A live tree is actually the perfect gift for the gardener in your life. Here are just a few options that make great little Christmas trees and, later, garden plants. The California Christmas tree, or deodar cedar, may look like the Charlie Brown Christmas tree, but it’s pretty sturdy. You can hang ornaments and lights on it. Then after Christmas you can plant it in your yard and it’ll get as tall as 40 or 50 feet. Another option is the Carolina sapphire.
It’s a little flimsy, so you may not be able to hang a lot of lights on it, but small ornaments should be just fine. After Christmas it’ll give you nice blue-green foliage in your landscape and great texture too.