Where to buy a living tree

Any local nursery will carry trees suitable to use as a holiday tree. If you have an organic nursery in your town, check there first.

Planting your tree outdoors

Choose the spot to plant your tree before you buy, making sure that there is plenty of room for the tree to grow.

If you don't have space on your property to plant a tree, find out about tree-planting programs in your community that would welcome a post-holiday donation. If you decide to make a gift of your tree, be sure to check with the recipient regarding preferred species.

If you have a large yard that needs planting, you can plant a "holiday tree grove". Each year purchase a tree and add it to the grove. This will become a special place to enjoy year-round, and a reminder of past celebrations.

Once planted, outdoor evergreens can be decorated and serve as a holiday tree for the neighborhood.

Container trees

If you have limited space, plant a living tree in a container and bring it indoors each season. The remainder of the year it can add background greenery to a deck or patio.

Keep your tree a manageable size with yearly pruning.

Nurturing a tree throughout the year gives it a special meaning during the holidays. Because you participate in its growth and care throughout the whole year, it becomes part of your family. You could start with a tree seedling and watch it grow, particularly if you start it on a child's first holiday or a first holiday of a marriage.

Choosing the right species

The most important aspects of choosing the right species are to choose a species that will thrive in your area, and how fast the tree will grow. If you are planting outdoors, you probably want a tree that will quickly grow to full size. If you are going to keep it in a container, it is best to choose a species that is naturally slow-growing.

These are the most popular species for living holiday trees:

Common name	Scientific name	Nursery sizes	Best climates
Slow growth
WHITE FIR	A. concolor	1-6 feet	Everywhere
COLORADO BLUE SPRUCE	P. pungens 'Glauca'	1-6 feet	Everywhere
NORWAY SPRUCE	Picea abies	3-7 feet	Everywhere except south and deserts
DWARF ALBERTA SPRUCE	P. glauca 'conica'	1-4 feet	Everywhere except deserts
NOBLE FIR	Abies procera	3-6 feet	NE, W, Midwest, Rockies
Average growth
JAPANESE BLACK PINE	P. thubergiana	1-6 feet	Everywhere
NORFOLK ISLAND PINE	Araucaria heterophylla	1-7 feet	Tropical, Subtropical, SW, S, Gulf Coast
SCOTCH PINE	Pinus sylvestris	2-8 feet	NW, W, Midwest, Rockies
DOUGLAS FIR	Pseudotsuga menziesii	3-7 feet	NW, W, Midwest, Rockies
Fast growth
ALEPPO PINE	P. halepensis	2-6 feet	S, SW, deserts
MONTEREY PINE	P. radiata	2-8 feet	N, Midwest, E, W
MONDELL PINE	P. eldarica	1-8 feet	SW

Caring for your tree indoors

Since a warm indoor environment is not the native winter habitat for evergreen trees, it is important to properly care for your tree to keep it green and healthy through the holidays.

• Limit indoor time to two weeks.
• Place your tree on the opposite side of the room from any heat sources, including fireplaces and woodstoves, heater vents, and unshaded south-facing windows.
• Use "cool" 5-watt lights on the tree. Heat from regular lights can dry out the tree.
• Give the tree a good soaking before bringing it indoors. Let it drain for a day or two to prevent ending up with a puddle on the floor. Make sure to put the pot in a saucer and the saucer on a surface protector to save your floors. Water every three days to keep the soil moist.
• To keep the tree cool, try time-release watering with ice cubes. As they melt, the tree roots will slowly absorb the water.

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