Christmas Trees in Morpeth: Where to Buy and Recycle

Morpeth is well placed for a real Christmas tree. There is a long-running cut-your-own farm a few miles west of town, a big garden centre just up the A697 and another a short run down the A1. This guide covers where to buy, how to pick a tree that will last until Twelfth Night, and what to do with it in January, when Northumberland's garden-waste bins are not being collected.

Seasonal sellers set their dates each autumn. Where a 2026 date has been published we give it. Where it hasn't, we say when the seller usually opens, so check before you set off.

Where to buy a real tree

Christmas Trees at Meldon Park

Christmas Trees at Meldon Park is the local choice for anyone who wants to cut their own. It has been selling trees for more than 30 years from The Strawberry Field at Temple Thornton, near Meldon, about 15 minutes west of Morpeth. You collect a saw, walk the plantation, cut a Norway spruce grown on the estate, then have it wrapped and pay. If you would rather not cut, there are pre-cut Nordmann firs from a Northumberland family farm and pot-grown Norway spruce.

Pot-grown trees can be returned after Christmas for a voucher towards next year's tree. The farm usually opens from mid to late November, Thursday to Sunday, and posts its dates on its website. Bring gloves and wear boots, because the field can be muddy.

Dobbies Heighley Gate

Dobbies at Heighley Gate, on the A697 just north of town, is the easiest option if you want everything in one trip. It sells both fresh-cut and pot-grown trees, alongside stands, lights and decorations, and there is a large free car park. Dobbies usually starts selling pot-grown trees from late October and cut trees from late November. Check the store page for current stock and hours.

Cowell's Garden Centre

Cowell's Garden Centre at Woolsington, close to Newcastle Airport, is around 20 minutes from Morpeth down the A1. It has one of the wider choices in the area: fresh-cut Nordmann, Noble and Fraser firs, plus pot-grown Nordmann, Korean and Fraser firs. Trees can be pre-ordered online, which is useful if you want a particular size late in the season.

Choosing and caring for your tree

Nordmann or Norway spruce? The Nordmann fir is the UK's best seller because it holds its soft, glossy needles well in a warm house. The Norway spruce is the traditional Christmas tree, with a stronger pine scent and a lower price, but it drops needles sooner. If you buy a spruce, put it up later in December.

Check it is fresh. Run a hand along a branch. Needles should bend rather than snap, and very few should fall. A cut-your-own tree is as fresh as it gets.

Give it water. Forestry England advises sawing a little over a centimetre off the base of the trunk when you get home and standing the tree in water straight away. Use a stand that holds plenty of water, check it every day, and use plain water with no additives.

Mind the heat. Keep the tree well away from radiators, fires and stoves, which dry it out fast.

Pot-grown trees need a cool spot, regular watering and as short a spell indoors as you can manage. Planted out or kept in a large pot, they can come back in next year. Meldon Park, Dobbies and Cowell's all sell them.

Recycling your tree in January

Northumberland County Council's garden waste service is a paid subscription with 20 collections a year from March to November. The council's garden waste page says there are no collections from December to February, so a brown bin won't take your tree in January.

Instead, real trees can go to a household waste recovery centre as garden waste. Remove all lights, tinsel, decorations, string and the metal or plastic stand first.

• Morpeth HWRC, Whorral Bank, Morpeth, NE61 3BN. Open Friday to Monday only, 8am to 6pm from November to March.

The centres are for Northumberland residents only, with ID checked, and you need a permit for a van or trailer. There is no access on foot. All are closed on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. Opening days for each site, including those open seven days a week, are on the council's household waste recovery centres page. Phone 0345 600 6400 if you are unsure.

In past years the council has also set up extra drop-off points for trees after Christmas. No arrangements had been published for January 2027 when we wrote this, so check the council website in December.

Pot-grown trees from Meldon Park can go back to the farm for next year's voucher instead.

Artificial trees

If you are replacing an artificial tree that still works, offer it to a local charity shop or a community group before taking it to the tip.