🎄 Christmas guide
🌲 Living tree
🌿 In brief
A living potted Christmas tree can be kept for years, as long as you follow three rules: bring it in and take it out gradually, never leave it in the warmth for more than ten to fifteen days, and never let its root ball dry out. After the holidays, it spends the rest of the year outdoors, on the balcony or in the garden, and comes back to decorate the living room the following winter. For a balcony, the dwarf Alberta spruce 'Conica' is the easiest choice: it grows so slowly that it stays the right size for years.
It smells of the forest, does not drop needles all over the living room and does not end up on the pavement on 2 January: a potted Christmas tree is a real tree, roots and all, that can see you through several Christmases. You still need to choose it well and spare it the shock of a heated living room. Here is how to choose yours, keep it looking its best over the holidays, then give it a second life.
Why choose a living potted tree
Most Christmas trees sold in December are cut: with no roots, they start drying out as soon as they come into the house. A potted tree, on the other hand, is grown in its container with all its roots. It stays alive throughout the holidays, and that changes everything.
A tree that lasts for years
Looked after properly, it spends the year outdoors and comes back into the living room the following Christmas, a little taller. A dwarf Alberta spruce can decorate around ten Christmases.
No needles on the floor
As long as its root ball stays moist and it does not stay in the warmth for too long, it holds on to its needles far better than a cut tree.
No waste in January
No tree to take to the collection point: it moves to the balcony, a terrace or a corner of the garden.
Safe for pets
The spruces we sell are non-toxic to cats and dogs. At worst, their needles may prick an overly curious nose.
Choosing your tree
The species
All our potted Christmas trees are spruces, very hardy conifers that cope with the cold without difficulty. What sets them apart is mainly their colour, their silhouette and how fast they grow.
| Tree | Silhouette | Colour | Growth | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Picea glauca 'Conica' | Dense, regular cone | Soft green, short, soft needles | Very slow, a few centimetres a year | The balcony, to keep in a pot for years |
| Snowy 'Conica' | Dense, regular cone | Green, tips dusted with decorative snow | Very slow | A snow-covered forest look from the day it arrives |
| Picea glauca 'Sander's Blue' | Dense, regular cone | Blue-grey | Very slow | Frosted decorations in silver and white |
| Picea omorika | Narrow and slender | Dark green on top, silvery underneath | Faster | A narrow corner, then the garden after a few years |
| Picea pungens 'Glauca' | Conical, with tiered branches | Intense silvery blue | Moderate | A tree with character and prickly needles |
Size
The 'Conica' comes in sizes from 45 cm to 1.10 m. A 45 cm tree decorates a table, a sideboard or a windowsill. A 65 cm tree fits in a corner of the living room, set on a stool or a small table. Sizes from 80 cm to 1.10 m stand on the floor and make a proper living-room Christmas tree. Think about afterwards too: a 1.10 m tree in its pot is heavy and needs space on the balcony.
Presentation
To give as a gift or decorate without repotting, the 'Conica' also comes ready to display: in a zinc pot, in a basket, in a printed jute cover or in a jute bag. The snowy version also comes in a zinc pot, in a basket, in a jute cover and in a jute bag.
During the holidays
A spruce is made to live outdoors, in the cold. A heated, dry, dark living room is an ordeal for it: your job is to make that ordeal as short and as gentle as possible.
- Make the transition. Before bringing it into the living room, leave it for two or three days in a cool room: an entrance hall, a stairwell, a bright garage.
- Bring it in as late as possible. Ideally a week before Christmas, and never more than ten to fifteen days indoors in total.
- Choose the coolest spot. Away from radiators, the fireplace and the stove, near a window for light. The cooler the room, the better it copes.
- Keep the root ball moist. In the warmth, a small pot dries out in two or three days. Check with your finger every other day and water as soon as the surface is dry, without letting water sit in the decorative pot. For the snowy version, water at the base without wetting the branches.
- Decorate lightly. LED lights, which do not give off heat, and light decorations that will not weigh down the young branches.
After the holidays
Going back outside is the tricky moment: after a few days in the warmth, the tree is no longer acclimatised to the cold. A sudden move from the living room to a frosty night can scorch its young shoots.
- Go back through the cool room for three to five days, still watering.
- Take it out on a frost-free day, first in a spot sheltered from the wind, against a wall.
- Protect the pot during the first few weeks in very cold weather, with horticultural fleece or bubble wrap around the pot.
- Decide on its future. On a balcony, it stays in its pot and is repotted in spring. In the garden, plant it in February or March, once the ground is no longer frozen, in a hole twice as wide as the root ball, then water generously.
