After the Tinsel

Winter Gardener : Episode TWG-114 -- More Projects »
Don't throw away that Christmas tree after the holidays; put it to work in your winter garden. When their duty in the house is done, those boughs that are now holding baubles can take on new life as mulch, freeze protectors and birdfeeding stations. John Cretti, host of HGTV's Winter Gardener, shows how your tree can contribute to the winter garden.

"Plant" the Tree for Wildlife

Turn your tree into a feeding station for birds. Kids will love helping with this project.

  1. Select a site in the garden that you'll be able to view from indoors.

  2. If you live in a warmer region, "plant" the tree: dig a hole deep enough to accommodate the trunk and backfill to keep the tree securely in place. If your ground is frozen, hammer a stake into the ground. Then tie the tree to the stake with heavy-duty wire so the wind won't blow it over.
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Figure A
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Figure B
  • Smear peanut butter between the scales of pinecones. Then roll the cone in birdseed (figure A).

  • Hook a piece of wire through the cone and hang it on the tree.

  • Tuck cones near the trunk for visiting squirrels (figure B).

  • When springtime comes and the tree is dry, remove it and recycle it as mulch or prepare it for the compost bin.
    • Turn it into mulch--big and small

    1. Use heavy-duty loppers to remove branches from the Christmas tree. Use the boughs as mulch around shrub borders. They'll help provide insulation and also reduce erosion from heavy winter rains.

    2. To keep perennials from heaving out of the ground by alternate freezing and thawing during the winter, place the boughs over the beds.
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    Figure C
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    Figure D
  • Cut the boughs in smaller pieces and layer them on top of the soil of container plants (figure C). They fit inside the container and knit together so that the wind won't blow them away. They also allow air and water to get down where it's needed.

  • Christmas tree boughs can also be shredded in a shredder-chipper for use as mulch in the garden (figure D). Or, you can add the grindings directly to the compost pile. The green material will add nitrogen and the bark will add carbon matter to help in the decaying process. As these materials decay, they add humus to the soil.
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    The birds will adore the decorations you've added to their tree.
    Tips:

    The central trunk of a Christmas tree can be turned into a host of other useful garden items. These are such great ideas that you'll want to gather other discarded holiday trees as well.

    • Saw the trunk into short sections and use as landscape bed edgings.
    • Lay sections of trunk horizontally on steep slopes to use as "steps" and as erosion control.
    • Build a naturalistic garden trellis.

    Also in this Episode
    Winter Gardener : Episode TWG-114
    •After the Tinsel
    •Light Gardening