Christmas trees are essential in many of our homes, yet lots of people do not know how to care for them properly. This could result in many of the needles dropping off when they slam the door! Many a time have I had customers bring back a needle-less tree complaining it was my fault that their Christmas was ruined!

Usually, it was because they failed to take in the advice I gave them, as well as follow the useful 'care leaflet'. It is understandable, though, as Christmas is usually a mad panic, with limited time to prepare.

However, if you have not yet bought your tree, then the following tips will hopefully be useful. There are many varieties to choose from, which vary in size and shape, not to mention price!

Make sure you buy your tree soon if you have not already, as there is a Christmas tree shortage this year!

Below are types which many garden centres or Christmas tree farms may stock:

The traditional one is Norwegian Spruce (Picea abies) which is used at No 10 Downing Street as well as Trafalgar Square each Christmas. This type will give off a pine fragrance from its branches. The only drawback is the needles, as they drop quicker than other varieties. Because of this a coolish position is needed, away from sources of heat such as radiators.

A better but more expensive alternative is the Nordmann Fir (Abies nordmanniana). These are more popular because of their needle holding qualities. Okay, they will drop a few needles, but not as many as the Norwegian Spruce. Price wise, they are more expensive due to the time it takes to grow them but are ideal for people who do not fancy picking needles out of their carpets for the rest of the year!

The Blue Spruce (Picea pungens glauca) is another variety that many Christmas tree suppliers stock. It is related to the Norwegian Spruce, except it has striking blue foliage and pointier needles which are quite sharp. I would recommend this variety for outdoor decoration. If you would like to have one indoors, then a potted version will be better if kept watered in a cool room. I say 'potted' indoors, as it has poor needle retention.

The Frazier Fir (Abies fraseri) is becoming more popular because of the sweet fragrance it gives off. The branches are more upright and fuller than a Nordmann Fir and it also keeps its needles much better. They are at the top end of the Christmas tree market, hence the price!

The Noble Fir (Abies procera) is very similar in appearance and shape to the Nordmann Fir. The main difference is in the colour of the needles which are bluer on the top and more silvery underneath. They keep their needles, just like the Nordmann Fir, if the appropriate care is given.

The Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) has a lemony fragrance when the leaves are crushed. They are soft to the touch, with excellent needle holding. It has thick foliage with a tidy shape. Again, this is probably at the top end of the Christmas tree market. However, a nice tree for people who have lots of Christmas tree decorations!

Last but not least is the Scotch/Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris). This tree will take heavy ornaments because of its strong branches. They stay virtually to shape when decorated. It lasts longer than an average Christmas tree if cared for correctly, as it has excellent needle retention; these vary in size from 1 - 3 inches (1.5 - 7.5 cm). Again, it has a strong pine fragrance which does last a lot longer than other trees. It is fairly expensive but should guarantee a pleasing result throughout the Christmas period.

There is a good article about the History of the Christmas tree tradition, if you would like to read about it.

As I write this, I am sitting here chuckling to myself as it brings back many memories. Some customers would buy an 8 - 9 foot Christmas tree and when you help them out to their car, you expect to find an estate or a car with a roof rack; it has turned out to be mini in the past! You then struggle to push it in one way and then another, bending the branches to try and fit it in. The customer is usually standing there at this point looking at you thinking 'what's the problem?'. Then you give up, and say to the customer that there are two choices that you have: either saw it in half or hang it out the window!!

Then, they decide to have it straight out of the sun roof and you stand there watching a tree sticking up about a mile down the road! Of course, many customers come prepared with their pieces of rope and a roof rack.

So, having bought your tree and hopefully got it home in one piece, you may need a little help on what to do next.

If you are not ready to bring it into the house, then keep it in a cool place, such as a garage or shed. If your shed is anything like ours, though, you cannot swing a cat in there! You can store it outside temporary, ideally in a sheltered spot.

When you de-net it, outside is better as you will usually get a few needles drop. This will make it awkward to get through the door, so maybe it will be best if you put an old sheet down and cut the net off indoors.

The best position is away from any sources of heat such as radiators or fires because this will dry the tree out quickly. If you have brought a cut one rather than a potted one, you will need a stand. There is usually a good selection from the shop you are buying it from. The staff will be able to advise on the best one, as it depends on the size of your tree.

The most important thing is to cut a piece off the bottom of the trunk (1-2 inches) which will open up the tree's pores to take up water. You may have to cut off a few lower branches so the tree fits into the stand securely. Do not forget to fill it up with water.

I have had many a customer tell me that they do not have a saw to cut a small amount of the bottom trunk off. My advice was to get a pen knife or other sharp implement and scrape off some of the bark to reveal the inner layer. Make sure that the part of the trunk you have scraped off is immersed in water, especially if you have taken some off the sides at the bottom.

