Many people keep a radiata pine in a pot, which lives out door for most of the year & then comes indoors at Xmas time to be decorated & transformed into the family Xmas tree.

 But many people would like a tree that is a bit smaller & that is Australian.

Don showed how you can trim a lilly pilly into a bullet or cone shape to create a really charming little Aussie Xmas tree.

1. Make a start using clean & sharp hedge clippers.
2. Go easy.  Just trim a little at a time (you can’t stick branches back on!)
3. Stand back from the plant every few snips so you can check your progress & accuracy. Keep standing back trimming until you have achieved the perfect shape.  Nb: Don’s plant had lots of flower buds on it so he deliberately avoided cutting it back too harshly, so as not to lose too many buds.
4. Take you plant inside, being sure to place it on a saucer so it don’t stain your floor.  Adorn it with decorations.  You can keep your lilly pilly indoors for 10 days to 2 weeks, then it must return to the outdoors.

FOR MORE ON LILLY PILLY XMAS TREES SEE THE CURRENT, DECEMBER 2009 ISSUE OF THE BURKE’S BACKYARD MAGAZINE.

Copyright CTC Productions 2009