Dripping Gardening

This time of year, finds many out looking for the perfect Christmas tree. Over the last several years, the popularity of live or living Christmas trees has been on the rise. But many of these trees don’t survive the holiday season. Knowing how to choose, plant, and care for a live Christmas tree will make for a happier holiday, and a valuable addition to your landscape.

There are options for “living” Christmas trees that make great additions to your landscape after the holidays. While due to the hot summers and type of soil, there is a limited variety of Christmas trees that can be grown in Texas, there are still some very nice options from which to choose.

Virginia Pine - The most common Christmas tree in the south, Virginia Pine (Pinus Virginianan) is a short-needled pine with pleasant pine fragrance, dense foliage and strong limbs for those heavy ornaments you want to feature.

Afghan Pine - Often found in west Texas, the Afghan Pine (Eldarica) looks a lot like the Virginia Pine. It has a mild fragrance and sturdy branches that are spread further apart, giving it a more open appearance than the Virginia Pine.

Leyland Cypress - Allergic to trees? I have a solution for you! This tree is a hybrid of an Alaska-Cedar (Chamaecyparis nootkatensis) and a Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa) – meaning there is no pollen to irritate those sensitive to tree pollen. Just make sure to rinse your tree off with a hose when you get home to rid it of other pollens. Another benefit? This popular tree is dense with short needles and, if kept in water, will outlast any other Christmas tree without leaving needles on the floor.

Carolina Sapphire - A cultivar of Arizona cypress (Cupressus arizonica) and grown on a limited basis across the South, its best characteristics include fast growth, a beautiful blue color and an excellent aroma.

When purchasing your live tree, be sure to pick a variety that will grow well in your area. Consider the mature height and width of the tree and know where you will plant it in your landscape.

Before you bring the tree home, make sure you’re buying healthy stock. Check the tree for good color and needle retention, soft flexible branching, and a root system, if you can see it, that isn’t “bound” by its container. The root area should be moist, and not overly dry from lack of water. Also, look your tree over for any signs of disease or pest damage.

Once your tree makes it home, it needs to stay outside, in a protected area, until a few days before Christmas. Avoid the temptation to bring your live tree indoors too early. In fact, the less time indoors the better.

Water the tree as soon as you get it home and make sure the soil is kept moist, but not overly wet. It also needs to be sheltered from high winds and full sun. The objective for this time is to acclimate your tree to warmer temperatures over a period of three to four days. Moving the tree onto a covered porch or garage during the interim is a good transitional place.

Bring the tree inside just one or two days before Christmas (best) but no sooner than December 18th! Your home is an inhospitable environment for a living tree. Climate controlled homes are warm and dry. Don’t place your tree near heat vents, radiators, stoves, or anywhere else where heat can dry it out which could stimulate new growth that you do not yet want. Be sure to keep an eye on the soil and keep it moist. If the root ball is wrapped in burlap, place it in a large tub, and add mulch up to the top of the burlap to help retain moisture. 

I know that for some of you it might not seem “festive” to wait until just before Christmas to bring in the tree, but in my house, we make it a great family even! We gather in the evening for hot chocolate, bring the tree inside and sing carols as together, the entire family decorates the tree, then we all gather for photos in front of our masterpiece.

After Christmas, move your tree back outdoors as soon as possible. However, don’t immediately plant it. The tree will need to readjust to the outdoors in a protected area for several days. Again, avoid direct sun, high winds, and warm areas when storing your tree. Be sure to maintain soil moisture. In a week or 10 days, move your tree into the planting hole in your landscape.

Plant this tree as you would any other, following sound planting practices. The hole should be at least twice as wide as the root ball, but no deeper. Planting your tree slightly higher than the surrounding soil will help with drainage. Do not amend your planting hole with organic matter. Rather, backfill with only the original soil.

Finally, be sure to water and mulch your tree to retain moisture. Continue to monitor soil moisture. Winter conditions can be very dry, and your plants and trees need water now as well, especially newly planted ones. The proper care and planning, before and after the holidays, will help ensure your tree survives for years to come.

The disposable cut Christmas tree of yesteryear is today a valuable addition as organic material used for mulch, compost and soil improvement.  Gone are the days when trees were simply tossed to the curb where it was only taken to the landfill. These days, many municipalities will pick up your tree for free where it’s separated from landfill trash. Trees are collected for composting or shredded into mulch with infinite uses and benefits. Even if no such service is available in your area, there are locations around every town that will accept your tree for free. 

Also, consider obtaining some of this shredded mulch for your own garden and landscape. The price is right and at this time of year, you should have no trouble sourcing the material.

In the event any of those options are more than you want to deal with, a discarded tree left to decompose on its own can provide important shelter for birds and wildlife as it breaks down. Keep in mind for any tree being recycled, it should be free of that silver tinsel stuff. It’s made of plastic, which never fully biodegrades. Bad stuff for the environment.

Did you know the Christmas tree tradition dates back to Western Germany in the 16th century? They were called “paradise trees” and were used to celebrate the annual feast of Adam and Eve on December 24th.

Fir Christmas trees were first brought to America by German immigrants in about 1700 becoming generally popular around the 1850’s. President Franklin Pierce is credited as having the first White House Christmas tree in 1856 for a group of Washington Sunday school children. Calvin Coolidge started the National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony in 1923. The first Christmas tree lot was established in New York in 1851. Today, Americans purchase approximately 30 million Christmas trees annually and some folks, like my sister Darla, like to have one in every room!