Plants that look like Christmas trees are found in a variety, and you will find some of these types in this article. Which similar-looking Christmas plants can you grow instead of Christmas trees?
What other forms of Christmas trees to try? Continue reading to learn the answers to these questions and more.
Contents
Different Plants That Look Like Christmas Trees to Try This Holiday Season
There are many plants that resemble christmas trees and they can be used as beautiful alternatives to a living christmas tree. Just follow the basic care requirements as listed.
1. Norfolk Island Pine
Norfolk Island Pine, also known as Norfolk Pine or Australian Pine, is a member of the Araucariaceae family and is native to Norfolk Island, located in the Pacific Ocean.
Contrary to the name, it is not a pine but a stately tree. The evergreen timber is widely used for ornamental purposes and adds visual interest irrespective of whether it is planted indoors or outdoors.
– Growing Season
The conifer is mostly cultivated in sub-tropical climates and can endure diverse growing conditions when grown as a container plant. It grows slowly and takes up to a decade to reach maturity, with a height of 200 feet and 25 feet width. However, if grown indoors or in a controlled environment, it will be at most 3 feet in height and the same width.
– Specific Needs
It shows optimal growth in full to partial sun and sandy soil with an acidic pH. The pine is drought and salt tolerant to some extent and forgiving where water is concerned. Indoor pines require watering every one or two weeks while allowing the soil to dry out in between the watering sessions.
Feed your pine tree with a dilute liquid fertilizer throughout its growing season, although it is best to leave fertilizer out during the low-light period. The trees, especially the younger ones, have a weak root system and have regular fertilizing needs. Be bold in providing support to your tree with posts or clamps.
Get rid of the lower dead and diseased branches but do not trim the tree’s top. You can eliminate the central leader if you are growing it in a pot. Furthermore, propagating the pine from seeds is the best option.
Lay the seeds flat onto the growing medium, such as a sandy mix, with little to no covering from the top. Ensure that your chosen seed-growing spot receives at least three to four hours of sunlight daily.
2. Weeping Fig
The weeping Fig, also known as Ficus Tree or Benjamin Fig, is a member of the Moraceae family and is native to Asia and Australia.
It makes a great Christmas tree alternative if you are looking for a broad-leaf option. The tree is mostly kept indoors, whether in homes or offices. It is a compelling alternative because its sleek and slender branches bear glossy evergreen foliage.
– Growing Season
The tree is cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical climates, but people prefer growing it as a houseplant. It has a fast growth rate and requires repotting every year.
If grown indoors, expect it to grow up to 6 feet in height; however, you may see them growing up to 60 feet tall when grown outside. It has an average lifespan of twenty to fifty years, making it on the list of long-living trees.
– Specific Needs
The Fig prefers to grow in full to partial sun and rich soil with a neutral to acidic pH. Water it just enough to keep the soil wet but not soggy, or you might end up with a foliage-less and rotten tree. It is a heavy feeder and longs for fertilizer throughout its growing season.
Feed the plant a slow-release fertilizer in its early years and come down to once every two months in the fall and winter seasons. Even after adding the fertilizer, if your plant is still dropping a few leaves now and then, supplementing with magnesium and manganese can produce the desired results.
A hassle-free way of propagating the Fig is through cuttings taken in spring when the warm sun and moist soil are readily available. The odds of having a fruitful yield from seeds are little to none.
Trim the tree when you see its top touching the ceiling or when you want it to have a certain shape. Irregular pruning is a major cause of your plant showing stagnant growth.
3. Dwarf Alberta Spruce
This Christmas tree look-alike is also known as Dwarf White Spruce. It belongs to the family of Pinaceae and is native to North America.
The tree can be used in multiple ways, sometimes as an overgrown shrub and sometimes as a specimen tree all around the United States of America. It is a rare situation that the tree produces pine cones.
– Growing Season
The growing season for Dwarf Alberta Spruce is late spring and summer. It has a slow growth rate of 2 to 4 inches per year. On reaching maturity, it can be tall from ten to 13 feet and seven to 10 feet wide. The dense foliage gives the tree a fuzzy look.
– Specific Needs
It is a full-sun lover that grows in moist but well-drained soils irrespective of the soil’s pH level. Water the tree if the top 3 inches of the soil appear dry. The container plants have more watering needs than the ones planted in the ground.
However, the plant does not like to be kept in soggy soils. The baby plants appreciate granular fertilizers around their base every year. They develop less feeding needs when they mature.
Since the spruce is a slow-growing plant, it does not require much pruning. Like you would do for any other plant, remove the dead branches.
If you want to prune it, do it in early spring when there is no growth. The plant can be propagated through seeds and cuttings. But the quickest way of propagating is through softwood cuttings. Plant the cutting in the soil, and you will see roots established by the end of six to eight weeks.
4. Leyland Cypress
Belonging to the Cupressaceae family, the Leyland Cypress is native to North America. It is an evergreen conifer that has a beautiful reddish-brown scaly bark. The conifer has sleek branches with gray-green leaves and dark brown cones up to 9 inches long.
– Growing Season
The best season to grow the conifer is midfall. It has a fast growth rate and can be as tall as 60 to 70 feet and as wide as 10 to 15 feet. It can be kept indoors if the roots are regularly pruned and fresh soil is added to the plant.
