7ft Real Christmas Trees

Free UK delivery on the date you choose. British grown, cut to order.

A 7ft Christmas tree is a statement. It is the size that changes a room rather than decorating it.

It is also the size people most often get wrong, because a 7ft tree needs more ceiling, more floor and more decorations than most people budget for. Get those three right and nothing else comes close.

Will a 7ft tree fit your room?

You need at least an 8ft ceiling, and you will be glad of more.

Measure floor to ceiling in the exact spot the tree is going. Then take off a foot. The stand lifts the trunk three to six inches off the floor, and the star needs six to nine inches of clear air above the leader. A 7ft tree under an 8ft ceiling works, but only just, and there is no room for a tall topper.

If you have a Victorian or Edwardian house with 9ft or 10ft ceilings, a 7ft tree will look right rather than crammed. In a modern new-build with an 8ft ceiling, measure twice before you commit.

Measure the spot, not the middle of the room. Alcoves, bay windows and anywhere under a sloping ceiling will be shorter than you think.

How wide is a 7ft Christmas tree?

About 4ft 6in across at the base, and this is where most 7ft trees come unstuck.

A tree is roughly two thirds as wide as it is tall. So a 7ft tree wants close to five feet of clear floor, and that is a serious commitment in an average living room. It usually means moving a sofa.

Measure the width of the space and take a few inches off each side, so the branches are not pressed against a wall or a radiator. Push a 7ft tree into a narrow alcove and you lose a third of it to the wall, at which point you have paid for a 7ft tree and put up a 5ft one.

Mark the footprint on the floor with masking tape before you order.

Getting a 7ft tree into the house

Netted, a 7ft tree will go through a standard doorway. Unnetted, it will not, and it will take half the hallway with it.

Carry it in netted, stand it in the stand, and only then cut the netting, from the bottom upwards so the branches release in order. Do this in the room where the tree is staying.

Then leave it a few hours, ideally overnight, before you decorate. The branches have been compressed and they need time to drop. Decorate a 7ft tree straight out of the net and you will find gaps the next morning.

How we measure a 7ft tree

From the base of the trunk to the leader, the vertical shoot at the very top where the star sits.

We do not include the stand and we do not include the topper. A 7ft tree therefore stands taller than 7ft once it is up. Not every seller measures the same way, which is why a 7ft tree from one place can look very different to a 7ft tree from another.

Real or artificial at 7ft?

Most 7ft trees sold in Britain are plastic. It is worth knowing the trade.

An artificial tree is PVC and steel, made from petrochemicals, shipped a long way, and impossible to recycle. You would need to reuse one for about ten years before it matched the footprint of buying a real tree each year, and most people replace theirs sooner than that.

A real 7ft tree spent close to a decade in the ground pulling carbon out of the air, and at least one new tree went in when it came out. At the end it composts.

At this size the difference in presence is obvious. A real 7ft Nordmann has weight, depth and shape that a factory mould does not. And it smells like Christmas.

The needles are the honest downside, and they are manageable. More below.

Which 7ft tree should you buy?

7ft Nordmann Fir

At 7ft, needle retention matters more, not less. It is a bigger tree, it holds more water, and it is a bigger job to take down early.

The Nordmann is the non-drop tree. Thick, waxy, dark green needles that hold their moisture, so the tree loses water slowly and the needles stay put. Watered, a 7ft Nordmann holds four to five weeks.

Its branches are strong and grow in well-spaced tiers, which is exactly what you want at this size. They carry heavy glass without sagging, and the gaps between tiers stop a big tree from looking like a solid green wall.

The needles are soft and blunt. On a 7ft tree you will be reaching deep into it to fix lights, and you will notice.

It has almost no scent. That is the trade for keeping the needles off your floor.

7ft Norway Spruce

The traditional tree. Classic shape, deep green, full to the trunk, and a sharp pine scent that fills a house.

At 7ft that scent is considerable, which is the whole point of buying one.

It drops sooner than a Nordmann. Thinner needles, less wax, faster to dry. A well kept 7ft Norway Spruce holds about three weeks, so put it up in mid December rather than the start of the month.

It is cheaper, because it reaches 7ft far faster than a Nordmann does.

What a 7ft tree needs

More lights than you think. Around 700, working on 100 per foot. Under-light a 7ft tree and it will look worse than a well-lit 5ft one, which is a painful way to waste money.

Work the lights from the trunk outwards rather than wrapping them round the outside. On a big tree this is the difference between a tree that glows and a tree that is outlined.

A bigger stand. A 7ft tree has a trunk of four to five inches across and drinks more than a smaller tree. Work on a litre of water capacity for every inch of trunk diameter, so you want a stand holding five litres or so.

A stand built for a 5ft tree will not close around a 7ft trunk, and a stand that does not grip properly is how big trees end up on the floor at two in the morning.

Our Christmas tree stand has a low, wide reservoir made for real trees, with a screw bolt system and a spill guard.

A step or a small ladder. You will not reach the top of a 7ft tree.

Looking after a 7ft real tree

Saw an inch off the bottom of the trunk before it goes in the stand, straight across, immediately before it goes into water.

Sap seals the cut end within hours of harvest. Once sealed, the tree cannot take up water at all, no matter how full the reservoir looks. Skip this and everything else you do is wasted.

Get it into water straight away. A 7ft tree can drink well over two litres on its first day indoors.

Check the water every single day. If it runs dry even once, the trunk seals over and the tree stops drinking for good. On a 7ft tree that is not something you can quietly fix.

Keep it away from radiators, wood burners and sunny windows. Heat is what kills Christmas trees.

More in our guides to keeping your tree fresh and putting your tree up.

Delivery

Free, anywhere on the UK mainland, on the date you choose.

We cut and pack your tree the working day before it travels. Each tree is netted and loaded into a heavy-duty carrier with a cane inside to protect its shape, which matters more at this size.

Deliveries run 8am to 6pm and you do not need to be in. If a tree arrives damaged, tell us and we will replace it free of charge.

More on Christmas tree delivery.

7ft Christmas tree FAQs

What ceiling height do I need for a 7ft tree?

At least 8ft, and 9ft is better. Allow a foot for the stand and the topper.

How wide is a 7ft Christmas tree?

About 4ft 6in at the base. Measure your floor before you order.

How many lights for a 7ft tree?

About 700. That is 100 per foot, and most people use far too few.

Will a 7ft tree fit through my door?

Netted, yes. Carry it in netted and cut the netting in the room where it will stand.

Which 7ft tree lasts longest?

The Nordmann Fir. Watered, it holds four to five weeks.

Do I need a special stand for a 7ft tree?

You need one that fits a four to five inch trunk and holds around five litres of water. A small stand will not do.

Not sure 7ft is right? See our Christmas tree size guide, or compare the 5ft, 6ft and 8ft trees.