Of course, when the words, "evergreen" and "Christmas" are juxtaposed, one immediately thinks of shrubs or trees festooned with Christmas lights. While lighting up live Christmas trees planted outdoors is certainly not obligatory, the practice does have one distinct advantage: live Christmas trees that are lighted can be appreciated at night, as well as during the daytime.
Live Christmas Trees
Don’t let the traditional use of spruce and other evergreens indoors as “Xmas trees” (whether living or, more typically, cut) blind you to their potential use outdoors, too. More and more people are buying live Christmas trees for display inside, then planting the trees outdoors after the holiday. As evergreens, these live Christmas trees lend color to the winter landscape even if left natural. But you can add an extra blast of cheer by decorating them with colorful lights, ornaments, etc. To learn more, please consult my full article on the subject:
Trees as Outdoor Christmas Decorations
Live Christmas Trees: Avoiding a Mess
In choosing between the various options for live Christmas trees, you may want to make a more fundamental decision beforehand:
- Do you wish to use the live Christmas tree indoors first, before planting it outdoors?
- Or do you wish, instead, to plant the live Christmas tree outdoors immediately?
While this decision is perhaps not a critical one, here's why I'm raising the issue: some live Christmas trees will drop their needles more readily when brought inside. And who wants an extra mess to have to clean up after the holidays?
For instance, hemlock trees don't hold their needles very well. But hemlocks make for excellent live Christmas trees to be planted outdoors immediately. One virtue that hemlock trees boast, for instance, is their ability to withstand shade.
Live Christmas Trees to Be Planted Outdoors, After the Holiday
But there are many options for live Christmas trees that can be used indoors, briefly, for the holiday, then planted outdoors afterwards. Various pines and firs are among the most popular live Christmas trees, but I discuss a few other options below.
Colorado blue spruce trees are valuable in deer country, as their prickly texture and strong aroma render them conveniently deer-resistant. For more, please consult the following article:
Live Christmas Trees: Blue Spruce
Yews occupy a central place in yuletide decorating history. It is thought that Queen Charlotte initiated the English tradition of decorating a tree for Christmas, in the year 1800. And what type of tree did Queen Charlotte employ for this purpose? A yew tree! For more, please consult the following article:
Dwarf Alberta spruces make for rather adorable live Christmas trees. Because of their relatively small size, they can be grown in containers. Many people balance a pair of container-grown dwarf Alberta spruces on either side of a walkway, patio, deck, or front door entrance. For more, please consult the following article:
Live Christmas Trees: Dwarf Alberta Spruces
Arborvitaes are evergreens in the Cypress family. Although some might say they are, technically, tall shrubs, arborvitaes are commonly referred to as "trees." For more, please consult the following article:
Live Christmas Trees: Arborvitae Trees
Now that we've looked at natural outdoor Christmas decorations, on Page 3 we'll glance at examples of the store-bought variety....
