For an enduring touch of holiday green, consider a tiny planted conifer rather than a cut juletrae. The saplings of species with unusual colours, textures, and silhouettes bring the forest indoors for a wonderfully natural Christmas. Best of all, young trees can be planted outside after the holidays, where they’ll grow to full size in the years to come, serving as a reminder of celebrations past.
Excerpted from Terrain by Greg Lemkuhl.
Root and Branch For natural cheer, root an evergreen cutting in a glass bauble vase, paired with a matching cloche.
Specimen guide
These evergreen species offer sculptural saplings with a remarkable array of growth habits, from sleek and slender to graceful and drooping.
Japanese cedar Cryptomeria japonica ‘Black Dragon’: This slow-growing dwarf conifer is prized by gardeners for its remarkable foliage, which matures from bright green to nearly black.
Blue atlas cedar Cedrus atlantica: Like its weeping cousin, this cedar is noteworthy for its striking blue hue. Its young, slender limbs will spread into a majestic, pyramidal form as it grows.
Deodar cedar Cedrus deodara: The Deodar cedar, native to the Himalayas, features gently drooping branches with gray-green needles. Deodar is derived from the Sanskrit name for the species, devadaru, which means “timber of the gods.”
Japanese white pine Pinus parviflora: This graceful pine is native to steep slopes and ridges in Japan and Korea. Its finely textured needles are long and brushy, with a blue-green hue.
Weeping blue atlas cedar Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca Pendula’: Native to the Atlas Mountains of Algeria and Morocco, this cedar is descriptively named for its drooping habit and unusual, powder blue shade.
White spruce (Picea glauca): An upright shape and stiff, blue-green needles make this medium-size conifer the perfect choice for a classic Christmas look.
Hero image above: Miniature evergreens make a surprising gift for the holiday hostess, tucked inside a glass hurricane and wrapped in lights.
Excerpted from Terrain by Greg Lemkuhl (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2018. Distributed in New Zealand by Bookreps NZ Ltd.