The tree should start taking in water straight away and it needs to be topped up once a day if required. Again, a question that I used to get asked frequently was 'Why can't you cut off the bottom of the trunk for me?'. The answer I gave was: because it needed to be immersed in water straight away and by the time you got it home, it would have sealed itself back up again. Sometimes we had to do it for customers as they did not understand. If they lived locally then perhaps it would not seal up completely, but to keep the tree looking its best then it is always better to cut it at the last minute.

A cut outdoors Christmas tree needs to be treated virtually the same as an indoors one, but I would always suggest a potted one for outdoors, unless a cut one is securely tied and placed in a good quality stand.

Many people fill a bucket up with sharp sand and use this to stand their tree in. That is fine, and ideal if you have a cut Christmas tree outdoors. You can use this method indoors too, but keep the sand damp so the tree can suck up some of the water. I would recommend this method for trees that do not lose their needles quickly, such as the Douglas Fir or the Frazier Fir.

Some people also mist the needles throughout the Christmas period, but I wouldn't recommend this if you have tree lights, as some are not water resistant! There are also liquid feeds specifically for Christmas trees, this is simply measured and put in the water to keep the tree looking good (a bit like us eating fruit and vegetables every day!). This is recommended for trees such as the Norwegian Spruce or Blue Spruce which lose their needles quicker than other varieties.

Apart from potted and cut, there are also blocked Christmas trees. These simply have a tree trunk with a hole cut in the middle in which to fit the Christmas tree. I do recommend that you still stand these in a bucket, as the tree can slip out of the hole after fitting. When we used to get the blocked ones delivered, we had the blocks with the pre-drilled holes separate, and we had to choose the best fit and simply knock them on the concrete.

Many Christmas tree farms block the trees while you wait. These should be a tighter fit as they have the machinery to block it to your chosen tree. However, I recommend these trees for outdoor use only as you would have to mist them regularly indoors unless you could find a way of keeping them watered like the cut ones.

If you use them outdoors, please make sure they are tied securely. I emphasize this as a few years ago my neighbour decided to put a four foot blocked Christmas tree on top of the little roof above his front door. It looked very pretty, with nice new outdoor lights and decorations, until closer to Christmas, when we had a windy night and it blew off onto his car! It dented the bonnet of his shiny new car and broke his outdoor tree lights. The year after he drilled the wall and secured it with strong wire and brackets!

If you follow these tips, then you should have a trouble free Christmas at least with regard to your tree!

After Christmas you can usually recycle your old tree where you bought it. Many offer a voucher scheme if you take your old tree back. It is usually something free or so much off a purchase. The garden centre I worked at used to hire in a tree firm who shredded the Christmas trees and tipped the big piles of shredding at the very bottom of the garden centre. This used to steam and on a cold day we used to go and place our hands in it to warm up. The pine fragrance was lovely and used to clear our nostrils!

The shredding was then put all around the woodland areas as a mulch. It kept the weeds down and the trees never complained!

You can also hire Christmas trees now. They are rooted varieties and the supplier delivers, then picks up your tree after Christmas, or you could collect and return it yourself. Apparently you can have the same tree year after year, so it would be nice to see them grow, especially for children. The supplier cares for them throughout the year and they are delivered back to the customer the next Christmas.

There are many people who will not buy a live Christmas tree because they think that it is a shame to cut down these trees just for a few weeks. I do agree in some ways. The important thing to remember is that they are grown specifically for Christmas, are not being taken out of the wild, and are replaced every year.

Take the Nordmann Fir for instance. These take a minimum of six years before they are cut, and then that is only a smallish size. The taller ones are not usually cut until they are about twelve years old! Of course, these are estimated figures, so many factors need to be taken into account, such as where they are grown and what the weather is like.

The usual rule of thumb is: the more expensive the Christmas tree, the slower it grows!

With so many people using candles for 'atmosphere' these days, Fire Safety is perhaps more important than ever, so it is worth taking a minute to look at the video.

Like children, pets get excited at Christmas and care should be taken to keep them away from Christmas trees as much as possible. Chocolate decorations are a huge enticement and electrical wiring is not the latest 'dog chew' for example!
Also, watch out that pets do not treat the Christmas tree as a climbing post, as it could topple over!

We had Christmas trees shipped from other countries in big containers at the garden centre. When the haulage firm delivered them, we had to put the big extendible forks onto the forklift before attempting to lift them off the lorry. They were big eight-ten foot wooden pallets, made specifically for the Christmas trees. Each tree was colour-coded at the bottom of the trunk to indicate the species and height.

They were all tightly packed and netted which made them easier to deliver to us. Getting them to the special temporary bays we made was difficult. I was one of the top fork lift drivers at the garden centre, and so I had the job of getting them round. The only way to fit them through was to lift them high in the air to avoid stands and fixtures. This was very dangerous because some of the pallets were not always secure and cracked and creaked as you slowly drove round. If the fork lift did hit something when reversing or the pallet snapped, then it would have taken the whole lot –including the fork lift – over on its side. Of course, Health & Safety would not allow that now!

Happy Christmas!

Nigel's Gardening Hints and Tips
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