How to create an original and budget-friendly Christmas tree?

Christmas lights are starting to bloom in the streets, shops and boutiques are adorned with a thousand lights, and before you know it, you might find yourself humming Christmas carols involuntarily. No doubt about it—the festive season is approaching! It's time to think about decorating your home, not forgetting the traditional Christmas tree. But... what if, for various reasons (a desire for change, a small living room, a young child, or a tree-climbing, tree-destroying cat), you fancy something different from the classic Nordmann fir or spruce? What if this year, we made a Christmas tree out of dogwood? Graphic and original with its coloured wood, it will add a touch of whimsy to your home—without cutting down a single tree.

Discover our tutorial for making a dogwood Christmas tree.

original Christmas tree made from dogwood branches

1- Which variety of dogwood should you choose?

Dogwood has everything going for it! It brings graphic appeal and originality—all without shedding a single thorn. What’s more, no bush dies in the process, as this is simply a pruning exercise, encouraging the growth of new colourful stems for the coming year. Especially since Cornus tolerate pruning well. So, it’s an eco-friendly—and economical—option! The varieties with coloured wood—yellow, orange, red, or purple—will add cheer, while staying within warm hues, particularly the red tones, a hallmark of Christmas. Here are a few examples:

Cornus alba Baton Rouge - Red Dogwood

A beautiful variety, with vivid coral-red shoots that contrast beautifully with its green summer foliage, which also turns deep red-purple in autumn.

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

Cornus sericea Cardinal - Stoloniferous Dogwood

Cornus sericea 'Cardinal' stands out for its light green foliage that turns bright red in autumn. Its branches, usually orange, take on raspberry-red hues in winter.

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

Cornus stolonifera Flaviramea - Stoloniferous Dogwood

A lovely bush with bright yellow wood in winter that will bring light to the garden, whether in a flowerbed or by the water.

Période de floraison June, July
Hauteur à maturité 2 m

Cornus sanguinea Annys Winter Orange - Common Dogwood

This beautiful dogwood offers a lovely gradient of colour! In winter, its branches turn yellow at the base, gradually shifting to bright red at the tips, passing through orange.

Période de floraison June, July
Hauteur à maturité 2 m

Cornus alba Siberian Pearls - White Dogwood

This Cornus has green leaves that turn a lovely purple in autumn, then give way to its decorative wood, a beautiful mahogany red.

Période de floraison June, July
Hauteur à maturité 2 m

Common Dogwood - Cornus sanguinea

Cornus sanguinea has more flexible shoots than other varieties, with colours ranging from red-purple to orange and green tones.

Période de floraison June, July
Hauteur à maturité 2 m

→ Discover more varieties of coloured-wood dogwood

2- What do you need?

A dogwood with coloured wood
Secateurs for pruning the branches
A large container for your branches, such as a vase or pot (a Christmas tree stand will also work)
Christmas decorations: baubles, garlands, pine cones, rose hips, Cotoneaster lacteus berries, holly, etc.
Facultative: fairy lights

3- How to make a dogwood Christmas tree

1- Arm yourself with your secateurs, disinfected beforehand (to avoid transmitting diseases between plants), then select some beautiful branches from your dogwood;

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

dogwood branches

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

Tip: To keep the branches steady and weigh down the pot, I slipped some pine cones into the vase. You could also use pretty pebbles, Christmas baubles (avoid glass ones), or even wood bark mulch.

eco-friendly Christmas tree made from branches

4- Then comes the favourite moment for children and adults alike (mine too!): decorating! Adorn the beautiful shoots with fairy lights, baubles, and other festive decorations. All that’s left is to admire your original (and eco-friendly) Christmas tree!

decorating a Christmas tree made from branches

4- Tips and advice:

You can also decorate your tree with natural elements, like pine cones or small berries, abundant in the garden at this time of year: cotoneaster, rose hips, and even crab apples. Just be careful young children don’t swallow them.
You could also make small decorations as a family, like these orange peel hangings and wool pom-poms.
We recommend taking one in every three Cornus branches, so you always have beautiful, colourful, decorative shoots in the garden during winter.
Once the festive season is over, you can compost the branches by cutting them into small pieces—or keep them to make an Easter tree in spring.

Making a Christmas tree from dogwood