How to Shape Rosemary Like a Christmas Tree

If you don't have room for a Christmas tree, you don't want to purchase a small tabletop Christmas tree, or if you allergic to pine trees, you can easily shape rosemary into a Christmas tree. A rosemary plant looks similar to a Christmas tree and also has a nice fragrance. To make a rosemary Christmas tree, simply trim the plant into a Christmas tree shape. Chances are, visitors will hardly notice you have a different type of Christmas tree.

Things You'll Need

• Rosemary plant
• Gardening scissors

Instructions

1. Purchase a rosemary plant from a home and garden center. Smaller rosemary plants are sold in three to four-inch pots, one-gallon pots, and five-gallon pots. The size of plant you need depends on the size of tree you want; the plant in the one-gallon pot is an ideal size if you want a small tabletop tree.

2. Trim the bottom layer of the rosemary plant so that it is even, and all of the branches are completely even. It helps to get eye level with the bottom of the tree to identify the lowest sprigs of rosemary.

3. Use the size of the bottom of the tree as a basis, and begin cutting one side of the tree at a slant upward, forming a cone shape. To make it even, trim the trees in sections, starting with the middle section on one side, mirroring the slant of that section on the other, and then shaping the top. Don't worry if it's not perfect the first time. You can continue to prune the tree to make it look like a Christmas tree after the first cut.

Tips & Warnings

• Save the rosemary you cut from trees and put it in little dishes around the house as a deodorizer.

• Decorate the tree with lights and bulbs as you would a normal Christmas tree. Drape a tree skirt around the pot or paint the pot in coordinating holiday colors.

References

• The-Herb-Guide.com