It's not a popular plant because it gets so large on the bottom and doesn't really provide much shade, plus, it requires a lot of water and sheds a lot of needles in the heat if it doesn't get it. They really don't like our climate, and they aren't the best in hurricanes. Something with a similar look she might like is a Norfolk Island Pine, which does very well here, and has that same pyramid shape and likes our climate a lot better.

Unfortunately she said no Norfolk pines, she likes the full rounded look of spruce or fir. She wants something unique that not everyone has, water needs aren’t a problem as she can provide extra if needed through a drip line. Just need trees that can take the mild winter and prolonged summer heat/humidity while upholding that Christmas tree pyramidal shape and is evergreen.

What about our southern red cedars? They are easy to grow, don't take much water, and birds love nesting in them, because they are so dense and protective. The Deodar cedar is supposedly hardy in our zones, but the zones 9-11 in their range are more like California mediterranean climate zones than our tropical zones. She's welcome to plant one, but many people who move down here try to grow their favorite Northern plants only to find that they aren't as healthy or beautiful as they are up north. But if she has the space for it to grow, can plant it at least 50 feet away from the house so it doesn't crash down on it during hurricanes and can afford the water bills to keep it happy, go for it. Keep in mind that if it did well here, it would be everywhere.

I’ll have to do some research on Southern red cedars, she’s also okay with pruning something to shape if need be. She’s actually native to FL but loves the northern looking plants and HATES palms lol

Cedars are not friendly to pruning. They don't come back like leafy trees. If you prune them back too far, the entire limb dies. If she only wants northern looking plants, she's pretty much out of luck. There are evergreens here, but there aren't a lot of northern plants that do well here. She doesn't have to grow palms, but she's going to go through what every other northerner like her goes through -- a stark realization that if you want northern plants, go back up north. I came here from SC, brought a lot of plants with me, most of them died. I moved from SW FL to N. Florida to be able to grow more temperate plants, but I'd been in SW FL so long, I now miss my tropicals. It's sort of an "adjust or go home" thing with gardening here.

Some "northern" plants she might like are crinums, amaryllis and daylilies. Hostas - no. There are a few heat-tolerant hostas, but nothing like they are up north. Lilacs - no. Daffodils, tulips and most spring bulbs - no. Many, many other plants I can't even begin to list - no. Tell her to go to a local garden center and tell them what she's looking for and they can help her get plants that will make her happy, but she's never going to recreate her northern yard down here.

She has lived in FL her whole life actually, just likes to be unique I guess.

I understand. I hate palm trees too. Sorry for assuming she was from up north. One reason I moved to N. Florida was because I wanted real trees and real seasons.

I think a Red Cedar would do well for her. It's actually grown as a Christmas tree where I come from (SC), and it's what we always had as Christmas trees when I was growing up. They have a beautiful shape and grow pretty fast. She also might like Arborvitaes.

Also, tell her to look at the native hollies. They aren't like northern hollies, but they do grow into beautiful small trees with red berries, so a touch of the north. I like the Dahoon holly best, because it has dense foliage and beautiful, dark green foliage. My mom had a beautiful one growing in her front yard in SC.

I'd recommend the Arizona cypress (also called Carolina cypress) but it's short-lived down here and cypress trees have been attacked by insects and diseases in current years and can get to look very ratty.

No worries, I get it. Living in Florida before I moved I assumed everyone was an outsider, as it seems most are. Same thing when I lived in Phoenix. I’ll show her your suggestions, how long do the cedars live?

My grandmother had a 100+ year old red cedar in her yard, but it had long outgrown the "Christmas tree" phase. They're actually not cedars, they're junipers, but they live a long, long time. I had one in my yard in SC that was about to grow into the power lines in front of my house and have to be topped by the evil road crews, so I donated it to the University of SC as a Christmas tree for their Horseshoe area. It as a beautiful tree, and I couldn't stand the thought of them lopping the top out.

Actually, deodar’s zones 9-11 is quite humid given that they are from India and it is usually quite hot and humid in the summer there.

Henry, yes, from India in the Himalayas at between 2,500 and 12,000 feet! They do seem to make in the coastal plains of N.J.though at sea level, but C. atlantica seems much more common around here.

Deodars don’t like the highest of the elevations, after all, the species is only hardy to zone 7. It is still hot and humid since its latitude is so far south that altitude barely does anything.

I disaggree, altitude is a MAJOR factor. Zone 7 still goes down to 0 F. and high altitude climates cool off dramatically at night all year round, which is not common at sea level.