Archive for the ‘Christmas tree’ Category

Some Conifers Don’t Like Summer Heat And Clay Soils

Most conifers are best grown in deep, moist, well-drained, acidic loamy soils and in full sun. In the deep South evergreen conifers are challenged by warm soils, poor soil drainage, and humidity. Humidity increases their susceptibility to diseases. Once established they are drought tolerant, but most fail in poorly drained wet soils. Many pine species […]

Live Cut Foliage And Berries For Home Holiday Decorations

Many conifers make great cuts for indoor and outdoor Christmas decorations. Foliage choices: Eastern red cedar and many other junipers, white pine, Norway spruce, Colorado spruce, Balsam fir, Canadian hemlock, Arizona cypress (and cultivars ‘Carolina Sapphire’ and ‘Blue Ice’),  and False cypresses (C. pisifera). Needle retention varies among species. For example, Norway spruce and balsam […]

ACS SOUTHEAST REGION CONIFER REFERENCE GARDENS*

I hear people say that conifers won’t grow in the southeastern U.S. Wanta bet! 2016 marks the 8th year of the Reference Garden program sponsored by the American Confer Society (ACS)- Southeast Region. From Kentucky and Virginia south to Florida, 19 public gardens were now participating in the program. Two of the latest additions are Brookgreen […]

Purchasing A Cut Christmas Tree

Around the holidays lots of people head out to local Christmas farms to purchase a tree. Local farms offer the best freshly cut trees that should last 3 or more weeks inside your home. Trees for sale in urban lots may have been harvested  between 1-4 weeks earlier and shipped to your vicinity. A cut Christmas […]

Widely Planted Norway Spruce

Norway spruce (Picea abies) is a large pyramidal evergreen conifer. It is native to the mountains of northern and central Europe where it often matures to 100 feet or more in height. In the cool temperate areas of the U.S. and Canada, Norway spruce is widely planted, typically reaching 50 to 80 feet tall at maturity (USDA hardiness […]

Twelve Days Of Christmas Showcase At Dallas Arboretum

                The Dallas Arboretum in Texas is hosting a festive holiday exposition: The Twelve Days at Christmas. It is an elaborate collection of 25-foot Victorian gazebos themed to “The Twelve Days at Christmas”. Each of 12 gazebos is comprised of  charming costumed characters and whimsical animals made famous […]

Leyland Cypress – Alternative Christmas Tree For The South

If you grew up with a spruce or a fir Christmas tree, Leyland Cypress (x Cupressocyparis leylandii) could be a big change. This conifer species thrives in the southern U.S. (USDA hardiness zones 7-b to 9). Leyland is a good choice for a live cut or transplanted holiday tree as firs (Abies spp.) and spruces […]

Troubled Pines… And Some Good Ones To Grow

Mugho, aka mugo pine (Pinus mugo), and Scots pine (P. sylvestris) are two troubled pines which gardeners in the Southern Appalachian region (USDA Hardiness zones 6 and 7) have shied away from planting. Both have become problem growers over the past quarter century. Scots pine suffers from several devastating foliar diseases. Once a popular Christmas […]

Select The Perfect Christmas Tree

Decorating a live Christmas tree is traditional in many homes. Many different species of evergreen trees are sold at tree lots near you. Frazier Fir (Abies fraseri) is the most popular Christmas tree in the southeastern U.S. Named for Scottish botanist John Fraser (1750-1811), it makes its home in the higher mountainous elevations of Tennessee, […]