Joe and Jan Steiner have owned the Country Cove Christmas Tree Farm in Rutherford County for 15 years now. The festive location has been featured in the music video “Tennessee Christmas” by the American country a cappella group Home Free with Rachel Wammack, as well as videos by the musical ensemble Celtic Woman and singer Pachinko.
“The show Chrisley Knows Best also did an episode here,” Jan Steiner said.
Those producing those videos, as well as many other local photographers, choose Country Cove for its picturesque setting, including a shady tree hallway with café lights strung between the pines, stacked wood, barns, and the acres of farm meadow, in addition to lots of evergreen trees.
Country Cove sits on 35 acres, about eight miles north of Murfreesboro in the Walter Hill area, and features its own tree farm with trees that families can cut and take home, and also offers other popular pre-cut tree varieties that have been shipped in.
Joe and Jan Steiner / photo courtesy of Frozen Exposure
“We bought Country Cove in 2008, and we have been running it ever since,” Steiner said. “We sell pre-cut trees from North Carolina, Oregon and Wisconsin.”
Country Cove grows White Pine, Leyland Cypress, Carolina Sapphire Cypress, Turkish Fir and Norway Spruce varieties at its Middle Tennessee farm.
“Some of the other popular trees can’t be grown here so we get them from other places,” Joe Steiner said. “The Frasier Fir is from the North Carolina mountain lands. We have balsams, which we get from Wisconsin and Canada. And then our West Coast trees are the Douglas Fir from Oregon and the Noble Fir from California.”
Among the types of trees grown and ready to cut at Country Cove:
– White Pine has long, soft branches with flexible blue-green needles that can be up to five inches long. It has little to no aroma.
– Leyland Cypress has dark green branches that are slightly aromatic. It’s not part of the pine or fir family, so it doesn’t produce sap.
– Turkish Fir is a Mediterranean tree that has flat, dark green waxy needles and strong symmetrical branches with excellent needle retention.
– Norway Spruce has dark green needles with strong branches, has excellent color and presents a traditional Christmas tree appearance. Needle retention is compromised so it is best to display it for only two or three weeks.
– Carolina Sapphire Cypress is a new species developed for Christmas Trees. Its branches are blue-green, soft to touch, with an aroma.
Types of pre-cut trees available at Country Cove include:
– Fraser Fir, which is one of the most popular Christmas trees because of its beauty. It has blue-green needles with silvery undersides. Its branches hold ornaments well.
– Douglas Fir is dense with soft, light green needles. Its branches aren’t as still as some other trees, so it should be decorated with lightweight ornaments.
– Balsam Fir is one of the most fragrant trees. It has relatively short, dark green needles, and is a good choice for displaying ornaments.
– Noble Fir has a symmetrical form with blue-green needles and short, strong branches. The tree lasts longer than many other Christmas trees.
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“We also have a wreath shop, and we handmake wreaths with the materials from the trees,” Jan said. “We have a decorator in the wreath shop who decorates the wreaths with bows, pine cones and berries.
“And in our Christmas shop we have ornaments that can be personalized,” she continued. “We also have special County Cove ornaments made by a local artist, Emily Patton.”
To find more about Patton’s artwork and ornaments, visit thehandwrittenshoppe.com.
Country Cove offers free tractor rides around the meadows on certain days, and has a food truck onsite selling cookies, ice cream and other treats in the fall.
For more information about Country Cove Tree Farm, visit countrycovetreees.com. Country Cove is located at 1189 Cut Off Rd., Murfreesboro, and is currently open Thursdays and Fridays 3–7 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m.–6 p.m. and Sundays 11 a.m.–6 p.m.
Reservations must be made to conduct professional photo shoots at Country Cove, though guests are welcome to take photos while visiting.
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Tips on Caring for Your Live Christmas Tree, Courtesy of Country Cove Tree Farm:
– When you get your tree home, immediately make a straight cut across the base of the trunk about a half inch from the end so the tree can take up water.
– Store the tree in water when you get it home, and then use a tree stand that holds plenty of water. Check the water level daily, refilling it to the maximum level if needed.
– Do not let water in the stand get below the bottom of the trunk. If a cut tree is left for a couple hours without water, the bottom of the trunk forms a seal of sap, which makes it impossible for the tree to take in more water unless another fresh cut is made.
– Place your tree away from heat sources and use LED lights, as they do not emit heat.
– Always unplug tree lights when you leave your home or before going to sleep.
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