Our first Christmas in Texas (2005), I saw small pine trees for sale in pots at HEB. They were so cute that I bought one. I decided that I would try to plant it after the holidays. It wasn’t terribly expensive, after all, and I could use it next to my barren front door as a little decoration. Now, five years later, I have purchased and planted two more. The first one is about 6’ tall, bushy and green. It is growing at the end of the driveway with no irrigation. During drought periods, I have been known to carry a couple of buckets of water up there, but that about covers the special watering I have done for them! I have since done a little research on them and want to share the results.
The pines are Stone Pines, also known as Umbrella pines. When mature they can be 30 – 70’ tall. As they get older, they lose the lower branches and grow a dense canopy that gives them the umbrella shape. If you have visited Rome or the Mediterranean, you will remember seeing them. For that matter, you can see mature specimens in Fredericksburg!
When young, the branches sport two kinds of needles – some longer and some short. When they mature, the cones produce the pine nuts that we pay dearly for in the grocery store. They are drought and wind tolerant. They tolerate temperatures down to freezing though they prefer warmer temperatures. They don’t need fertilization. They naturally prefer acid soils, but tolerate our alkaline conditions. I do mulch mine with pine needles or peat moss just to counteract our lean, alkaline soil a little. Deer and rabbits don’t seem to bother them, although I have found that I need to protect the small ones from the male deer during the rut season since they will rub on them.
As with all living Christmas Trees, you should keep them outside as much as possible. They really don’t like to be inside for three weeks! Then, plant outside in the ground in early spring. You probably want to water them occasionally the first summer.
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