Buying Live Christmas Trees and Pine Trees in Malaysia

1. Christmas Pine

During the festive season this year, I find that quite a number of nurseries and garden centres are stocking up on Christmas trees, conifers and pine trees. Since there are more choices and varieties now, it may be a good reason to pop in at the local nursery if you are thinking of buying an evergreen tree for your garden:

1. To be decorated as a potted indoor or ground-grown Christmas tree with lighting and ornaments. The indoor tree can be replanted later in your garden. This way, you can have an Eco-friendly Christmas.
2. To landscape the garden like resort-living
3. To grow a pine tree in the garden for good fengshui

I do hope that you can find your evergreen trees to build up many happy everlasting memories to last a lifetime. Why not then, have a Christmas Tree that is always living and growing in your garden?

2. Round Pine

What we commonly call "pine trees" are actually conifers, i.e. evergreen coniferous trees. These trees have existed since time immemorial, i.e. about 350 million years ago during the Carboniferous Period, long before the Jurassic times. The height of a pine conifer tree varies from 3m (dwarf) to 80m tall. You can differentiate pine trees conifers from one another by the number of needles they have per bundle/cluster.

3. Norfolk Island Pine

The Norfolk Island Pine tree, also known as Hong Kong Pine, House Pine or Star Pine.

Scientific name: Araucaria heterophylla

Family: Araucariaceae

Category: Evergreen coniferous tree

This tree is native (and was endemic) to Norfolk Island in the South Pacific. It is a very popular Christmas Tree. This slow growing tree can reach a height of 6-12m tall. However, the tree trunk tends to bend as the tree ages.  

4. Blue Pine

The Blue Pine, also known as Chinese Juniper or Blue Fir

Scientific name: Juniperus chinensis

Family: Cupressaceae

Category: Coniferous evergreen shrub

Chinese Junipers are very popular in public gardens, stately homes, colleges and universities grounds. There are a few variations; some with a narrow crown and single trunk, some have multiple trunks growing from the base, or the foliage may be yellow and some are dwarf trees.

5. Sleeping Pine

Pine trees are popular in Chinese/Oriental/Japanese Rock/Zen/Water Gardens. Some pine trees can be grown as bonsai. You can also find them in Chinese landscapes painting and calligraphy.

A pair of healthy living pine trees in the garden is a symbol of marital bliss for the couple.

6. Snake Pine

Pine trees remain evergreen throughout winter and their leaves do not fall off. Other plants drop off their leaves, turn dormant or wither and die but not for the Pine, Bamboo and Plum which are regarded as the "3 Friends of Winter" (sui han san you - 岁寒三友). Together they represent perseverence, integrity and modesty. When pictured or painted togerther, they signify a strong friendship that can overcome all kinds of trials, tribulations and adversity. Old and long-living pine trees are highly valued and treated with great respect.

7. Pencil Pine

For the Chinese, pine trees are a symbol of longevity, resilience and strength.

8. Arborvitae

Scientific name: Platycladus orientalis

Common name: Oriental Arborvitae, Oriental Thuja, Biota

Formerly known as: Thuja orientalis

Chinese name: ce bai (側柏)

Family: Cupressaceae

Origin: China, Korea, Iran

Category: Evergreen coniferous tree

It is a compact shrub from the cypress family. This is a popular tree grown in Chinese homes and on the grounds of Chinese temples and associations as a symbol of longevity and vitality. "Arbovitae" is a Latin word meaning "tree of life". The tree can grow to about 15m tall with a spread of 6m. The needles are soft and do not prick your hand. This is a maintenance free tree as it is drought tolerant and quite resistant to pest attack. It grows uniformly, hence it will need very little pruning.The foliage is dense and fan-shaped. Established plants are drought tolerant. Some trees in China are more than 1,000 years old. There is a dwarf variety that grows to about 60-80m tall.

It used to be a custom in traditional Chinese weddings to place P. orientalis leaves inside red envelopes (ang pow packets), gift trays and marital bed during the ceremonies and rituals. E.g. during the "seong tau" (hair combing ceremony) the night before the actual wedding day, a sprig of P. orientalis  leaves was worn on the groom's headdress, also placed in the urn during the prayer session. Nowadays, they have replaced it with pomelo leaves.

  

9. Podocarpus macrophyllus

In temperate countries with the 4 seasons, pine trees which are non-flowering will bear cones that contain the edible pine seeds called pine nuts that we use for cooking. In our warm Malaysian weather, you won't be able to see this happening to your garden tree!

How to select your tree:

1. Ask the staff to show you the different types of trees. Chose one that you like according to your budget and your preferences to overall shape, height, spread, texture, foliage colour and growth rate.
2. Hard and dry soil is a sign of neglect
3. The tree should not have a lot of needle drop
4. The tree should not have a lot of foliage that has turned brown and off-colour.
5. The branches should not snap easily

Finally, remember NOT to prune off more than 2ft from the top of your pine tree!

My grateful thanks to Soon Lee Landscape at Lot 21 Selangor Green Lane for giving me the permission to take the above photographs. My special thanks to their friendly and knowledgeable staff  for the explanation on the different types of pine trees that we can grow in Malaysia.

My article, "Evergreen Christmas" about planting live trees first appeared in the New Straits Times on 10 Dec 2011. The link is here.

Christmas Tree Options:

1. Imported pre-cut trees - this will cost more than buying a live potted tree from the local nursery. You need to make sure the tree does not dry up or dies before the big day. Most probably, you can't replant the tree after the season is over, so it'll end up in the compost bin or a landfill. You need to cut up the tree into smaller pieces and dispose it off properly. 

2. A live potted tree from the local nursery - If you choose a healthy tree and maintain it well, it can last many years in a container or replanted on the ground. 

3. Fibre Optic and/or plastic tree - You can put all sorts of ornaments and lights on the tree. After the season, the tree can be packed and stored up, to be recycled again in the following years. A good choice for an indoor Christmas tree.