If you bought a live tree for Christmas, maybe from your friends at Eising, and you’re wondering what to do with it after the holidays, we have 7 ways to recycle or upcycle it. The needles and tinsel may be falling off, and you’re probably ready to give it the “Heave Ho!”, but wait! Check out these ideas first:  

1. Create a wildlife shelter and winter interest

Let's put our Christmas trees to work in our gardens! If you have a bare spot in the yard, moving your Christmas tree outside is a great way to instantly “spruce” it up! You can leave the tree right in the stand, or prop it up on a fence, maybe even add a string of outdoor lights to enjoy on the dark winter nights coming our way. Doing this will give you something pretty to look at for sure, but more importantly, it provides additional shelter for birds and wildlife.

2. Enhance your garden soil

A live Christmas tree is 100% biodegradable. By turning it into mulch or compost it will break down and return stored nutrients back to the soil. Now that’s a win-win! And it’s easier than you may think. If you don’t have a shredder, branches can be chopped up by using good ‘ol pruning shears. Needles are full of nutrients and will also help soil from becoming dense and compacted. Using wood chips, chopped branches, and needles as a mulch is also a great way to help your garden trees stay moist and healthy during the winter. If you’re adding the needles and branches to your compost pile, be sure to add some water and mix it well with the rest of the compost. Another option is to add the chopped branches and needles to a garden path.

3. Protect your plants

There’s still a lot of winter weather ahead of us, and your tree can help protect perennials that are marginally hardy. Simply cut long branches from your Christmas tree using loppers, pruners, or a saw, and lay them over perennial plants to add insulation. The boughs will protect your plants from winter freezes and spring thaws, which could be the difference between losing a plant and seeing it grow again next year.

4. Keep the fresh pine scent

Are the needles on your tree still green? Use gloves or scissors to strip them from the tree, then store the needles in paper bags to use as room fresheners. The needles can retain their scent for months to come.

5. Support for Spring

Branches make lovely natural supports for any plants that need a little propping up - like peonies for example. Once the branches are trimmed off, the trunk can be used to support vines like Morning Glories or pole beans, or by laying it on it’s side as an edge for a garden.

6. Get creative

Crafts like ornaments and coasters are a great way to upcycle a tree trunk. Be sure to let the tree completely dry first or the wood will split when you cut it into 6 to 10 millimeter thick rounds. Then get creative by painting or varnishing and drilling holes in them if you’re making ornaments. They’re attractive, practical, and make great gifts.

7. Donate it, or take it to a recycling centre

If you have no need for recycling your living tree for home use, then look for a local program to donate your tree to. For over a decade, the Royal Botanical Gardens in Hamilton has used donated Christmas trees for various stream restoration projects. More information about their programs can be found on the RBG site. Or, skip the drive to Hamilton and check for your county recycling program. In Norfolk County for example, you must drop your tree off.

What’s not on our list? Burning your tree. You definitely do not want to burn it in your fireplace as it’s creosote content makes for a sticky, sooty fireplace. It’s not recommend that you burn it outdoors either. Coniferous needles contain nitrogen and substances called terpenes which are very toxic when burned, making the smoke unsafe for anyone around your fire pit to breathe. It’s much better to do any of the things listed above, or, if you have your own wooded area or pond, you can also put your tree in either of those places to enhance the natural habitat for woodland animals or fish.

This is the year—the year you cross off all the tasks on your spring to-do list! A little bit of yard work now pays off in the long run. You'll feel more organized and have healthier plants, and you'll be better prepared for the following year.

Review Your Tools and Accessories

Before we get into the heart of the gardening season, now is the time to look over your storage shed to make sure you have everything you need for a successful season. To prevent the spread of disease between plants, clean pots and containers you may use, as well as any tools. You also may need to sharpen and oil some old standbys, like pruning shears, loppers, and trimmers. If, after doing your clean up, you realize you need any tools or accessories, we're now offering curbside pickup at our garden centre.

Clean Up The Yard

Removing any fallen branches is especially important to reduce any hazards now that the kids are spending more time playing outside. Prune shrubs and trees that bloom in spring, like lilacs, right after flowering, and remove any damaged, dead, or diseased branches.

Though perennials, like grasses and woody herbs, provide food and shelter for birds during the winter, they can make your yard look a little scruffy during the spring. Cut back these perennials to encourage fresh growth and remove last year's annuals to make room for new ones this year.

Work the Land

Pick up a handful of soil, shape into a ball, and squeeze it. If water comes out, the soil is too wet, and you should wait a bit longer. However, if the ball crumbles, then the soil is ready to be worked. Remove any fresh mulch or leaf litter, but leave whatever has composted to mix into the soil. Loosen up and mix the soil by turning it over, using a tiller or a spade. Depending on the soil in your garden, you may also have to add amendments, like fertilizer.

Take inventory of the groundcover in your yard. Mulch and rock seem to disappear every year — groundcover should be about two to three inches thick, so replenish accordingly.

Plan Ahead

Take note in a garden journal of what you've completed already, like all of the steps above, plus any seedlings you started or bulbs you planted. A garden journal is a great help, not only for this season but also for years to come, since you can keep track of what worked and what didn't each year. Write down what you'll plant, where you'll plant it, and when. The majority of garden vegetables can be planted through mid-May here in Simcoe, after any risk of frost has passed. Now is also the right time to take note of any open spots in your yard that you can fill in by dividing fall-blooming perennials, like hosta and purple coneflower. Dividing perennials helps keep the plants healthy, plus it gives you more plant material to work with!

Odds and Ends

Clear out the gutters, turn over the compost, clean out bird feeders, and repair anything that needs it, like fences and lawnmowers. Locate and put up stakes and trellises for any plants that might need them, like tomatoes and peonies. Now is also a great time to tend to your decks and hardscapes so that you have a place to enjoy your garden from when it starts blooming!

Though you could make a day of prepping your garden this spring, to make it more manageable, break up your days at home by doing tasks between conference calls. Follow this checklist, and in no time, you'll be seeing the results of your hard work—evidenced by your thriving garden!