How to Keep a Real Christmas Tree Fresh Through a Sydney Summer

"Won't it be dead by Christmas? It's 35 degrees out."

It's the number one worry I hear from people who've never had a real tree in Australia. Fair enough. A Sydney December is nothing like the snowy Christmases in the movies.

Here's the good news: a fresh-cut pine, looked after properly, stays green and fragrant for four to five weeks, even through a Sydney summer. Last season we delivered over 500 trees, and these are the seven things that separate the trees still looking great on Christmas morning from the ones that aren't.

1. Start with a genuinely fresh tree

This is half the battle, and it's the part we take care of. A lot of trees sold in car parks were cut days or even weeks before they reach you. Ours are hand-picked and freshly cut, then delivered straight to your living room.

2. Get it into water fast

Once a tree is cut, sap starts sealing over the base within hours. If the trunk sits dry too long, it can't drink properly. When we deliver, we put your tree straight into your stand. All you need to do is fill it with water.

3. Use a stand with a proper reservoir

A fresh tree is thirsty, especially in the first few days. A good rule of thumb is about a litre of water a day for every 2.5cm (one inch) of trunk width. That's why we recommend Cinco stands: they hold between 3.7 and 11 litres depending on the size, so you're not topping up every few hours.

4. Never let the water run dry

Check it every morning, and again in the evening during heatwaves. If the water drops below the base of the trunk, the cut can seal over and the tree stops drinking. A watering funnel makes this a ten-second job, with no crawling under branches with a jug.

5. Plain tap water is all it needs

Forget the sugar, aspirin, lemonade and bleach tricks. Research from American Christmas tree universities has found plain water works as well as, or better than, the home remedies. Save your lemonade.

6. Pick the right spot

Keep your tree out of direct afternoon sun through a window, and away from heaters, fireplaces, ovens and air-conditioner vents blowing straight onto it. Cool, shaded and out of the draft is perfect.

7. Use LED lights and switch them off at night

LED fairy lights run much cooler than old incandescent ones, so they won't dry the branches out. Turn them off when you go to bed or leave the house. It's better for the tree and better for safety.

Bonus: time your delivery

Because our trees last four to five weeks, you can have one up from late November and it'll carry you right through to Christmas Day. If you're hosting on Christmas Eve and want it at its absolute freshest, pick a delivery day in December.

And if anything isn't right with your tree, send us a photo and we'll work on a replacement as quickly as we can.

Choose your tree and delivery day here.