Best living Christmas trees to plant after the holidays

A pine cone grows in the original seed orchard of Virginia pine trees at Holiday Acres Christmas Tree Farm in November 2023 in Manvel. Trees at Holiday Acres are part of a decades-long effort to grow better Christmas trees in Texas. (Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle file photo)

Do you ever wish you could find more choices of evergreen trees that would prosper in your landscape? How about the opportunity to get an attractive tree to decorate for Christmas and then be able to have a landscape tree to plant in the landscape without having to spend more money for another tree? It is possible right now. A number of area nurseries are selling evergreen trees with their roots still attached to decorate and they can then be planted in the landscape.

Tree varieties that meet those requirements include Arizona cypress, Deodora cedar, Aleppo pine, Italian stone pine, Japanese black pine and blue point juniper.

Do not select Eldarica (Afghan) pine, loblolly pine or other species that make good Christmas trees but have proven they won't survive in our soil or climate as a landscape plant.

Christmas trees for sale at Dewberry Farm include Leyland cypress, Murray cypress, Carolina sapphire and Arizona blue. (Courtesy of Dewberry Farm / Houston Chronicle file photo)

There are several varieties of Arizona cypress available as living Christmas trees. Some are actually native to Texas. Most grow to 35 feet tall and have a natural holiday tree shape with several versions of leaf color including gray, reddish, silver and greens. All are drought- and pest-resistant.

Deodora cedar is about the same size as Arizona cypress but has more of a spruce look with silvery green foliage. Sometimes the peak point freezes, but it is still an attractive landscape tree. I have a Deodora cedar that I planted as a living holiday tree, and after 15 years, it has not experienced any freeze damage and has grown to the same height and at the same rate as my Arizona cypress.

Aleppo, Italian stone, Japanese black pines

Italian stone pine grows well when planted in San Antonio area landscapes. (Courtesy of Jerry M. Parsons / San Antonio Express-News file photo)

Aleppo pines grow fast and are drought-tolerant with upright needles. There is much variation in the shape with some being straight and thin and others being bushy. They grow to 60 feet tall. If you want to see what a mature Aleppo looks like, visit Fort Sam Houston, where there are a large number of the species on the base.

Italian stone pine is umbrella shaped and less upright than the Aleppo. It has long sky-reaching needles. If you plant an Italian stone pine, give it plenty of space for its umbrella shape. It prefers sandy soil and is likely to grow to 40 feet tall in our thin soils.

The Japanese black pine grows fast to100 feet in the Pacific Northwest, but here in our area, it grows slowly to 20 feet tall with an open round shape.

Looking for an alternative to pine for a Christmas tree? Leyland cypress is a handsome option with feathery foliage. Leylands will grow in home gardens, too, but does not seem to survive well in the San Antonio area. (Carlos Antonio Rios / Houston Chronicle file photo)

There are several ornamental junipers that can be used as living Christmas trees and then be moved into the landscape as a specimen plant, or you can even make it an every year ritual to plant one per year to build a hedge. The selection that works best is the blue point juniper. Leyland cypress is used a lot as a hedge forming ornamental in locations outside of Texas but does not seem to survive well in our area.

For an especially small living holiday tree consider the herb rosemary. Large numbers of rosemary are pruned in a Christmas tree shape and are available at area nurseries. They usually bloom attractively in January and prosper in a 15-gallon container or in the garden in the sun after the holiday use to be admired as an attractive addition to the garden and used as an herb source.

Holiday Acres Christmas Tree Farm workers help get the farm ready to open for tree shoppers in November 2023 in Manvel. Trees at Holiday Acres are part of a decades-long effort to grow better Christmas trees in Texas. (Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle file photo)

Things to do this week in the garden

The hummingbirds are still migrating through Central and South Texas. To help them have a successful trip, maintain your sugar water feeder and do not be too quick to cut back or remove your nectar plants. If your zinnias, mistflower, firebush and porter weed are still blooming, they will be the favorites.
It is not too late to plant spinach and onions. Prepare the soil with 2 inches of compost and 10 cups of 19-05-09 (50% slow release) or 18-06-12 winterizer fertilizer per 100 square feet of bed so the plants have quick and generous access to nitrogen.
Some of the summer annuals are still blooming but fill up any open space in the sunny part of flower garden with snapdragons, stocks, alyssum, calendula, pansies, violas and sweet peas. In the shade, use cyclamen and primula. They all prosper in the cool weather. Cover the primula and cyclamen if the temps are forecast to fall below 28 degrees.
The lawn grasses have moved into a reduced growth chemistry with the shorter hours of sunlight and cool weather. They will require less water, and it is too late for useful fertilization. Zoysia and Bermuda grass will survive without irrigation, and St. Augustine will survive with water every three weeks.

Here are some suggestions in addition to selecting the right species and size for your location to make your living Christmas tree experience more successful.

Have plenty of help and any necessary equipment to move your living tree, the roots make it heavy.
Keep the tree well-watered.
Select the planting site and dig the planting hole prior to the day you plan to move it.
Only leave the decorated tree in the building for three weeks or less. It works especially well if the decorated tree is on the patio or at some other outside location.

Happy holidays!