees will be on display at River Farm at 7931 East Boulevard Drive.

Viveka Neveln, communications manager and associate editor, said the tree display is a tradition for the organization and provides a holiday environment for visitors.

"This has been a long-standing tradition for the American Horticultural Society at River Farm to give our visitors a festive welcome to the state house," Neveln said in a recent email.

Neveln said years ago, the annual event was a celebration of horticultural contributions to the holidays with live trees but because live trees can be fire hazards, AHS opted for artificial trees instead.

"We supplement with live greens where we can, and the ornaments on the trees often have a botanical theme," she said.

The trees are decorated each year by a team of AHS staff and volunteers.