By Bob Westerfield
University of Georgia

As a horticulturist, it seems a little silly to me that folks are
willing each year at Christmas to spend $50 or more on a dead
plant, a cut Christmas tree.

Yes, tradition, family and religion are involved, and they’re
important. But it doesn’t hurt to look at a few alternatives that
may go on pleasing your family long after the trimmings and
wrappings are gone.

Leyland cypress has essentially taken over the field-produced
Christmas tree market in Georgia. They’re fast and easy to grow,
and each one looks pretty darn similar to the next.

If you decide to stick with a traditional tree, consider buying a
large, container-grown Leyland cypress. You can use it as your
Christmas tree and then plant it after the holiday. Leyland
cypresses can grow more than 75 feet tall, so be sure to give it
plenty of space.

Options

Many other alternative plants can make excellent Christmas trees
besides those you see commonly in the marketplace.

You may have to think in terms of having a slightly shorter tree,
because the larger container-grown plants can get expensive. This
height issue can be addressed somewhat by putting the container
plant on a small table or heavy, inverted flower pot.

Which nontraditional plants make good Christmas trees
substitutes? The sky’s the limit.

Evergreen hollies make excellent trees and provide the bonus of
beautiful, red berries. Hollies will thrive in the landscape
after the holidays, and you can cut the foliage cut each year for
holiday decorations.

Among the hollies to look for are Nellie R. Stevens, Savannah
holly, Foster’s holly and Greenleaf (Ilex opaca).

Another possibility is Japanese Cryptomeria, or Japanese cedar.
This tree has unique foliage and grows into a nice, pyramidal
form. In the landscape, it can grow up to 60 feet tall with a
25-foot spread.

Be creative

If you don’t mind stretching a little away from the traditional
pyramidal form, there are other choices out there.

Camellia japonica and Camellia sasanqua are wonderful blooming
evergreens that thrive in moderately shady areas. If you buy a
larger plant, you may be able to prune it into a shape that
pleases you for the Christmas decor. These plants come in a large
assortment of flower colors and blooming times.

With some imagination and a little work, even an evergreen vine
can be your holiday tree this season.

You’ll need to use a large pot, sink a post in the middle and
then wire up a trellis system to wrap the vines around. You may
need to buy several 1-gallon or larger vines to fill up the pot.

Vines to consider include Carolina yellow jessamine, Japanese
honeysuckle, Lady Banks rose, Confederate jasmine and Vinca minor
or major.

Many other common shrubs could become holiday trees with a little
decoration. Arborvitae, Osmanthus fragrans, Burford holly and
Cleyera japonica are just a few names to look at.

Some folks just need their traditional fix of a cut Leyland
cypress, spruce or fir, and that’s fine. If you’d like to see
your holiday tree go on living after the season, though, give one
of these alternatives a try.

(Bob Westerfield is the Cooperative Extension consumer
horticulturist with the University of Georgia College of
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.)