Consumer Q&A: O Christmas Tree

Q: What is a ‘Blue Ice’ tree? I saw it many times on Christmas tree growers’ lists.

A: ‘Blue Ice’ is a variety of Arizona cypress. It is popular with Georgia Christmas tree growers because it performs well in our soils and climate, and is popular with Christmas tree buyers because of its beauty, durability, pleasant fragrance and versatility. As its name suggests, its needles are silvery blue, reminiscent of the Colorado blue spruce, which does not grow as well here. Another popular variety of Arizona cypress grown in Georgia is ‘Carolina Sapphire.’

Q: Does anyone in Georgia raise Colorado blue spruce Christmas trees? I like their color.

A: As a general rule, Colorado blue spruce doesn’t hold up well enough in our climate to be raised as Christmas trees. However, we produce some other blue options. Visit a Christmas tree farm and take a look at ‘Carolina Sapphire’ and ‘Blue Ice’ varieties of Arizona cypress. Their color is similar to that of Colorado blue spruce. You may also want to look at deodar cedar and white pine. Georgia Christmas tree farmers will do their best to help you have a blue and a merry Christmas.


Q: Do we grow Fraser firs in Georgia?

A: There are a few farms that grow Fraser (sometimes misspelled Frasier) firs, but most of them sold in the state are from points north. The Fraser fir (Abies fraseri) is native to the mountains of North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. Because it cannot handle hot temperatures, it cannot be grown in some parts of Georgia. In those areas, Georgia Christmas tree farmers grow red cedar, Leyland cypress, Virginia pine, Deodar cedar, Arizona cypress and other conifers. 

Q: What is the Virginia pine? I just received my Market Bulletin and see that numerous Christmas tree farms grow it.

A: Perhaps you know Virginia pine (Pinus virginiana) by another name. Because its wood was not as desirable for lumber as that of the longleaf pine or loblolly pine, Virginia pine was sometimes called disparaging names including “scrub pine.” It is also known as “poverty pine,” perhaps because it can grow on poor soils and was common on marginal agricultural land where poor people lived or farmed. Farther north you may hear it called “Jersey pine” because of its prevalence in New Jersey.

Virginia pine is native from Long Island south to Georgia and Alabama and west into Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and scattered areas of the Midwest. It is a pioneer tree – one of the first to sprout after a forest is cleared or in a pasture or agricultural field that has been abandoned. 

If you lived in rural areas of the southern Piedmont in the days before Christmas tree farms, Virginia pine and the Eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) were probably the two most common naturally occurring trees cut for Christmas decorating. 

Georgia Christmas tree growers recognized the beauty and durability of Virginia pines and started growing them on their farms. The limbs are strong and the needles are bright green. The tree has a good piney smell and holds a wide range of ornaments. The care with which growers prune them makes finding a perfectly shaped tree easier than wandering through field and forest and dragging one home like Buddy and his cousin in Truman Capote’s “A Christmas Memory.” (Although that can be fun, too.)

If you visit a Christmas tree farm, consider choosing a Virginia pine or one of the other options like white pine, Fraser fir, deodar cedar, Leyland cypress and Arizona cypress.

Click here for a list of Georgia Christmas tree growers.

Unfortunately, Virginia pine has often been overlooked for landscaping in favor of other pines. Its durability and beauty deserve consideration, however. It may be used as a screen or kept sheared as a hedge. It can even be grown as a bonsai. It also bears long-lasting cones used in decorating and is a host plant for the Eastern brown elfin butterfly.
Q: I would like to plant an evergreen tree on my property that I can string lights on at Christmas. I have plenty of room. At some point I may want to cut it and donate it to a town or civic group. Do you have any suggestions?

A: Momi fir (Abies firma), deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara), Leyland cypress (x Cupressocyparis leylandii), Japanese cryptomeria (Cryptomeria japonica), Arizona cypress (Cupressus arizonica), red cedar (Juniperus virginana) and China fir (Cunninghamia lanceloata) are possibilities that should work throughout most of the state. China fir was quite popular in the South at one time, but less so today. We know of one that has been strung with lights every Christmas for half a century. White pine (Pinus strobus) and Norway spruce (Picea abies) will work in the Georgia mountains and maybe in the northern third of the state.

Don’t limit yourself to needle-leaved trees. Consider hollies such as ‘Nellie R. Stevens,’ Foster’s holly, Savannah holly and American holly.

Talk with your county Cooperative Extension agent or a horticulturist at a local nursery to describe your site and discover what is available. You may want to try several and experiment with other options. Perhaps you will grow a tree that will make it to Rockefeller Center, your town square or the rotunda of the Georgia State Capitol.