Column courtesy of Merryhatton Gardening Centre

AFTER such a difficult year, many of us will be looking forward to enjoying Christmas and the opportunity to enjoy adding some fun and sparkle to our homes and gardens for the festive season.

We know that the perfect Christmas tree is often the centrepiece, so this month we’re offering some advice on choosing the best one (or ones) for you, and how you can care for them so they remain looking good.

The Christmas tree tradition

Around the 15th century, German royalty introduced the custom of bringing a tree into the home as part of the celebration of Christmas. The tree was decorated with fruit and food which would then be distributed as gifts to their subjects.

In those days, people relied on what they could grow and produce themselves to see them through the winter, so a December gift of food is likely to have been very welcome – perhaps this is one of the reasons that food plays such an important part in our Christmas traditions.

Which type of tree is best?

For many customers, a tree that retains its needles is an important requirement and so Nordmann and Fraser firs are our best-selling trees because of their good needle-retaining properties.

It’s a myth that there are trees that don’t drop their needles; they’re living plants and the needles (which are effectively their leaves) will drop from time to time in their life cycle. However, the Nordmann and Fraser firs have excellent needle-retaining properties and any needles that do drop are easily vacuumed up.

By comparison, the Norway spruce – at one time the UK’s most popular Christmas tree – starts to shed its needles almost as soon as it leaves the forest, and – as many of us know from experience – the rate of needle drop accelerates hugely once it is brought into a warm room!

But if you’re planning to put your tree up in the garden or an unheated room, it’s hard to beat a Norway spruce because it has wonderful fragrance and shape. And being a faster-growing tree, it is less expensive than the fir.

Trees in pots

Pot-grown trees are also very popular – for the obvious reason that you can grow them on and enjoy them year after year.

A word of caution, though – make sure that the tree you’re buying is pot-grown and not simply potted. A pot-grown tree will have been reared throughout its life in a pot and will have developed a good fibrous root system that can take up water and keep the tree hydrated. By comparison, a potted tree has been field-grown, lifted and put into the pot prior to Christmas. The chances of that tree being able to grow on after Christmas are extremely slim because its root system – much of which will have been cut off when the tree was lifted – will not be able to absorb sufficient water to support it.

Why does the price vary?

We’re often asked about why Christmas tree prices vary so much. Simply put, the price relates to the number of trees that can be grown per acre and the amount of time the forester grows the tree before it can be sold.

Since trees are sold by height, the sooner that they reach the required height, the sooner they can be sold.

One way to make them grow taller more quickly is to plant them close together, forcing the trees to ‘reach for the light’. Clearly, close planting also produces more trees per acre. However, forcing rapid height gain in this way compromises lateral growth and those trees will have weaker, more widely spaced branches with fewer, paler needles than those which have had time and room to grow.

Slower-growing trees – such as fir – will be in the forest for longer than a faster-growing tree such as spruce, and so it’s inevitable that a fir will be more expensive than a spruce of the same height.

Most reputable garden centres will source first-quality trees that have strong, dense growth and well-clothed branches, which is achieved by giving adequate space and care to the trees as they grow.

At Merryhatton, we also ensure that our trees are Scottish-grown and from sustainable forests for both quality and environmental reasons.

Cheaper alternatives might be available from other outlets, but the quality of the tree you’ll get from reputable garden centres is hard to beat – and you’re going to be seeing a lot of your tree over the Christmas period!

Keep your tree looking good

There are two aspects to consider here: firstly the ‘shock’ of moving your tree from the cool outdoors to a warm, centrally heated environment; and secondly the need for water.

Particularly with pot-grown trees, it is kinder to acclimatise them gradually so that they don’t suffer ‘shock’ when faced with a sudden and enormous change in temperature.

Place a saucer under the pot to ensure there is sufficient water and to improve humidity around the tree.

You may be surprised by the amount of water required, but try not to let the tree dry out.

A cut tree should be cared for as you would with a bunch of flowers – cut a little off the base so that it is open and able to take up water, place it in a stand where plenty of water is available and ensure it doesn’t dry out.

And finally

If you need more advice in choosing your tree, you can check our website at merryhatton.co.uk or speak to any of our staff – we’re all very happy to help!