Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jul 01, 2025

Christmas tree care: keep it spruced and it will stay fresh and fabulous for longer

Christmas tree care: keep it spruced and it will stay fresh and fabulous for longer

Follow these tips and your Christmas tree won't droop too soon...

There may be some good imitators around, but where Christmas trees are concerned, there's nothing like the real thing.

If an artificial (plastic) tree doesn't do it for you and the look and scent of a fresh Fir is your go-to, we have some advice from Christmas tree experts, Pines & Needles and Gardening Express on how to keep your spruce looking sprightly 'til 12th night (6th January). Leave your Christmas tree up any longer and folklore has it that it could bring bad luck.

First things first, is to not put it up too early. Gardening Express advise waiting until the second week of December.

TRUNK CALL


When you buy your tree, ask the seller to saw off the bottom 3cm of the trunk. This creates a fresh cut and opens up the pores in the bark, which otherwise can block up with sap within a few hours of being cut.

The Christmas tree is then able to drink water through these pores via capillary action. (Pines ands Needles do this to their trees so you don’t have to).

                                        

PRIME POSITION


Position your Christmas tree away from any heat sources such as radiators and fireplaces. Heat dries out your tree faster, so the further from potentially damaging heat sources the better, and the fresher your tree will remain.

It will obviously need to be near a power source though, so you can have pretty fairy lights, without trailing cables causing a trip hazard.

                                        

WATER WATER


Place your tree in shallow water - not soil or sand which would block the pores in the bark. This is best achieved by using a specially designed Christmas tree stand.

Precious hours can be wasted trying to make a Christmas tree stand up straight in an ordinary bucket using just bricks or stones, when they can be easily fixed into a stand.

The unattractive green plastic stands can be disguised with simple brown paper or decorated with Christmas wrap. However, there are some more stylish options around at Etsy.

In a proper Christmas tree stand, it is far more likely to remain upright and stable when you're hanging your baubles too.

                                        

KEEP IT TOPPED UP


Keep the Christmas tree stand topped up with water. Your Christmas tree may drink 2-3 pints (1-2 litres) of water per day, depending on its size and your central heating settings, so top it up when you water your house plants.

This is important as once the water level drops below the tree’s trunk, sap will re-seal the bark within a few hours, preventing the tree from drinking any further water even if you then re-fill the Christmas tree stand.

Follow these steps and your fir will stay fresh and fragrant until 12th night.

                                        

WHERE TO BUY


Buy living Christmas trees and stands at pinesandneedles.com.

IKEA has also brought back its brilliant real Christmas tree offer again.

Want your Christmas tree delivered? These are the companies that will deliver a real Christmas tree to your door.

                                        

Give the rest of your room a festive flourish.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
Trump Administration Considers Withdrawal of Funding for Hospitals Providing Gender Treatment to Minors
Texas Enacts Law Allowing Gold and Silver Transactions
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
OpenAI Secures Multimillion-Dollar AI Contracts with Pentagon, India, and Grab
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Elon Musk Critiques Senate Budget Proposal Over Job Losses and Strategic Risks
Los Angeles Riots ended with Federal Investigations into Funding
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Education Secretary Announces Overhaul of Complaints System Amid Rising Parental Grievances
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Trump Ends Trade Talks with Canada Over Digital Services Tax
UK Government Softens Welfare Reform Plans Amid Labour Party Rebellion
Labour Faces Rebellion Over Disability Benefit Reforms Ahead of Key Vote
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Host Lavish Wedding in Venice Amid Protests
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
North Korea to Open New Beach Resort to Boost Tourism Economy
UK Labour Party Faces Internal Tensions Over Welfare Reforms
Andrew Cuomo Hints at Potential November Comeback Amid Democratic Primary Results
Curtis Sliwa Champions His Vision for New York City Amid Rising Crime Concerns
Federal Reserve Proposes Changes to Capital Rule Affecting Major Banks
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Trump Escalates Criticism of Media Over Iran Strike Coverage
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
Big Four Accounting Firms Fined in Exam Cheating Scandal
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
Australia's Star Casino Secures $195 Million Rescue Package Amid Challenges
UK to Enhance Nuclear Capabilities with Acquisition of F-35A Fighter Jets
Russian Shadow Payments via Cryptocurrency Reach $9 Billion
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
×