Those of you who shop with us at this time of year know that we sell some beautiful cut Christmas trees, and that we will only sell Fraser Firs because they are simply the best.  We also sell a small number of living Christmas trees, and we inevitably get asked if we have any living Frasers for sale.  The answer is always "no", as they might live here in the winter, but come summer, Frasers or any other fir would only be fit for the compost pile.  However, there are other options that would make good living Christmas trees.  Some of these have a classic holiday appearance, while others might need a little more tinsel, a few more lights, and an extra glass of egg nog.

     Two of the most popular choices are Norway Spruce (Picea abies) and Colorado Blue Spruce (Picea pungens).  Both of these will look very much like a Christmas tree and are in fact often used as a cut tree in other parts of the country.  The Norway has dark green foliage that grows on graceful cascading branches, while the Colorado has blue-green foliage on stiff branches with a more rigid growth habit.  They both prefer full sun to light shade in sandy, moist, well-drained soil.  In climates that are more to their liking the Norway will get 40-60' in height and the Colorado will grow to 30-60', but they rarely reach full size here, mainly because they struggle adapting to our summers.  Of the two, the Norway performs a little better for us.  Another popular spruce is the Dwarf Alberta Spruce (Picea glauca 'Conica') which is often used in containers for winter interest, but could also make a cute little tabletop tree for the holidays.  It prefers the same growing conditions and faces the same challenges as the other spruces.  The Dwarf Alberta has very small, silvery green foliage and may reach 7' tall, but only grows an inch or two a year. 

     There are a number of cedars that will be very happy in our climate that can be used as living Christmas trees.  Blue Atlas Cedar (Cedrus atlantica 'Glauca') is native to Morocco and Algeria, but easily grows here reaching a height of 40-60' tall or more.  It has silvery blue foliage and prefers full sun in moist well-drained soil.  Deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara) is another plant native to far away exotic lands, but it also does well in our climate.  It has light green silvery foliage on very graceful branches and prefers the same conditions as the Blue Atlas.  The Deodar is a sentimental favorite of mine because it was the Christmas tree my grandfather gave my grandmother when they moved into the first house they actually owned.  They moved in December and the kids slept on the living room floor among the unpacked boxes, and the little 4' tree sat in a galvanized tub in the corner, hastily decorated.  That was in 1965 and when she moved out several years ago, the tree towered above the second story of the house. 

     Another plant that is called a cedar, but is actually a juniper, is our native Eastern Red Cedar (Juniperus virginiana).  Southerners of a certain age will remember this as about the only Christmas tree people had back when money was tighter and this cedar grew just about everywhere, making it easy to find.  It can reach up to 50' tall after many decades and prefers full sun in just about any soil.  Another native that makes a fairly good Christmas tree is the Virginia or Scrub Pine (Pinus virginiana).  This is a short needled pine with lots of open space between branches that will hold ornaments all the way to the trunk.  Virginia Pine will grow anywhere from 15-40' in full sun and is often used to reclaim exhausted, poor soils, and is more often seen in western Tidewater into the Piedmont.  The Eastern White Pine (Pinus strobus) is frequently sold at this time of year as a cut or living Christmas tree.  Although it is native to the western part of the state, it faces the same struggle as the spruces do in this climate and is also intolerant of pollution and salt.  When it is happy it will reach 50-80' tall in full to partial sun, in moist well-drained soil.

     If you open your mind and use your imagination there can be many other plants that could work well for the holidays and planted afterward.  Don't overlook the hollies, arborvitae, cryptomerias or the cypresses, and we can help you sort through these plants to pick the variety that will work best for you.  No matter what you choose make sure it is not kept in the house for more than a week, that it stays moist, and that it is not placed near heat sources.  Get it planted as soon as possible after the holidays, following good planting guidelines, and your family can grow their own holiday memories. 

Les Parks