25 Landscape Plants For Holiday Decoration

Presented By Dennis Morgeson Washington County Agent For

Horticulture

Needled Evergreens-Blue Spruce

• Grows 30-60 feet tall, 10-20 feet wide, smaller varieties available

• Specimen and accent plants • Windbreaks • Full Sun, well drained soil • Wreaths, Garland, Accents,

Christmas Trees • Recommended Varieties:

Blue Kiss, Fat Albert, Hoopsii, Moerheim, Montgomery, Thompsenii

Needled Evergreens-Atlas Cedar

• Extremely picturesque • 60 feet tall by 40 feet wide

full sun • Specimen Plants Only • Weeping and upright

varieties, not hardy below 10 below zero

• Wreaths, Garland, Accents • Recommended varieties:

Argentea, Aurea, Fastigiata, Glauca, Glauca Pendula

Needled Evergreens-Norway Spruce

• 40-60 feet tall by 25-30 feet wide, smaller varieties available, full sun

• Windbreaks, specimen • Full sun, well drained soil • Wreaths, garland, accents,

(useful cones) • Recommended varieties:

Maxwellii, Nidiformis, Procumbens, Pumila, Repens

Needled Evergreens-Virginia Pine

• 15-40 feet tall and wide • Makes good cover for

poor soil • Full sun • Wreaths, garland, cones,

accents, Christmas trees • Recommended varieties:

Wate’s Golden

Needled Evergreens-Japanese Cryptomeria

• Grows 50-60 feet tall and 20-30 feet wide, much smaller varieties available

• Nice specimen tree or for avenues

• Full sun (will tolerate light shade) light acid soil

• Wreaths, Garland, Accents, and Christmas trees

• Recommended Varieties: Compacta, Elegans Aurea, Winter Mint, Yoshino

Needled Evergreens-Leyland Cypress

• Can grow 60-70 feet tall and 50 feet wide

• Excellent for quick screens, hedges, groupings etc. Can be kept pruned to any shape and size

• Adaptable to most sights prefers full sun

• Use for Christmas trees, wreaths, garlands, accents etc.

• Recommended Varieties: Castlewellan Gold, Emerald Isle, Naylor’s Blue, Rostrevor

Needled Evergreens-White Pine • Grows 50-80 feet tall by 20-

40 feet wide • Ornamental specimen for

parks, estates, and large properties. Makes an excellent sheared hedge.

• Full sun, will not tolerate heavy soils

• Christmas trees, wreaths, garland, accents, cones

• Recommended Varieties: Compacta, Contorta, Fastigiata, Glauca, Pendula

Needled Evergreens-Eastern Red Cedar

• Grows 40-50 feet tall and 20 feet wide, smaller varieties available

• Grows in full sun and almost any soil type

• Good specimen plant. Use in groupings, screening, windbreaks, topiary etc.

• Wreaths, Garlands, Accents (poor man’s Christmas tree)

• Recommended Varieties: Bakers Blue, Blue Mountain, Canaertii, Greenspire, Stover

Needled Evergreens-Chamaecyparis

• 50 feet tall and 40 feet wide, dwarf cultivars available

• Specimen, accent plants, foundation plantings etc.

• Prefers sheltered sights with deep rich moist soil

• Wreaths, garlands, accents, Christmas Trees?

• Recommended Varieties: Crippsii, Plumosa, Plumosa Aurea, Nana

Broadleaved Evergreens-Boxwood • Grows 3-20 feet wide and tall • Can be trimmed to any size and

shape, smaller varieties best for home use

• Great foundation plant, hedge, specimen plant, notorious in formal gardens

• Prefers full sun and moist deep rich soil.

• Can tolerate light to moderate shade

• Makes nice wreaths, and floral displays as well as interesting small Christmas trees.

• Recommended Varieties: Compacta, Green Beauty, Winter Gem, and Wintergreen

Broadleaved Evergreens-Holly • May grow as large as 40 feet tall

and wide, much smaller varieties available

• Prefers full sun, most well drained soil

• Most cultivars require both male and female plants for berry production

• Specimen, foundation plantings, almost limitless

• Wreaths, garland, accents, holiday table displays etc. (holly berries are slightly toxic)

• Recommended Varieties: Needlepoint, Rotunda, Jersey Delight, Nellie R. Stevens, Fosteri, Honey Maid

Broadleaved Evergreens-Ivy

• Climbing vine grows almost anywhere! Can be become a nuisance.

• Groundcover or climbing vine

• Wreaths, swags, accents, holiday arrangements etc.

• Recommended Varieties: Baltica, Rochester, Rumania, Wilson, etc. Many forms almost all worth growing!

Broadleaved Evergreens-Southern Magnolia

• Grows 30-50 feet tall and wide

• Full sun, rich well drained soil, can tolerate partial shade.

• Specimen, screening, groupings etc.

• Wreaths, garland, accents, arrangements, almost endless! Seeds and dried heads make nice additions to any holiday display

• Recommended Varieties: D.D. Blanchard, Edith Bogue, Little Gem

Broadleaved Evergreens-Nandina • Grows 2-10 tall with variable

widths, may form colonies • Rugged shrub prefers full sun

with moist rich soil, however will tolerate almost any conditions

• Foundation plantings, borders, screens etc.

• Wreaths, floral displays, fruit is nice in almost any holiday display (toxic)

• Recommended Varieties: Altropurea Nana, Compacta, Firepower, Nana,

Semi-Evergreen-Pyracantha • Grows 6-18 feet tall and wide • Prefers full sun and well

drained soil, prune anytime • Good for an informal hedge,

barrier plant, espaliers on walls, trellis plant etc.

