An Australian Christmas falls in the middle of summer, which changes the whole problem. A cut tree in a Brisbane living room in late December is fighting 30-degree heat and air conditioning at once, and it will drop needles within a fortnight. A living tree in a pot has none of those constraints, costs nothing after the first year, and goes back outside in January to grow on as a garden or courtyard plant. This guide covers how to keep a potted conifer healthy through three weeks indoors, how to transition it back out afterwards, and a short honest section on cut trees for anyone set on one.
Quick facts
| Tree | Botanical name | Height in a pot | Indoor tolerance | Pot size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norfolk Island pine | Araucaria heterophylla | 1m to 2m | Excellent, weeks at a time | 300mm to 400mm |
| Lemon-scented cypress | Cupressus macrocarpa 'Lemon Scent' | 1m to 1.5m | Good, up to 3 weeks | 300mm |
| Italian cypress | Cupressus sempervirens 'Stricta' | 1.5m to 2m | Fair, 2 weeks maximum | 400mm |
| Pencil pine | Cupressus sempervirens 'Nitschke's Needles' | 1.5m to 2m | Fair, 2 weeks maximum | 400mm |
| Spartan juniper | Juniperus 'Spartan' | 1m to 1.8m | Fair, 2 weeks maximum | 400mm |
| Pyramidalis juniper | Juniperus chinensis 'Pyramidalis' | 1m to 1.5m | Fair, 2 weeks maximum | 400mm |
Choosing the right living Christmas tree
If the tree is going to spend more than a fortnight indoors, choose a Norfolk Island pine. It is the only species on this list that genuinely tolerates interior light for extended periods, which is why it has been the Australian indoor Christmas tree for generations. Its tiered branches take lights well and it grows slowly enough to stay in the same pot for several years.
For the classic conical shape, lemon-scented cypress is the best compromise: dense, bright green-gold, and pleasantly aromatic when brushed. Italian cypress and pencil pine give a narrow formal column that suits a small room and then works permanently as a garden accent; our guide to pencil pine characteristics and care covers the long-term picture. Junipers are the toughest outdoors and the least tolerant indoors, so pick one only if the tree comes in for the last week.
Buy a tree already growing in a pot rather than one dug from the ground. A field-grown conifer moved into a pot in December has lost most of its feeder roots at the worst possible time of year and rarely recovers. For the wider picture on growing these plants long term, see growing and maintaining conifers and conifers, a closer look.
How to plant
Pot into a container 50 to 100 millimetres wider in diameter than the nursery pot, with generous drainage holes, using a premium potting mix. Conifers want free drainage above all; if the mix stays soggy the roots rot and the damage shows as browning from the inside out weeks later.
Choose a heavy pot or add a layer of gravel at the base for ballast, since a 1.5-metre conifer with decorations is top-heavy and a knocked-over tree does real root damage. Water in thoroughly and let it drain completely before the tree comes inside. Do this in November, not in December, so the tree has settled before it is moved.
Ongoing care
Watering
Indoors in a hot December, check the mix daily with a finger to the second knuckle and water when the top 20 millimetres is dry. That is often every second or third day. Never let a conifer dry out completely; unlike a broadleaf plant it will not wilt as a warning, and browned foliage does not recolour. Equally, never leave the pot standing in a saucer of water. Use a cover pot and tip out what collects.
Feeding
Do not feed while the tree is indoors. Apply a controlled-release fertiliser when it goes back outside in January, and again in early spring. Conifers are light feeders and excess nitrogen produces soft growth that browns in the next heatwave.
Pruning
Trim lightly in late winter to maintain the conical shape, cutting only into green growth. Most conifers, cypress and juniper included, will not reshoot from bare brown wood, so never cut back past the green. Norfolk Island pine should not be topped at all, since it grows from a single leader and cutting it ruins the form permanently.
Moving it back outside in January
This is the step that decides whether the tree survives to next Christmas. Do not take it from a dim living room straight into full summer sun, which will scorch it within a day. Move it to full shade for four or five days, then to morning sun only for a week, then into its permanent position. Water it well the day before each move. Keep it in dappled light for the rest of summer if the location is very hot, and plant it out or pot it on in autumn.
Common problems and fixes
Browning from the inside of the canopy outwards, showing up two to three weeks after Christmas, is almost always root damage from a pot that stayed wet. Check drainage and reduce watering; the affected foliage will not recover but new growth can fill in.
Uniform browning of the tips within days points the other way, to a pot that dried out or to a position beside a heating or air-conditioning outlet. Move the tree away from any vent. A tree that drops needles heavily indoors is usually a species that should not have been brought inside for that long; three weeks is the outer limit for anything but a Norfolk Island pine. Spider mite is common on indoor conifers in a dry room and shows as fine speckling and webbing; hose the tree down thoroughly when it goes back outside.
What about a cut tree?
A cut tree can still work if you accept the timeframe. Buy as late as you can, saw 20 to 30 millimetres off the base immediately before it goes into water, and stand it in a reservoir that never runs dry, since a fresh tree can take up several litres in the first day. Keep it away from windows in direct sun and away from air-conditioning outlets. Even with all of that, expect two to three weeks in an Australian summer. A living tree in a pot is the better option in this climate on every measure, and it is still there next December.
Frequently asked questions
Can a potted Christmas tree live indoors all December?
A Norfolk Island pine can. Cypress and juniper should not stay inside longer than two to three weeks, and they need the brightest position in the house while they are there.
What pot size does a living Christmas tree need?
A 300 millimetre pot suits a tree up to about 1.2 metres and a 400 millimetre pot suits one up to about 2 metres. Choose a heavy pot or add gravel ballast, because a decorated tree is top-heavy.
How do I move my Christmas tree back outside without killing it?
Transition it in stages. Full shade for four to five days, then morning sun only for a week, then its final position. Going straight from indoors to full summer sun scorches the foliage within a day.
Which living Christmas tree suits a Brisbane summer?
Norfolk Island pine is the most reliable in the subtropics, both indoors and out. Lemon-scented cypress works well in a pot on a shaded patio. Italian cypress and pencil pine prefer drier air and are better in a sunny, well-drained position.
Can I plant my Christmas tree in the garden afterwards?
Yes, but check the mature size first. Italian cypress and pencil pine reach 6 to 10 metres, and Norfolk Island pine becomes a very large tree in the ground. Keeping the tree in a pot and potting it on every few years is the practical choice for most suburban gardens.
Ready to plant?
Buy the tree in November so it has settled before the decorations go on. Our conifers range covers every tree in the table, and conifers for formal gardens is the place to look if the tree is going to stay as a permanent garden feature. If you are still choosing gifts, our guide to plant gifts for Christmas is the companion piece.
