Potted Christmas Tree Varieties That Thrive When Grown As Houseplants

You bring home the best Christmas tree from the lot, decorate it with love, and then eventually just drag it out. This is what happens to most of the Christmas trees, which end their lives either in a landfill or in a chipper to make mulch. But what if your Christmas tree could linger in your home? That is where potted Christmas tree varieties come in. Norfolk Island pine (Araucaria heterophylla), Rosemary "Christmas tree" (Rosmarinus officinalis), Lemon cypress (Hesperocyparis macrocarpa 'Goldcrest'), and lavender tree (Lavandula angustifolia) are options that can last in your home year-round. 

There are many other live Christmas tree varieties, too. You just need to make sure that you pick something that can be grown as a houseplant and can thrive in indoor conditions. You may have also considered a "living Christmas tree," which is a balled-and burlapped or container-grown evergreen with its roots still intact that can be replanted after the season. However, many of the commonly sold living Christmas trees can only tolerate indoor conditions briefly and need to be replanted as soon as the ground thaws.

To choose the perfect houseplant Christmas tree, there are things to consider, such as the size of the tree and how much care it will need. Conifers will shed some needles, so, unless you want to clean daily, pick a large pot to put your plant in. Site selection is another important consideration, too. Most of these plants prefer a spot with full sun and plenty of water to keep from drying out.

Norfolk Island Pine is the living Christmas tree you want if you are tight on space, as when used as houseplants, they grow slowly, only about a few inches every year. Just don't let them get exposed to dry conditions; otherwise, they will start dropping their needles. Lemon cypress 'Goldcrest' is another option, and it is one of those houseplants that will fill your home with fragrance. It gets its name from its aromatic foliage, which, when crushed, produces a lemony scent. Some cypress can grow quite tall, however, there's a dwarf variety, 'Goldcrest Wilma,' that only grows to around three feet, making it a great houseplant option. Just don't forget to water it regularly, or its brightly colored foliage will be very quick to fade and turn brown.

Other than that, the Rosemary "Christmas tree" is another great choice. It features dense gray-green, needle-like aromatic foliage and resembles a blue spruce plant. It could be great choice for you if you like using herbs in your cooking. Nevertheless, when used as a houseplant, rosemary "Christmas tree" needs to be placed in a spot with plenty of direct sunlight. Also, the air circulation around the plant needs to be unrestricted if you want to avoid fungal diseases. 

And last on the list is the lavender tree. Just like rosemary, it brings a soothing, cozy aroma to the indoors. But what makes it even better is that it prefers slightly dry conditions — perfect for indoors. Just place it where it gets 6 to 8 hours of sun.