• Good for arrangements, fillers for wreaths etc.

• Watch for thorns! • Recommended Varieties:

Fiery Cascade, Gold Rush, Mohave, Navaho, Rutgers,

Deciduous-Red/Yellow Twig Dogwood • Grows 7-9 feet with a

spreading to 10 feet (if left un-pruned)

• Prefers moist soil and full to partial sun

• Use in masses, along highways, parks, golf courses, and most residential landscaping situations, great massed with evergreens

• Great in holiday arrangements

• Recommended Varieties: Allemans, Cardinal, Flaviramea, Isanti, Nitida, Sunshine

Deciduous-Willow • Grows 10-40 feet tall and

wide • Prefers moist sights with full

sun, don’t plant near a water, sewer, or septic line

• Specimen, shade, ornamental • Pussy willow can be forced

into flower for holiday arrangements, others can be dried and painted for displays

• Recommended Varieties: Weeping Sally, Tristis, Kimora

Deciduous-Hydrangea • Grows 3-10 feet tall and wide • Prefers full to part sun with

moist soil • Great landscape plant,

specimen or foundation plantings

• Dried flowers can be painted or used plain in floral arrangements

• Recommended Varieties: Endless Summer, Nikko Blue, Pee Wee, Snowflake, Alison, Snow Queen

Deciduous-Sumac • Grows 2-30 feet tall and wide • Prefers full sun, moist well drained

soil • Will grow almost anywhere, good

for tough spots, banks, dry rocky areas etc. Can form colonies and spread, good for naturalizing

• Some people may be allergic to it similar to poison ivy

• Great fall color and berries • Useful in arrangements • Recommended Varieties: Dissecta,

Laciniata, Flameleaf

Deciduous Holly • Grows 6-10 feet tall and wide • Prefers moist acid organic

laiden soils, full sun to partial shade

• Good mass planting shrub for moist areas

• Good for wreaths, accents, and all sorts of holiday displays even if only outdoors (cut stems keep for months if not in water)

• Recommended Varieties: Winter Red, Winter Gold, Afterglow, Autumn Glow (need males to pollinate)

Deciduous-American Bittersweet • Grows 30-40 feet, twining

vine, prolific! • Prefers full sun for best

fruiting, plant in poor soil to reduce growth rate

• Use to cover poor areas, rock piles, banks, and to cover heavy duty trellises etc.

• Fruit used in arrangements, wreaths etc.

• Recommended Varieties: Indian Maiden, Indian Brave (need male and female for fruit)

Deciduous-Sweetgum • Grows 60-70 feet tall and 40-

50 feet wide • Prefers full sun with deep,

moist, slightly acidic soil • Lawn, park, or street tree but

needs a large area for root development

• A bit messy, fruit can be used in all types of holiday displays from wreaths to ornaments

• Stems are winged, nice for arrangements

• Recommended Varieties: Albomarginata, Aurea, Corky, Burgundy, Rotundiloba (has no fruit), Gumball (shrub form)

Deciduous-Contorted Filbert

• Grows 10-15 feet tall and wide

• Prefers full sun to light shade almost any soil type

• Good specimen and foundation plant, can be trimmed anytime

• Use in arrangements of all kinds

• Recommended Variety: Contorta

Deciduous-Ginkgo • Grows 50-80 feet tall with variable

widths of 30 feet or more • Full sun, prefers deep sandy soil

but will grow almost anywhere • Good city tree, public areas, and

large lawn tree • Leaves drop at once making it easy

to rake • Do Not Plant Females! • Dried leaves can be painted for

ornamental purposes • Recommended Varieties: Autumn

Gold, Fastigiata, Liberty Splendor, Princeton Sentry

Ornamental Grasses • Grows from 1 foot to 20 feet tall

and variable widths • Prefers full sun and well drained

soil grows almost anywhere • Use in the shrub border, perennial

border, groundcover, accent, etc. • Dried seed heads are nice in

arrangements, can be sprayed different colors

• Recommended Varieties: Pumila, Karl Forester, Zebrinus, Panicum Blue

• Warning! Do Not Plant Varieties That Seed Themselves

Guidelines For Using Landscape Plants

• Remember, you are pruning so use proper cuts • Crush cut ends of woody stems and place in water until

ready to use • Immerse greenery in water overnight before using • Allow foliage to dry and spray with “wilt pruf” to sill in

moisture (don’t spray on blue foliaged evergreens) • Keep completed arrangements in a cool place until

ready for display • Replace greenery during holiday season as needed

Replace Sand With Peppermints Or Other Holiday Trinkets

Line the inside of your glass with cedar or pine.

Holiday doesn’t have to be just red and green. Try an all white pallet. Spray paint branches white to go with a silver or gold them or if you

prefer color you can step outside the box and you’re only limited to what paint your store offers (see next slide).

Fill bottom with:

Cranberries

Holly

Fall Foliage

Pine needles

Small Ornaments

Holiday Candies

Photos

Replace Q-tips with small votive candle.

Just add your

flowers or even

greenery.

Hook is made from hook for curtain rod. Wire your jar to this.

Holiday Examples

Holiday Examples

Holiday Examples

Holiday Examples

Holiday Decorations

Holiday Decorations

Holiday Decoration

Holiday Decorations

Any Questions?