– Specific Needs
The tree enjoys full to partial sun and grows in fertile, moist, well-drained soil with an acidic to a tad bit alkaline pH. Leyland Cypress needs regular and deep watering to have a fully established root system, and once it reaches maturity, give the tree one gallon per foot height. However, only water it once a month in winter.
It looks best with a central trunk, so do your tree a favor and cut off the off-shooting branches yearly in July. The tree is best propagated through cuttings. Add the cuttings to the soil and place it somewhere warm indoors.
The roots start to germinate in six to ten weeks, and by the end of six to nine months, the cuttings are ready to be transplanted outdoors. Add a 10-10-10 fertilizer in early spring along the tree’s line before it begins to grow.
5. Rosemary
Rosemary is a herbaceous perennial that is a member of the Lamiaceae family and is native to the Mediterranean.
It is a plant that grows as a rounded evergreen shrub. This perennial plant has upright woody stems that bear gray-green leaves and produce clusters of white to light blue flowers. The plant can be grown indoors and outdoors because of its flexible, adaptive nature.
– Growing Season
It grows actively in spring and summer but can also bloom at different points of the year. The safest time to grow Rosemary is after the danger of frost has passed. The shrub can reach heights of 2 to 6 feet and widths of 2 to 4 feet as it grows at a moderate rate.
– Specific Needs
Rosemary appreciates full sun and sandy, loamy, and well-drained soil with an acidic to neutral pH. Once mature, it becomes drought-tolerant, and a better choice would be to underwater them rather than going overboard.
Do allow the top inches of the soil to dry out, as the plant does not grow well in soggy soils. It does not require heavy feeding; using a balanced liquid fertilizer as per the instructions given on the label ought to do the trick.
Prune the plant as per the shape you please. The best way to propagate Rosemary is through cuttings taken in spring or summer. Cut a few inches of a long, healthy stem and take off the lower leaves while leaving behind a few.
After dipping the cut end in the rooting hormone, plant the cutting in moist soil. After two or three weeks of planting, gently tug on the cutting to see if the roots have taken. If it offers resistance, know it is ready to be transplanted.
6. Lemon Cypress
Goldcrest Monterey Cypress, or Lemon Cypress, belongs to the Cupressaceae family and is native to North America. The lush green plant pops up in every store around Christmas. It gives off a fresh lemon fragrance, making it a perfect choice for the holiday season.
– Growing Season
The best time to plant Lemon Cypress is spring when the soil is warm and easy to work with. It gets enough time to establish well before winter sets in. Lemon Cypress has a fast growth rate that enables it to grow 1 foot per year. The plant has a maximum height of 10 feet and a width of 3 feet.
– Specific Needs
The plant grows well under full sun but can tolerate partial shade. It prefers sandy and well-drained soil with a neutral pH.
Adding fertilizer to the plant is not recommended as the plant is capable of thriving in infertile soils. You would end up having uneven growth if you are still tempted to satisfy your fertilizer cravings for your plant.
It does not require pruning as it looks beautiful in its natural form giving it an unkept tree shape. Furthermore, it is propagated best in winter through cuttings. Cut the stem approximately 4 inches long. Take off any leaves it might have at its lower part and insert the stem in a pot filled with potting mix.
Keep the plant covered with a plastic bag and place it somewhere warm while watering it just enough to keep the soil warm. Resistance against a gentle tug implies that the cutting is ready to be transplanted.
7. Noble Fir
This Christmas tree look-alike is also known as Red or White Fir. It belongs to the Pinaceae family and is native to North America.
The tree has a beautiful silvery-gray bark and green-gray or blue-gray needles. Its branches and short and rigid and grow horizontally. The tree’s crown develops into a round shape once it matures.
– Growing Season
The best season to grow Noble Fir is early spring. It has a slow growth rate, allowing it to grow only 6 inches every five years. Once mature, the tree can be as tall as 100 feet and as wide as 30 feet. Growing the plant indoors requires regular pruning.
– Specific Needs
Noble Fir grows best in full sun but is able to tolerate partial shade. The soil must be loamy and sandy but well-drained with an acidic pH. The plant needs constant moisture as it belongs to the habitat that receives snowfall from October to March.
It does not require pruning except for cutting diseased and dead branches. Furthermore, the tree can be grown from the dried-out cones. The dried cones, when shaken, release seeds that need to be soaked for at least twenty-four hours.
Fill the seed trays with a good potting mix, and the soil needs to be enough to hide the seeds underneath. It would not be long before they are ready for transplanting. The plant does not require much fertilization.
Conclusion
Christmas trees bring all the holiday feels and are a favorite among people of all ages. If you are planning not to have a different-looking Christmas tree from the rest, there are other plants that you can try.
Whichever you end up choosing as your next Christmas tree, always remember the following points from the article above:
- Lemon Cypress is an ideal option to fill your homes with a holiday fragrance and light up the Christmas spirit.
- The mesmerizing foliage and bark of Noble Fir and Weeping Fig will ensure that the onlookers do not have their attention anywhere else.
- Rosemary is a unique herb plant that is a Christmas look alike and does not have many watering needs.
After discovering these plants that look like Christmas trees, which plant would you like to have for the next holiday season?
References
- https://andrewsforest.oregonstate.edu/pubs/pdf/pub1168.pdf
- https://extension.oregonstate.edu/forests/christmas-trees/noble-fir-seedling-survival-strategies
- https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ST083
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