Planting a Christmas Tree in the Garden: Tips and How-to

Planting a Christmas tree in your garden is a wonderful way to celebrate the festive season while creating a lasting memory. Not only does it enhance your outdoor space with greenery, but it also provides a delightful gathering point for family and friends during the holidays.

Here’s everything you need to know about planting a Christmas tree in the garden, leaving you with a wonderful, healthy new tree for years to come.

Read on if you’d like to learn:

• Is it possible to plant your Christmas tree outside in the UK;
• The best Christmas trees to plant in your garden;
• Can you plant a potted Christmas tree outside;
• Where is the best place to plant a Christmas tree in the ground;

You can also listen to the article here:

Can you plant a Christmas tree?

Yes, you can plant a Christmas tree, but only if it’s still alive and has its roots intact. The best Christmas tree to plant in your garden will always be one that has roots or a root ball still attached. If your tree has been cut through above the roots, you won’t be able to get it to regrow them, no matter what you do.

Living trees tend to be better anyway, as they keep their needles and last much longer. When the festive season is over, keep the tree in a cool place before planting it outdoors, and choose a sheltered spot with well-drained soil so it can settle and continue growing.

The difference between pot-grown and potted trees

You will usually see two types of “roots still attached” trees for sale over the festive period. It’s important to understand the difference between them if you want the best chance of successfully transplanting one to your garden afterwards:

1. Potted/containerised trees – These trees have been grown in soil, dug up, and popped in a pot for Christmas. The odds are still good that you can plant one of these in your garden. But the potting process does sometimes cause damage to the roots, and the tree will have experienced dangerous stress from re-planting once already. Planting a potted Christmas tree is an excellent way to create a sustainable holiday tradition while adding beauty to your home. With the right tree, proper care, and a little planning, you can enjoy the charm of a live Christmas tree for many seasons to come. Embrace the joy of planting and watch your potted Christmas tree flourish year after year!
2. Pot-grown trees – It seems like growing a tree in a container would be worse than growing it in soil and re-potting it. Yet container-grown trees that have been in the pot for their entire lives will still have all of their roots attached and won’t have suffered re-planting yet. This means you’ve got the best possible odds of turning your Christmas tree into a year-round feature of your garden.

The best Christmas trees to plant outside

There are three popular types of trees that you’ll commonly see available over the festive season. Any of these makes a good choice of Christmas tree to plant outside:

Norway Spruce

The good old Norway Spruce (Picea abies) is the classic variety of Christmas trees that’s been seen on these shores for decades. They come in a variety of different sizes and offer some great branches for decorating.

Fraser Fir

The Fraser Fir (Abies fraseri) is distinguishable from the otherwise fairly similar Norway Spruce by being slightly slimmer and having a very faint and rather pleasant blue tint to its slightly darker pine needles.

Nordmann Fir

The Nordmann Fir (Abies nordmanniana) has recently started to surpass the popularity of the Norway Spruce in festive UK homes. That’s because its needles tend to stay on the tree in a warmer environment, making for a much tidier house over the holidays.

The branches of a Nordmann Fir also tend to be a little flatter and closer together, arguably making them both easier and more impressive to decorate.

When to plant a Christmas tree outside

The ideal time to plant your Christmas tree is typically late winter or early spring, when the soil has softened and the frost has mostly disappeared. Planting at this time allows the roots to settle in nicely before the warmer weather comes, when the tree will be busy absorbing water and nutrients.

It’s okay to maintain your tree in a sheltered place over the winter if it has been growing in a pot. You can bring it outside and plant it properly after the earth isn’t too hard to dig. You shouldn’t plant in the coldest months or the hottest months of summer because either of these extremes can stress the young tree and hinder its recovery.

How to plant a Christmas tree

Before planting a Christmas tree in the garden, you need to give the idea some serious thought. Remember – these trees might be a comfortable size now. But they’re not going to stay that way.

Nordmann Firs and Norway Spruces commonly grow to 200 feet in height or more. Do you have room for that in your garden? Where are the roots going to go? Give it some thought before you start planting your Christmas tree.

Prepare the tree for the outside

If you want to plant a Christmas tree outside successfully, you need to do what you can to minimise the shock of transplantation. This means keeping your tree cooler and very well watered when it’s indoors.

You might also want to move the tree to your garage or a cold greenhouse for a little while before planting – if possible – if the weather is particularly cold.

Pick the best place to plant a Christmas tree

Choose a spot that is sheltered from strong winds and receives plenty of sunlight – most Christmas tree species prefer full sun. The soil should be well-drained to prevent waterlogging, which can rot the roots. Avoid planting too close to the house or other large trees, as they can compete for light and nutrients.

A slightly raised area is ideal if your garden tends to be damp, and make sure there is enough space for the tree to grow to its full size without being crowded.

Prepare the soil

Dig a good hole that is at least 30 cm deep and around 100 cm wide. Make sure the soil at the bottom and sides is loose and well-aerated, so the roots can penetrate easily. This will help your tree establish itself more quickly once planted.

Plant the Christmas tree

Carefully remove the tree from its container, or wrap the root ball if it’s bare-root. Place the tree in the hole so the top of the root ball is roughly level with the surrounding soil, matching the depth it had in the pot. Now replace the soil you may have set aside and gently firm it down, taking care not to compact it too much, so the roots can grow freely.

Water the tree thoroughly and protect it

Make sure to water your tree well immediately after planting, then continue to keep the soil consistently moist (but not waterlogged) through the first year in the garden. Apply a layer of mulch around the base for the first few years to retain moisture and regulate temperature. If your tree is in a windy spot, consider planting a post and staking the tree to it, leaving it in place for a few years until the tree is properly settled.

Can you replant a Christmas tree?

It is possible to use the same tree next Christmas. If so, you might not want to plant it in your garden at all. You can move it into a slightly larger pot – still following most of the steps above – and then move it back inside next year.

However, big, regular changes in an environment like this – from freezing cold outside winter to your warm house and back again every year – will seriously endanger your tree and mean it’s less likely to survive the process again.

Contact us for Christmas tree delivery

While buying a pre-cut tree is a popular option, imagine the joy of growing your own Christmas tree right in your garden. Not only does this offer a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative, but it also allows you to create lasting memories as you nurture your tree from a sapling to a majestic centrepiece of your holiday celebrations.

Planting a Christmas tree can be a rewarding and fulfilling project for families and individuals alike, providing a sense of accomplishment and connection to nature.

Are you seriously considering growing a 200 ft+ tree in your back garden? Don’t worry. There’s an easy way to get the full Christmas experience and not worry about what to do with your tree afterwards – book Fantastic Service’s Christmas tree delivery service.

After Christmas, don’t worry about planting your tree outside. Simply add a collection service to your order and we’ll come back to recycle it (in the case of the pot-grown Spruces, this means planting it somewhere it can be happy). All trees have been grown organically in England, Scotland, or Denmark, so you know you’ll be getting a good one this year.

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Did you find out everything you wanted to know about planting a Christmas tree in your garden? Let us know! Comment below and let’s see if we can help you further.

Image source: Shutterstock / Konmac