European Larch Potted Christmas Tree

A European Larch is an outdoor tree that visits the house for Christmas. It asks for three things: steady water through summer, shelter from afternoon heat and hot winds, and a pot that drains freely. It also does one thing no other tree in our range does: it drops every needle in autumn and grows them back in spring.

• When You Get It Home: Stand it upright outdoors in bright shade and water it deeply until water runs from the base. Lift it by the pot, not by the trunk, and handle the branches gently: the new growth is soft at this time of year. If Christmas is still weeks away, leave it outside in a sheltered spot with morning sun and bring it in when you are ready to decorate.
• Indoors at Christmas: About a week, and ten days at most. Choose the brightest position you have, near a window but out of hot afternoon sun through glass, and keep it away from heaters and air-conditioner vents. Stand the pot inside a tub, half barrel or deep saucer to protect the floor, and tip out any water left standing once the pot has drained.
• Watering: Check the potting mix every day indoors, and every day or two outside in warm weather. Push a finger a few centimetres into the mix and water deeply when it has begun to dry at that depth. Do not let the root ball dry right through, and do not leave the pot standing in water.
• Decorating: Use LED lights, which run cool. The branches are slender, so keep ornaments light and hang them close to the trunk.
• Back Outside: After Christmas, do not move it straight from the lounge room into January sun. Give it about a week in bright shade first, then move it to a position with morning sun and shelter from the afternoon. In a hot spell, move it somewhere cooler and out of the wind until the heat passes.
• Know Your Climate: This is a mountain tree that wants four distinct seasons, a cold winter, a mild summer and regular rain. In our experience it suits the Southern Highlands, and it suits Orange, the tablelands, the upper Blue Mountains and the cooler parts of Victoria. In Canberra, Melbourne and inland districts with hot, dry summers, keep it watered and sheltered from afternoon sun and hot winds. Sydney tests its limits, so there we suggest treating it as a Christmas tree for the season. It is not a tree for Queensland.
• Through Summer: Heat and dry spells are the risk. Keep the pot off hot paving, raise it on feet so the drainage holes stay clear, and do not miss a watering in hot or windy weather. In our experience, long dry spells are what knock young larches about, and steady deep watering is what brings them through. Needles that brown and drop in summer mean the tree has dried out or been scorched: water it deeply and move it into shelter.
• Autumn and Winter: In autumn, the needles turn bright yellow and fall. This is normal. The tree is not dead, so do not throw it out. Leave it outside through winter, where it needs the cold, and water it lightly every so often so the root ball does not dry out. Fresh green needles open in spring. Feed then with a slow-release fertiliser for trees and shrubs.
• Potting Up: Repot while the tree is resting: in autumn as it colours, or in winter while it is bare, before the buds swell. Use a premium potting mix that drains freely. Move up one size only, from a 300mm pot to a 400mm.
• Keeping Its Shape: It needs very little. Leave the leader alone. If a branch is damaged or runs out of proportion, shorten it in late winter while the tree is bare, cutting just above a healthy bud.
• Planting Out: Only where there is room for a very large tree: acreage or a large country garden in a cool district, well away from buildings, fences and power lines. Plant in autumn or winter, in an open, sunny position with soil that drains well. It will not grow in shade and avoids waterlogged ground. Water it deeply through its first two or three summers.

For more on living with a real tree, read our Ultimate Christmas Tree Care Guide.