Seedlings of five tree species native to the US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico with potential for landscape plantings were grown in a greenhouse and subjected to 3 different watering intensities. We wanted to determine how fast nursery stock would reach an appropriate size for outplanting and how plant biomass would be allocated. Tree heights were measured weekly for 28 weeks after which trees were harvested to determine root, stem, and leaf weights. All species survived under the different watering regimes but had different responses in both height growth and biomass allocation. Only one species, Andira inermis, if subjected to abundant watering reached outplanting height by the end of 28 weeks. Plumeria alba growth did not respond positively to increasing water and field capacity was wasteful of water. In terms of biomass allocation A. inermis was plastic in the allocation of biomass by dedicating more biomass to roots while under water stress and dedicating more biomass to stem wood when watered at field capacity. Other species, in particular, Bucida bucera did not change biomass allocation in response to watering levels. The results indicate that Virgin Island nursery managers can save water during growing of these species by controlling watering levels and still obtain marketable local trees. This research was supported from USGS-WRRI and USDAMcIntireStennis grants.