How to use your old Christmas tree in the garden

On the Twelfth Night – the last day of Christmas – many of us will be taking down our Christmas trees and leaving them out on the street ready for collection. But did you know these prickly spruces, firs and pines can be used in your garden to help wildlife and save money?

In this guide by BBC Countryfile Magazine, we reveal five great ways that you can use your old Christmas tree in the garden.

More winter gardening tips

• Jobs for the garden this winter
• Winter gardening for wildlife
• Best plants for winter colour

Five ways to use your Christmas tree in the garden

Make woodchip mulch

Put your tree through a shredder (you can hire a shredder/chipper or borrow one from a friend), stack the chips at the back of the garden for a few months to rot down, then use them as mulch around trees and shrubs.

Make climbing frames

To make your garden wigwam, strip the longest, sturdiest branches, store them somewhere dry, then use them in summer to support climbing plants such as beans and hops.

Create a shelter for wildlife

Cut the branches off your Christmas tree then saw the trunk into short lengths. Stack the the branches and logs somewhere in your garden. They are a great refuge for bugs, small rodents and other wildlife.

Make a dead hedge

The branches from your tree (and neighbour’s trees) can be woven between vertical posts to create a wildlife-friendly boundary.

Make a bird feeder

To make your bird feeder, cut a length from the trunk of the tree and drill it with 2cm-wide holes. Stuff a suet and bird feed mix into the holes and hang it in a tree.