Christmas Trees in Heaton: Where to Buy and Recycle

There is no Christmas tree yard in Heaton, Byker or the Ouseburn, but there is plenty within a short drive. You can choose your own tree in a field south of the river, buy one ready-netted up the Great North Road, or pick up a pot-grown tree from a garden centre. When it's all over, the city's recycling centre is on the Byker side of the valley. This guide covers where to go, how to keep the tree fresh and the January options. For panto, Santa and carols, see Christmas in Heaton.

Where to buy a real tree

Lamesley Farm, Old Ravensworth (pick your own)

For a family outing, Lamesley Farm on Haggs Lane at Old Ravensworth (NE11 0HU) is about twenty minutes' drive via the Tyne Bridge and the Team Valley. It calls itself Newcastle's only pick-your-own Christmas tree farm. You walk the rows to choose a Norway spruce or Nordmann fir, or take one already cut and prepared by staff. Stands and wreaths are on sale too. Wellies are a good idea after rain.

The 2026 dates are published: early access weekends on 14, 15, 21 and 22 November from 9am to 3pm, then the official opening on Friday 27 November. Click and collect lets you reserve a tree online and skip the queue, and the farm offers delivery.

Northern Christmas Trees, Gosforth

Around ten to fifteen minutes' drive away, Northern Christmas Trees sets up its seasonal yard at McCracken Park on the Great North Road (NE3 2DT). The Gosforth firm has sold real trees since 1997, with Nordmann firs and Norway spruces in a wide range of heights, netted and carried to the car. It takes telephone orders and delivers. No 2026 opening date had been published in early November, so check its website or social media before you go.

Gosforth Garden Centre, Gosforth Park

Further up the same road, Gosforth Garden Centre at Gosforth Park (NE3 5EP) is part of the British Garden Centres group, which sells fresh-cut Nordmann firs and pot-grown trees in its centres each Christmas. Ring 0191 250 9184 to check when this year's trees are in. Parking is free.

Cowell's Garden Centre, Woolsington

Cowell's Garden Centre on Main Road, Woolsington (NE13 8BW) is about twenty minutes' drive, out towards the airport. It has the broadest mix of species nearby: fresh-cut Nordmann, Noble and Fraser firs, and pot-grown Nordmann, Korean and Fraser firs, all available to pre-order online. It is open 9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday and 10am to 4.30pm on Sundays.

Choosing and caring for your tree

Nordmann fir is the low-maintenance choice: soft needles that stay on in a centrally heated house until well into January. Norway spruce, the kind you are most likely to cut yourself at Lamesley, has the classic Christmas smell and costs less. It sheds sooner indoors, though, so it is best bought in the second half of December.

Whichever you choose:

• Measure the room and the front door before you set off, including the turn in a Tyneside flat staircase.
• Cut a couple of centimetres off the base at home, then stand the tree in a stand that holds water.
• Top the water up daily, as a fresh tree drinks a lot in its first week.
• Keep it clear of radiators and fires, and switch the lights off at night.

Pot-grown trees can be planted out or kept in a large pot in a back yard after Christmas. Keep them inside for no more than about ten days, somewhere cool, and water them well.

Recycling your tree in January

Newcastle City Council's brown bin garden waste service is a paid subscription that runs from spring to late autumn, so there are no brown bin collections over the winter. The council's waste pages listed no separate kerbside tree collection when we checked in November 2026.

Byker recycling centre is on your doorstep. The council's household waste and recycling centre at Glasshouse Street, off Walker Road, Newcastle upon Tyne NE6 1AH accepts garden waste, which is where a real tree belongs. It is open daily from 8am to 6pm, but closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day and closing at 4pm on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Entry is by vehicle or cargo bike, not on foot. Take off all decorations and the stand before you go. Brunswick (Sandy Lane, NE13 7BA) and Walbottle (Walbottle Road, NE15 8HY) are the alternatives. Check the council's recycling centres page in December for any changes.

No car? Book the hospice collection. St Oswald's Hospice runs its Christmas Tree-cycle across NE1 to NE16, which takes in all of Heaton, Byker and the Ouseburn. Trees are collected from your home between Monday 4 and Saturday 23 January 2027, or after 6 January if you pick the Twelfth Night option. The recommended donation is £15 per tree. Trees must be no taller than 8ft with decorations and pot stands removed, and they are chipped for landscaping and play parks. Book early on the hospice website, as slots have gone within the first days of January in past years.

If you have a brown bin for 2027, you can cut the tree up and add it once collections restart in spring, as long as every piece is under 10cm across.

Artificial trees

A working artificial tree is best kept in use. If you no longer want yours, ask a local charity shop whether it can take it.