Gerald Filipski

Don ’ t think you can get a Christmas tree into your small space ? Don ’ t want to buy a tree that will drop needles and make a mess in your home ? Consider a living Christmas tree to solve your space problems . With so many people downsizing , a living tree may be the perfect solution for that smaller living space . You can get the same effect from a live tree as you can from an artificial one or a harvested tree . The bonus is that you will have a beautiful houseplant to enjoy long after the holiday season has passed .

The other benefit is that the tree will not dry up and become a fire hazard as many harvested Christmas trees do . You can decorate your tree earlier and leave it up longer without fear . You will also be contributing in a positive way to the environment by not using artificial trees that may be made from non-renewable petroleum resources .

One of the best choices in living trees is the Norfolk Island Pine ( Araucaria heterophylla ). This is an indoor plant well-suited to low light conditions . In nature , the tree can reach heights of thirty or more metres . Thankfully , it is rather slow growing as a houseplant and will tolerate growing conditions that many other plants would balk at .

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It will grow in warm or cool conditions as well as tolerating low light or full light as long as it is well watered . It is one of the best choices for a living Christmas tree because when the decorations are removed , the lovely green colour makes it a handsome specimen anywhere . It lends itself well to pruning and can be easily trained to take on the shape desired . A well-decorated Norfolk pine can look every bit as good as the most expensive cut tree without taking up the space a full-sized harvested tree would .

Another interesting idea for a living Christmas tree is to use a rosemary plant . By pruning and shaping this plant , you can get the effect of a Christmas tree grown in bonsai scale . If you are not up to the challenge of shaping your own , many local garden centres and even some supermarkets carry these and they are pre-shaped for you . This tree is much smaller than the

Norfolk Island Pine