| Possumhaw and yaupon holly berries (shown above) add festive color to any landscape. |
AUSTIN — “Deck the Halls…” Holiday themes are full of references to plants that carry hope through the dark months of winter. In Central Texas this season is a good time to plant trees. Take a peek in your yard and see if you might be able to add a bit of winter zest with a few new trees.
This year you may want to add some festive, berrying species to your landscape.
Possumhaw holly is a good example of a small tree with red berries that flash in the shortened daylight hours. Evergreen sumac is a large shrub with beautiful foliage in the cool season.
 When you plant trees, be sure to avoid above and below-ground utility lines and leave plenty of space between your new trees and any buildings or structures. A minimum distance between a shade tree and a building should be 15 feet. Leave at least 8 feet of space for an ornamental tree. Consider planting trees on the west and southwest sides of your house where they can provide shade during the warmer months.
Dig your planting hole only as deep as the root ball of your tree, and refill the hole around your newly planted tree with the same soil that you removed. If you choose to use compost, add it as mulch around the base of your young tree where it can help slowly supply nutrients and retain soil moisture.
Water your new trees to help settle the soil around them, then continue to water them once a week through the coming year. Apply the water slowly to allow it to sink into the root ball. Conscientious watering will help your trees grow amazingly fast. Even oaks can put on 24 inches of growth in a year.
Between November and March there is no need to water the established plants in your landscape. Turn your irrigation system off until the warm dry days of spring arrive (and enjoy your lower water bills).
Tree planting is a wonderful way to enhance your neighborhood, celebrate life in the heart of winter, and burn off a bit of plum pudding. Happy Holly-days!
Elizabeth Drozda-Freeman is the conservation landscape specialist for the Lower Colorado River Authority. Contact her if you have comments, questions or suggestions for future gardening topics.
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NOTE FOR GARDEN LOVERS: This story appears in Water Forum. Elizabeth's gardening columns also run in Land Online, LCRA's newsletter on land stewardship. 
