Using Your Christmas Tree in the Garden
I always have a fresh-cut tree for Christmas and just hate the thought of tossing it out after the holidays. Do you have any ideas how I can recycle my tree?
Give your Christmas tree a second life in the garden. Anchor it in a snow bank or on a fence or trellis.
Hang homemade or purchased birdseed feeders, orange pieces and other food for the birds. The tree provides needed shelter and the food will help bring additional visitors into your landscape.
Or use it as a windbreak to protect boxwood, rhododendrons and other broadleaf evergreens from drying winter winds and winter sun.
You can also cut the branches off the tree and use them as winter mulch over perennials and bulbs. Place several branches over border-line hardy perennials, late plantings or bulbs that are subject to early sprouting. Winter mulch keeps the soil cold, preventing early sprouting and frost heaving during our winter thaws.
At the end of the season, contact your local municipality. Many will chip the remnants of your tree along with other gardeners’ landscape trimmings for use as mulch in the landscape.
Related
Audio
Audio
Audio
Upcoming
Events & Webinars
April 23, 2026
Iowa State University
More information
April 25, 2026
Pasquesi Home & Gardens
Lake Bluff, IL
April 26, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI
May 2, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI
May 6, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
Adding Native Plants
to Any Size Gardening Space
Register here
May 7, 2026
Wauwatosa Public Library
Wauwatosa, WI
Register here
May 9, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI
May 10, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI
May 13, 2026
Roots & Branches
West Bend, WI
Register here
May 16, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI
May 17, 2026
Ebert's Greenhouse Village
Ixonia, WI
May 20, 2026
Herb Container Workshop
Pewaukee, WI
Register here
May 21, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
Planting & Care of Your Rain Garden
Register here
June 3, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
Managing Your Landscape
with Pollinators in Mind
Register here
June 10, 2026
Enjoy Life Active Aging Symposium
Brookfield, WI
More information
July 9, 2026
Ebert's 50th Anniversary Celebration
Ixonia, WI
August 6-16, 2026
Wisconsin State Fair
We Energies Energy Park, West Allis, WI
Sept. 3, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
Tree Planting and Care
Register here
Sept. 12, 2026
Knowledge in Bloom Conference
Milwaukee, WI
Register here
Sept. 17, 2026
FREE WEBINAR:
Fall Landscape Care and Planting
Register here
WATCH ON-DEMAND WEBINARS
MORE UPCOMING EVENT DETAILS
Book an Appearance
Sign up for Melinda's free e-newsletter for a chance to win a Birds & Blooms' Ultimate Gardening Guide!
ENTER NOW
