What to Do with Your Christmas Tree

After Christmas, when the decorations are coming down and the festivities have been put to rest for another year, it can be hard to know what to do with your bare Christmas tree. A focal point in your house for almost a month, it’s now redundant, and the sad sight of Christmas trees piled up at the tip or outside people’s houses is only too common. However, instead of discarding your hardworking tree this year, why not put it to good use?

Turn it into a stake

Rather than reducing your tree to mulch or compost, you can strip it bare and create a brilliant frame for plants, like flowers or beans, to grow up. You can use the unwanted pine needles in compost or as grip on slippery outdoor surfaces.

Replant it

Many of the trees bought over Christmas are incredibly resilient, even those that have had their roots removed. Although the branches may already be drooping, you’ll be surprised at how quickly they can revive when put in a pot of soil and left to establish.

Make a bird feeder

If the roots of your re-potted Christmas tree refuse to take, then why not turn it into a bird feeder? You have fun over the Christmas holidays making edible decorations for the birds with your children or grandchildren – even something as simple as dipping a pinecone in peanut butter and seeds is highly effective: the birds will love it!

Make potpourri

Nothing says winter like the smell of pine needles, and nothing makes your house smell better than a winter potpourri. Gather together a few of the pine branches and chop off a substantial chunk of the stump. You may also want to add other spices, such as cinnamon, cloves or raw cranberries too. You can find out how to make potpourri here.

Recycle it

If you don’t have the time or inclination for anything else, the easiest way to get rid of your Christmas tree is to recycle it. Many garden centres will take old Christmas trees off your hands and turn them into mulch or wood chippings for use in someone else’s garden!