Hedges as Christmas trees
It’s December, and for many of you, this month will be dominated by festive activities. Christmas is one of the major celebrations in this month. And of course, Christmas isn’t Christmas without a Christmas tree! Although most people associate pine or spruce with Christmas trees, there are also plenty of hedge plants that make perfectly good alternatives. If you have a hedge plant standing on its own in your garden, why not decorate it with lights?
Evergreen and conical
Many hedge plants are evergreen, which means they keep their green leaves all year, including in winter. Like pine or spruce, these plants are lovely and green during the festive season. Pine and spruce are the most popular Christmas trees thanks to their abundance on the market, and also because of their conical shape. However, some hedge plants also grow in conical shape or can be pruned into this shape. That’s why hedge plants are an ideal alternative to a ‘real’ Christmas tree!
Various options
One hedge plant that naturally grows in a conical shape is Thuja Occidentalis ‘Smaragd’ (Emerald Green). The plant has a densely branched crown, sustains bright green leaves year-round, and is highly resistant to the cold – the ideal characteristics of a Christmas tree! Other Thuja species also have gorgeous, green leaves and are resistant to the cold, but they’ll need to be ever so slightly pruned into a conical shape to make an attractive Christmas tree.
Besides Thuja, Yew also makes an ideal Christmas tree when pruned into a conical shape. This evergreen hedge plant is very hardy and has a lovely, densely branched crown. Yew has needle-like leaves that look a lot like pine or spruce needles. If you prune a Yew into a conical shape, it’s almost indistinguishable from a ‘real’ Christmas tree!
Besides Thuja and Yew, there are plenty of other hedge plants that can be transformed into Christmas trees. Prune them into the right shape, hang some lights and baubles, and let the festive season begin!
A sustainable solution
You might be wondering why you’d use a hedge plant as a Christmas tree when you can just buy a ‘normal’ Christmas tree. The answer is: Christmas ‘hedges’ are much more sustainable! Some 85 million Christmas trees are cut down across the world every year, and most of them are thrown away in January. That’s not exactly environmentally friendly! If you use a hedge plant as a Christmas tree, you can plant it outside in your garden after the festive season and enjoy it for years to come. It’s a simple way to help Earth (and your wallet)!