A Living Christmas Tree With A Twist

A living tree has become a tradition for us. For the past twelve years we have pulled a potted living tree into the house for the winter holiday season.

First we had a blue spruce, which became lovely and wild looking. A California redwood came in for six years running. Then last winter we planted the redwood in the yard, where she is doing very well.

This year we couldn't find a redwood small enough for the house. A spruce or fir might be pretty, but our longer, hotter summers make it impossible to put one of these conifers into the ground successfully.

What to do?

We put on our creative hats and thought outside of the box. What could we find that would live in a pot for five or six years and then join our wildlife habitat yard?

We considered:

• Catalina ironwood - beautiful, but it was already too big
• Podocarpus - possible, but not native
• cedar - lovely, but it was going get very big
• juniper - lovely, but more bush like than tree 
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 Ultimately, we decided on a juniper. The juniper will be quite pruneable and we chose a female that will provide berries for wildlife. 

A live tree is a sustainable tree. It will be planted in the yard and continue to do its job sequestering carbon, producing oxygen, and providing food and shelter for wildlife.

We have a tree in the house to bring wildness into our home. It is so much more magical when that tree (or bush) continues to be part of your life for years to come. 
 

This spunky juniper looks lovely in its holiday decoration. Think outside of the box and bring a living holiday plant into your life.

Other live Christmas Trees:
Stone pine