How to properly plant your Christmas tree after the holidays 

Christmas is just around the corner and it’s almost time to go tree shopping. Live trees are sold all over the city of Nashville and many residents like to keep their tree around after the holidays by planting it in their yards to add to their landscape. If that’s what you plan on doing, NES wants to help you plant the right tree in the right place. Planting the right tree in the right place helps prevent outages caused by limbs growing into power lines, and reduces the need for tree trimming in the future. Here is some helpful information to follow if you’re planning to plant a Christmas tree: 

For large trees with a mature height of over 50’, look for:   

  • Bald Cypress & Dawn Redwoods 
  • Green Giant Arborvitaes 
  • Red Oaks (Shumard, Southern)  
  • Southern Magnolias 
  • Sugar Maples 
  • White Oaks (Bur, Chinkapin)  

For medium trees with a mature height up of to 50’, look for:  

  • American Yellowwoods 
  • Black Gums (Black Tupelo) 
  • Elms (Lacebark, Princeton)  
  • Hollies (American, Foster #2)  
  • Magnolias (Saucer, Star, Sweetbay)  
  • October Glory Maples  

For small trees with a mature height of up to 30’, look for: 

  • Crepe Myrtles 
  • Flowering Cherries 
  • Flowering Dogwoods  
  • Nellie R. Stevens  
  • Holly Redbuds 
  • Trident Maples 
  • Paperbark Maples  

For shrubs that mature with a height up to 20’, look for:  

  • American Beautyberries 
  • Emerald Green Arborvitaes 
  • Flowering Forsythias  
  • Glossy Abelis 
  • Schip Laurels 
  • Viburnums (Doublefile, Leatherleaf) 

Before planting, make sure you call 811 to learn where underground lines, pipes and cables are buried in your yard. For more information on tree planting, visit nespower.com or call our tree trimming hotline at (615) 695-7400.