Live Holiday Tree & Shasta Daisy

by Robert H. and Hoberly Schuler

Garden Patch Pointers for November
By Master Gardeners Robert H. and Hoberley Schuler

Q:  I would like to purchase a live tree that I can bring into the house to celebrate the holidays.  What should I consider before purchasing such a tree?  Shirley, Santa Barbara

A:   Our family has used a live “Christmas” tree for over 50 years.  The tree is in a container, grows at least 1 foot per year, so periodically a new one must be purchased.  We purchase the smallest tree that the children can live with, knowing that it will be brought in from outdoors to join us inside the house for ten days and will last five or six years before the top reaches the ceiling.  Some of the trees have been planted in our yard, others have been given to the neighbors for planting in their gardens and some have been donated to the city parks.  The one down the street is a majestic blue over 20 foot high tree.
For years, we have selected a Colorado blue spruce, Picea, glauca pungens, because of its broad base and pyramid form.  The “Fat Albert” and “Glauca” are also good tree selections with the blue needles.
The tree can be placed on a small table with a waterproof saucer the first year.  Every three years you will need to place it in a larger pot after trimming the roots to keep it smaller (a bonsai treatment).  In order to keep its shape, you can trim the branches during the year if some grow faster than others.
A small 3 foot live tree will cost $100 or more.  This steep price is offset by five years of buying and discarding a tree at a cost of over $50.
The tree is disease resistant and easy to care for in the yard, as it needs only to be watered and turned every month to face the sun to keep it balanced.
We usually have plenty of ornaments to add as the tree, like family, grows.  Several years ago when we bought a new small tree, we found just the right ornaments on sale, buying enough to trim a seven foot tree in the future.  Over time, we have added the extra lights and have stopped using tinsel as it takes time to remove before the tree goes out.  We have seen tinsel lined bird nests show up in the spring as the tinsel was too difficult to remove from the tree.
This week end is a good time to purchase a tree while there are plenty in stock.  We have found that a live tree is a wonderful tradition, even though the tree comes into the house one week before and must be out by New Years Day to maintain its health.

Q:  When is a good time to divide my Shasta daisy?   Phillip Heist, Rosemead

A:  Shasta daisy, Chrysanthemum maximum, is a wonderful perennial from the Pyrenees, with long lasting white flowers, a gold center and leathery leaves, growing 2 to 4 feet tall.  They like the sun but do well with some partial shade in our area.  The new hybrids have unusual yellow centers but with larger, better formed, flowers.  They come in single, double, quilled and shaggy-flowered forms.  They are easy to grow from seeds which are available in most seed catalogs.
A new hybrid is a lovely yellow and will retain the color when it blooms again.  It blooms several weeks later than the original daisy.
Shasta daisies should be blooming through August.  Remove the dead flowers and stems in early fall.  The plants can be divided and planted at any time in moist well-drained soil.  They will have larger flowers if you fertilize with a general fertilizer while they are in bloom.   The best time to divide and replant is in the fall or early spring.  It is best to do this every 2 to 3 years.


Have a garden question?  Contact rhschuler@verizon.net
To view previous articles visit www.californiagardenclubs.org/Features/garden_pointers
Robert H. Schuler, Master Gardener
GPP#010, for week of Nov. 15, 2008 live holiday tree + Shasta daisy  

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