If you'd like to approximate the look of a lovely Christmas tree potted in an urn, but don't want to spend most of your time picking up shed needles--or don't want the responsibility of caring for a real tree--you can place an artificial tree inside the same urn instead. This simple craft takes only a few minutes and, once the holiday is over, can be easily taken apart and stored until the next year.
Instructions
1. Select an urn that matches the general shape of your Christmas tree. A slender tree can be placed in a relatively slender urn; thicker, fuller trees should be placed in correspondingly thicker urns to keep from becoming top heavy.
2. Place the Christmas tree in the urn, stem first, and hold the urn steady with one hand. Use your other hand to wiggle the tree around, applying pressure at the midpoint and near its top. If the tree can be rocked out of the urn, you need to trim some of its lower branches, lengthening the stem that seats it in the urn. Trim the branches away with sharp scissors or shears, then repeat the rocking experiment until you're convinced the tree won't tip out unless the urn tips, too.
3. Measure the length of naked stem under your artificial Christmas tree and compare this to the depth of the urn. Fill the difference in measurement--the empty space left inside the urn even after the tree's stem has been inserted--with gravel to both help stabilize the urn and support the tree's stem.
4. Replace the Christmas tree in the urn. Adjust the gravel level, as necessary, so that the stem is firmly supported by the gravel inside the urn instead of by its fake foliage. "Fluff" or spread the tree's lower limbs as necessary to restore them to their proper shape.
Tags: Christmas tree, tree stem