How to care for your real Christmas tree
A cut tree is still a living thing - treat it like one and it'll look superb into January. Here's the full routine, from delivery day to Twelfth Night.
Day one: the first hour matters most
Get your tree into water within an hour or two of it coming indoors. If it's been out of water longer than a few hours, saw a thin slice - 1–2cm - off the base first; the cut surface seals with resin and stops the tree drinking otherwise. (Order a water-retaining stand with your tree and we deliver it fitted, fresh-cut and ready to drink.)
Where to stand it
- Away from heat - radiators, log burners and underfloor heating are the fastest way to brown a tree. Turn the nearest radiator down if you can.
- Out of strong, direct sunlight - a bright room is fine; a south-facing conservatory is not.
- Somewhere stable - away from door swings, dog tails and football-aged children.
The watering routine
Check the water every day - a fresh tree can drink more than a litre a day in week one. The only rule that matters: never let the water level drop below the base of the trunk. If the cut dries out, it seals, and no amount of top-up brings it back.
Ignore the folk remedies
Sugar, aspirin, vodka, lemonade - we hear them all at the pitch every year. Controlled tests keep reaching the same verdict: plain water, topped up daily, works as well as anything you can add to it.
Variety makes a difference too
If your tree has to be up for five-plus weeks, choose a Nordmann Fir - the original "non-drop" tree - or a Fraser Fir. A Norway Spruce has the best scent of all but likes a shorter stay: bring it home in December and be religious about the water. Our guide to when to buy a real tree breaks the timing down by variety, and if your tree is already shedding, here's how to stop the needles dropping.
And in January…
Don't drag it through the house to the tip - we'll collect and recycle it for £10 if you add collection at checkout. Or skip the January job entirely with a potted living tree - here's how to keep one going for years.
How much water does a Christmas tree need?
A fresh-cut tree can drink over a litre a day in its first week indoors. Check the stand every day and never let the water level drop below the base of the trunk - once the cut dries out it seals over and stops drinking.
Should I cut the bottom off my Christmas tree?
If the tree has been out of water for more than a few hours, yes - saw a thin 1–2cm slice off the base just before it goes into water. If we deliver your tree with a water-retaining stand fitted, we've already done this for you.
Do sugar, aspirin or lemonade keep a tree fresh?
No - controlled tests repeatedly show plain water performs as well as any additive. The things that matter are a fresh cut, daily watering and keeping the tree away from heat.