Our guide to overwintering your balcony explains how to protect pots from frost.
Keeping it from one year to the next
Position
Outdoors all year round, in gentle sun or partial shade. In summer, avoid full afternoon sun on a south-facing balcony: heat reflected off the walls dries out the pot and encourages spider mites.
Watering
This is the key point. A potted spruce cannot tolerate its root ball drying out completely, even in winter. Water as soon as the top few centimetres are dry: often two to three times a week in summer, much less in winter. A pot with drainage holes and an emptied saucer guard against the opposite problem. The finger test is still the best guide.
Repotting and fertiliser
In the spring after Christmas, repot into a pot a few centimetres wider, with a good potting soil for outdoor plants. After that, repotting every two to three years is enough. A slow-release conifer fertiliser, once in spring, covers its needs. The dwarf Alberta spruces 'Conica' and 'Sander's Blue' can stay in a pot for a long time; Picea omorika and Picea pungens, which are more vigorous, will do better planted in the ground after a few Christmases.
Back into the living room
In December, simply repeat the same routine: a few days in the cool room, around ten days in the living room, then back outside.
No balcony: indoor conifers
Without any outdoor space, a spruce cannot live in your home for long. Two indoor conifers can take over instead, and they decorate just as well.
- Norfolk Island pine, Araucaria heterophylla: a very graphic tiered silhouette, soft needles, and the option of staying in the living room all year round, in a bright room. It dislikes frost and radiators that are too close.
- Golden cypress 'Goldcrest Wilma': a bright yellow-green cone with a lemony scent, happy in a light, cool room or outdoors in regions with mild winters.
Common problems
| Symptom | Likely cause | Solution |
|---|---|---|
| Needles dropping in the living room | Heat, dry air, dried-out root ball | A cooler room, regular watering, a shorter stay |
| Brown tips after going outside | Too sudden a move into frost | Wait for spring: new shoots will grow back from the buds |
| Brown needles in the centre of the 'Conica' | Normal if it is slight: the very dense foliage gets too little light in the centre | Shake gently to remove the dead needles |
| Grey or bronze needles, fine webbing in summer | Spider mites, encouraged by dry heat | Hose down the foliage, move to partial shade, water regularly |
| Whole tree turning yellow | Root ball left dry for too long, or a pot without drainage | Check the root ball and the drainage hole, repot if necessary |
Our guide to plant pests helps you recognise spider mites.
Mistakes to avoid
⚠️ Avoid
Keeping it in the living room all winter. After more than two weeks in the warmth, a spruce becomes exhausted.
Placing it against a radiator or near the fireplace. It dries out within a few days.
Forgetting to water during the holidays. A dry root ball makes the needles drop.
Taking it straight out into the frost. It needs a transition of a few days somewhere cool.
Letting it dry out on the balcony in summer. This is the main reason potted Christmas trees are lost.
Our selection
You now know how to keep it for several years. Here are our living Christmas trees.
Dwarf Alberta spruces for the balcony
They grow so slowly that they stay the right size in a pot for years.
View all our potted Christmas trees →
Taller and more slender
More vigorous spruces that will move to the garden after a few Christmases.
View all our potted Christmas trees →
Ready to give
Already presented, they can go under the tree or on the table with no repotting.
View all our Christmas plants →
For indoors
With no balcony, these two indoor conifers can be decorated for Christmas and stay attractive all year round.
Verdeia — Christmas
A living tree for several Christmases
Dwarf, blue or slender spruces, in a pot or ready to display: all our Christmas trees, roots and all.
Frequently asked questions
Ten to fifteen days at most, in the coolest room possible and away from radiators. Any longer and the spruce becomes exhausted and drops its needles.
Yes, regularly: in the warmth, a small pot dries out in two or three days. Water as soon as the surface of the root ball is dry, without letting water sit in the decorative pot.
Leave it for three to five days in a cool room, then take it outside on a frost-free day to a sheltered spot. It can then stay in its pot on the balcony or be planted in the garden in February or March.
Yes. Kept outdoors all year round and watered regularly, it comes back to decorate the living room the following winter. The dwarf Alberta spruce 'Conica' grows so slowly that it can stay in a pot for years.
The spruces we sell are non-toxic to cats and dogs. At worst, their needles may prick, and it is best to avoid fragile decorations on the lower branches.
Well planted
The right pot for its second Christmas
Frost-resistant pots with drainage holes to settle your tree on the balcony after the holidays.
