We are in love with our Holiday Tree/s!!!

Image of a Southern Redcedar tree
(we'll post ours once uploaded!)


We did it! Anna and I visited the farm we mentioned earlier today and after learning that the trees we chose were not treated with pesticides, we selected two, one tiny and one 5-6 ft, Southern Redcedars, the original, old-fashioned Holiday Tree native to our region in Florida. We are most excited to take good care of these trees and plant them in our backyard. For those who don't know, we lost a beloved 50 plus year-old Laurel Oak earlier this fall that filled our entire backyard with cool shade. We are delighted to have invited two new Southern Redcedars to live in our backyard.

Upon purchasing them, I called our friend Bill Bilodeau of Earthsong Gardens, Florida native plant expert, landscape designer and permaculture guide who has also parented our gardens and planted them with almost entirely Florida natives in November 2007 (More on Bill's good work at http://www.tampabay.com/features/homeandgarden/article622490.ece). Bill came right over to our place to help us receive the Southern Redcedars and also for his yearly visit to our place to plan a garden grooming day. He helped to find a great spot for our New Year's planting of these two sweet trees; and taught me that they will grow in a large, tear drop shape and provide great wind screens as well as being salt tolerant making it a great tree for our seaside city. We will post some photos as soon as I upload them!

Here is some factual info I found on the Southern Redcedar:

The dense growth and attractive foliage make
Southern Redcedar a favorite for windbreaks, screens,
and wildlife-cover for large-scale landscapes. Its high
salt-tolerance makes it ideal for seaside locations.
Redcedar can make a nice Christmas tree, and the
fragrant wood is popular for repelling insects. Cedar
Key, Florida, once had extensive redcedar forests
before the lumber was extensively harvested and the
wood used for chests and pencils. Although not
currently used often as a street tree, its wood is strong,
the foliage is clean, and the fruit is small making it a
suitable candidate. There are some nice examples of
street tree use in southern cities. With proper pruning
to remove lower branches, it should adapt well to
street-scapes.
Forest Service - Dept of Agriculture Fact Sheet - Nov. 1993
(hort.ufl.edu/trees/JUNSILA.pdf)