Finding green ways to re-use your Christmas tree after the holiday season is the best option to reduce waste. Christmas trees have a multitude of uses for gardeners, so avoid sending yours to landfill or your local recycling plant, and instead repurpose it in eco-friendly ways in your own garden.
The most recent survey carried out on behalf of the British Christmas Tree Growers Association (BCTGA) suggests that almost 5 million real Christmas trees were purchased for Christmas 2023. Although many trees are disposed of responsibly at recycling centres, plenty more still end up in landfill sites.
Instead think creatively and let your garden benefit from your Christmas tree. You'll also be helping the environment with ideas that make your garden more eco-friendly, as well as doing your bit to make your own Christmas more sustainable.
1. Plant your Christmas tree in the garden
"If you’ve got a pot-grown living Christmas tree, you can grow it on to use next year," according to the team at the British Christmas Tree Growers Association. "Your pot-grown tree will benefit from being gradually reacclimatised to colder temperatures before being put back outside." Move the tree to a covered outdoor area first such as a garage.
As your tree grows you will need to check to see if it needs to be replanted in a larger garden planter. Once it becomes too big for a pot it can be planted in the ground. Keep your tree well watered during prolonged dry, hot spells. It may also benefit from a feed during the growing season.
If all goes well and your tree thrives, next Christmas you can pot it up again to bring indoors for your celebrations, or alternatively leave it where it is and add some outdoor lights and decorations to give a seasonal touch to the garden.
2. Enrich garden soil with pine needles
Pine needles have several beneficial uses in the garden. If you shake the needles off the branches of your tree directly on the soil once you've finished with it indoors these will work as a natural fertiliser to feed plants.
Christmas tree needles are ericaceous so they can be used to top dress acid-loving plants such as azaleas and rhododendrons. "Leave the tree outside on a patio until the needles fall off, then collect them to use on acid-loving plants," says horticultural expert Richard Barker.
You can also shred Christmas tree branches for mulching around plants in winter. This beneficial mixture will feed plants with nutrients, keep the soil moist, and add a protective layer that insulates them against frost.
"You can turn a Christmas tree into wood chip mulch by putting it through a shredder," says Richard. "The chips should be stored for a while to allow them to rot down before using."
Suitable for branches up to 25mm in diameter, this cordless shredder can be used for a wide range of garden materials. The storage bag has a capacity of 55 litres and it comes with sturdy wheels.
Richard Barker is an expert in horticulture and the commercial director at LBS Horticulture. He is keen to share his knowledge with both experienced and beginner gardeners, and prides himself in keeping up to date with all the latest horticultural trends.
3. Protect garden beds with Christmas tree branches
One of the quickest green ways to re-use your Christmas tree is to cut off the branches and lay them on the surface of the soil to use as a thick protective layer against frost and snow. This is a great low-maintenance garden idea if you don't have a shredder.
“When the festive season comes to an end and it’s time to dispose of your Christmas tree, the first step is to make it more manageable by taking off the branches," says Paul Hicks, product manager at Stihl. "Battery-powered secateurs, such as the ASA 20 Cordless Secateurs, available from Stihl, are ideal for this. They will slice cleanly through branches up to 25mm, and are lightweight too, so you’ll be able to quickly and easily remove all the branches from the trunk."
Pack the cut branches around plants to give them a little added protection in winter. It makes ideal insulation, particularly if it snows.
"Strip the branches from the trunk of the tree and they can be weaved together to provide insulation for tender shrubs or rose bushes," suggests Richard Barker. "You can also use them to create a frame over garden beds then drape frost protection fabric over them."
Once spring arrives you can simply remove them from your garden landscaping and either trim the branches to use as a natural support for plants or cut them down and put them in your green waste bin.
Paul Hicks is the product manager for Stihl GB, having worked at Stihl for nine years, and is responsible for the full product range. His time there has included the launch of consumer battery systems and the significant expansion of the professional range of battery tools.
4. Add Christmas tree clippings to the compost bin
The twiggy branches from your Christmas tree make a great addition to the compost bin. These will help to aerate the compost better. Cut the branches up as small as you can, which will help it break down quicker and move things along.
“Once you’ve cut your tree down into smaller pieces, you can use the waste to create nutrient-rich compost for future use in your garden," says Paul Hicks. "Both the wood and needles of a Christmas tree can take a long time to break down, but shredding the tree will help it break down much more quickly."
Depending on the shredder you’re using, you may need to split the trunk into smaller pieces before shredding. "Simply add the shreddings to your compost pile, and in few months you'll have a nutrient rich mulch ready to use in your garden," says Paul.
If you haven’t got round to creating your own compost bin yet the evergreen branches of a Christmas tree make the perfect base to start things off. The best way to create good compost is with a good mix of woody and green waste materials, plus plenty of brown cardboard. Then simply start adding your kitchen scraps and peelings to fill things out.
Made from durable plastic, this compost bin can hold up to 300L of waste. The top lid is hinged for easy use, plus there is a removable front panel so you can access the compost to use it on your garden.
5. Make a fragrant walkway
Chipped or shredded Christmas tree branches can be used to create a light, fragrant walkway that looks beautifully natural in the winter garden. As you step on it a lovely pine fragrance will be released too.
This is an easy and inexpensive garden path idea that keeps weeds down between garden beds as well as looking good. If you want to do it properly first put down a weed suppressant material or thick layer of cardboard then lay your chipped Christmas tree material on top at least an inch thick.
Wood chip paths need topping up with fresh material every year, so now you know what to do with next year's Christmas tree, too.
Using natural materials in your garden is one of the top garden trends for the year ahead, and what could be more natural than putting your Christmas tree to good use outdoors?
