What did you do with your Christmas tree last year? If you kept it outside in a pot then now is a good time to bring it in – well a few days before Christmas. The less time it spends indoors the better. Christmas trees are conifers and love the great outdoors and hate being indoors and they especially hate heat sources such as radiators and wood burners. Give it plenty of water whilst it is indoors, it’s the least you can do for this gorgeous living thing. If you haven’t got a tree from last year or if you simply want to buy a new real living tree then here are a few tips to help you make the choice. You’ll just need to get over the fact that it will drop needles all over the place – and that’s while it’s being transported in your car or whilst it is in situ in your home. For some people of course, the act of choosing the tree and bringing it home is almost as important as what they eat on the big day!
Deciding on the size and height of the tree is very important and one thing to keep in mind is that if you buy a tree that has already been “netted” it is very likely to be twice as wide at least once you release it from its net. It’s a handy way to transport it but size-wise it can be quite misleading. There are several types to choose from such as The Norway Spruce – this is probably the most traditional type and the one you are more likely to see on display in big shopping centres and public spaces and this is probably because it has that classic shape and is easy to hang ornaments from. It does suffer from needle drop but it smells amazing once inside your home.
The Nordmann fir Christmas tree is often the one chosen by people with larger spaces to fill – spacious hallways for example of conservatories with little to no furniture. This one is also easy to hang decorations from and looking at various sources it seems the needle drop is slightly less than the traditional Norway Spruce.
If you have high ceilings or perhaps are looking for a tree to adorn a church or similar space then you are bound to find the Lodgepole pine a good choice. Its needle drop is considerably less than other types and it has a tall and slender shape making it ideal for when you don’t want it to take up too much room – don’t forget these ones are slightly taller than average. These trees have a certain elegance about them and as the needle drop is not so heavy they are ideal if you want to decorate your house early.
So, you’ve brought your tree and got your decorations done, it’s time to relax right? Certainly, unless you wish to carry on with a few more jobs like weeding and sweeping! As long as the ground conditions are correct then you could plant some garlic, your rhubarb can be divided and you could even plant some raspberries and blackberries as well as bare-root fruit trees and bushes. You might have some crops to harvest and store – remembering to discard anything that’s not in perfect condition because it may rot the rest of your crop. If you’re feeling a bit down due to the weather and the dark evenings you could cheer yourself up by ordering some seeds ready for next year. It’s safe to prune your apple trees now whilst they are dormant. This is also a great time to feed the birds and wildlife that come into your garden, which makes for a very relaxed period of time whilst you watch them feasting.
We hope you enjoyed this blog and we hope it’s given you a bit of inspiration to get through the next couple of months, and we wish you all a very “Merry Christmas!”
