California Christmas Tree

Color Your World and Guzman’s Greenhouse will normally have this tree available year-round. Ask for it at your local nursery or retail greenhouse store.

The California Christmas Tree (Cedrus deodara) is also called the Himalayan cedar. This tree tolerates alkaline soil making it a good choice for your southwest landscape. There are folks who think it will not grow here, believe me, it will. This beautiful tree is classified into the Pinaceae family and is a conifer, meaning cone-shaped like evergreen or pine.

It will look great in the front entrance of any southwestern-style landscape home. Once established it will only need occasional watering, perfect for the southwest planting zones.

It is a moderate grower and will do great in full sun. In and around the Southwest area it will grow about 60 ft. tall and 25ft. wide. Guzman’s Garden Centers will usually have this type of tree in stock. In its native land, which is Afghanistan and India it will get about 120 ft. tall.

Fertilize in spring, summer, and fall for good green growth. You can use a good 20-20-20 all-purpose fertilizer. Ask for it at any local nursery or greenhouse store.

Problems with this tree.

It is susceptible to spider mites. These are tiny insect mites that will damage the foliage of the tree. Spraying with a good insecticide will kill these insects. Spider mites thrive in dry hot conditions it’s important to check your tree often for these creatures. You can also use Neem oil as an organic substitute.

Needle blight is a problem for most Conifers including this tree. However, it is not as prevalent in the southwest due to the small amount of rainfall in the area. It can contact the blight if conditions are right, too much water or overspray from the lawn sprinkler. You can use a copper-based fungicide to help fight this disease.

Read more about needle blight on the website.

Check our page on insects and diseases on plants and trees.

The California Christmas Tree USDA Hardiness Zone: 7 – 11.

Read more about this beautiful Confier at Wikipedia. Check your USDA zone here.

Color Your World and Guzman’s Greenhouse normally have this tree available year-round.

Check out our post on Cut Christmas trees.