How to make an original, budget-friendly Christmas tree?

Christmas lights are starting to appear in streets, shops and boutiques are decked out in thousands of lights and you may find yourself humming carols without meaning to. No doubt, Christmas is approaching! Time to think about decorating your interior, not forgetting traditional Christmas tree. Yes… but for various reasons (want of change, small living room, young child, climbing cat and tree‑slaying tendencies) you might fancy something other than classic Nordmann fir or spruce. What if this year we made a Christmas tree from dogwood? Graphic and original with its coloured wood, it will bring a playful touch to your interior without cutting down any tree.

Discover our tutorial to make a dogwood Christmas tree.

original Christmas tree made from dogwood branches

1- Which dogwood variety to choose?

Dogwood has it all! It provides graphic form and originality, all without losing needles. Moreover, no bush dies during this operation, as it is simply pruning, encouraging growth of new coloured shoots for coming year. Cornus tolerate cutting well. This is therefore an ecological operation, and also economical! Varieties with coloured wood — yellow, orange, red or purple — will bring cheer, while remaining in warm tones, notably red shades, Christmas's signature colour. Here are some examples :

Cornus alba Baton Rouge - Red Dogwood

Une belle variété, aux rameaux de couleur rouge corail très vifs, contrastant joliment à son feuillage vert en été, devenant lui aussi rouge pourpre à l'automne.

Période de floraison June, July
Hauteur à maturité 1,75 m

Cornus sericea Cardinal - Stoloniferous Dogwood

Le Cornus sericea 'Cardinal' se démarque par son feuillage vert clair devenant rouge vif en automne. Ses branches, d'ordinaires de couleur orange, prennent alors des teintes rouge framboise en hiver.

Période de floraison June, July
Hauteur à maturité 2,50 m

Cornus stolonifera Flaviramea - Stoloniferous Dogwood

Un bel arbuste au bois jaune vif en hiver qui apportera de la luminosité au jardin, que ce soit dans un massif ou au bord de l'eau.

Période de floraison June, July
Hauteur à maturité 2 m

Cornus sanguinea Annys Winter Orange - Common Dogwood

Ce beau cornouiller offre un joli dégradé de couleur ! Ses branches se colorent en hiver de jaune à la base virant progressivement au rouge vif aux extrémités, en passant par l'orange.

Période de floraison June, July
Hauteur à maturité 2 m

Cornus alba Siberian Pearls - White Dogwood

Ce cornus possèdent des feuilles vertes, virant joliment au pourpre lorsque l'automne arrive, puis laissant place à son bois décoratif, d'un beau rouge acajou.

Période de floraison June, July
Hauteur à maturité 2 m

Common Dogwood - Cornus sanguinea

Le Cornus sanguinea offre des rameaux plus souples que chez les autres variétés et leur couleur oscille entre le rouge-pourpre, l'oranger et des tons verts.

Période de floraison June, July
Hauteur à maturité 2 m

→ Find other coloured-wood dogwood varieties

2- What do I need?

Dogwood with coloured wood
Pruning shear for cutting branches
Large container for branches, such as a vase or pot (Christmas tree stand also works)
Christmas decorations: baubles, garlands, pine cones, berries from hips, from Cotoneaster lacteus, holly, etc.
Facultative: string of lights

3- How to make a dogwood Christmas tree?

1- Arm yourself with your pruning shear cleaned beforehand (to avoid transmission of diseases between plants), then select nice branches on your dogwood;

2- Cut the branch above a bud. This will allow the plant to branch;

dogwood branches

3- Place your branch(es) in a large container, such as a vase or large pot;

Tip: To keep branches steady so they do not move, and to add weight to the pot, I slipped pine cones into the vase. You can also use pretty pebbles, Christmas baubles (avoid glass ones) and even bark mulch.

eco-friendly Christmas tree made from branches

4- Then comes children’s favourite moment (and mine too): decoration! Adorn the beautiful shoots with fairy lights, baubles and other joyful decorations. All that remains is to admire your original (and ecological) Christmas tree!

decorate a Christmas tree made from branches

4- Tips and advice:

You can also decorate your tree with natural elements, such as pine cones or small berries, plentiful in garden at this season: cotoneaster, hips and even ornamental apples. Take care that young children do not swallow them.
You can also make small decorations with family, for example orange‑bark hangings and wool pom‑poms.
We recommend taking one branch out of every three from Cornus, to always keep plenty of beautifully coloured and decorative shoots in garden during winter.
Once festive season ends, you can compost branches by cutting them into small pieces, or keep them to create an Easter tree in spring.

making a dogwood Christmas tree