By Chris Winslow
For this holiday season, why not try a living Christmas tree instead of
one that’s been cut down, or one of those artificial creations. Living
Christmas trees are grown in containers and you can plant them in the
landscape after the holiday season.
If you follow this practice year after year, you could wind up with a little
conifer forest in your backyard… or at least an effective privacy screen.
First step: choose a conifer that will thrive in our climate. For a long
time the most popular tree was Afghan pine. Sadly, over the years,
these magnificent trees succumbed to a number of different maladies.
Basically, it rains too much here for them. Only those that have been
planted on hillsides or far away from any irrigation have survived.
There are a number of other conifers that have shown promise in our
landscapes. Here are some suggestions:
Blue Point Juniper:
A very dense branching upright shape with beautiful blue-green foliage.
Mature height: 12 feet with a spread of 8 feet. This shrub makes an
effective screen for privacy or as a windbreak. Loves the sun and
needs good drainage.
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Arizona Blue Ice Cypress
Beautiful silver-blue foliage on a dense, upright, cone shape. It can
grow 25 feet tall with a 8 to 10 foot spread. The silver-blue foliage
contrasts with its reddish bark. Hardy, grows fast and loves a location
with sun and good drainage. A great accent or specimen tree. When
planted in a row, it makes a great screen.
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Aleppo Pine
A green colored conifer. Cone shaped when young, but becomes
rounded with age. Some pruning required to maintain a Christmas
tree shape. Aleppos can grow more than 30 feet tall. Heat, drought
and wind tolerant. Good drainage and sun a must. (photo above)
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Italian Stone Pine
Cone shaped when young; develops an umbrella shape when mature.
Soft blue-green foliage is very attractive. A nice addition to any land-
scape. Young plants make beautiful tabletop trees. This pine tree has
been cultivated in Europe for over 6,000 years as a source of the very
expensive edible pine nuts.
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Care suggestions for living Christmas trees:
1. Place the tree indoors in as much light as possible, away from
heaters and fireplaces.
2. Keep the soil moist, not standing in water. Place a drain pan filled
with gravel below the tree to catch the irrigation water (to protect
carpets and wood floors). The gravel will keep the roots from standing
in the water.
3. After Christmas, repot into a larger container or plant directly into
the landscape. Make sure that you pick a sunny location and supply
good drainage.
Happy forest building!
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