Organic Gardening Tip of the Day: Recycle That Christmas Tree!

If your home looks anything like mine, you're still finding stray scraps of wrapping paper and the occasional bow lying around, your living room is playing host to an army of toys that you have yet to find a home for, and the Christmas tree is looking a little droopy. As much as I love my tree, I find myself looking forward to taking it down. The New Year calls, with all of its promise of fresh starts and new goals to accomplish.

But I never just throw my tree away. Some years, I set it up in my garden to provide a habitat for the birds. Other years, I clip off the branches and lay them over perennials that have a tendency to heave during the freeze-thaw cycle of late winter. There are many useful ways to reuse or recycle your Christmas tree, and About Trees and Shrubs guide Vanessa Richins has put together a fabulous list of six ways to recycle your tree.

What do you do with your tree once the holidays are over?