Eastfield Garden Centre

Call Us Now on 01262 676285
  • Christmas
  • Home & Gifts
  • Cafes & Food
  • Garden Supplies
  • News & Advice
  • Home
  • News & Advice
  • Winter
  • It’s nearly here…
 

It’s nearly here…

Friday, 10 August 2018 / Published in Winter

It’s nearly here…

Whilst we are all familiar with the sight of fresh cut Christmas trees lined up ready for sale, have you ever given much thought to where these come from?

For Christmas tree farmers years of dedication and hard work go into producing the perfect centre piece for our homes on Christmas Day, infact the average 6ft tree takes between 6 and ten years to grow before being ready to harvest.

In the UK growers are hard at work all year round starting with ground prep, and removal of previous years stumps from January to March, then transplanting 2yr old saplings in spring, ( up to 4000 per acre!) into the fields. Fertilizing, weeding and shaping older trees happens through summer and finally harvesting of the mature trees ready for Christmas starts in late Autumn.

The shaping of the trees is crucial and cannot alone be left to mother nature to create the perfect spaces for your tinsel, a Norway spruce for example can be shaped at four years old by hand or shears, whilst a Nordmann fir must be a good year or so older before this process can begin, and the “leader” ( the bit we sit the fairy on) is mechanically controlled to restrict its growth. The trees require protection from pests, such as aphids and rabbits, but also from Badgers who like to dig out the roots.

Fashions for types of tree change over the years, which make it difficult for farmers to predict with planting so far in advance, and with around 6 million trees being sold in the UK each year, both home grown and imported this is no small concern. Indeed since a rise in favour of fresh trees in the 1980’S there has been something of a decline in the last decade, however some trees such as the Nordmann are continually increasing in popularity.

There are many different types of Fresh Christmas tree available in the UK, here are our Favourite 3 at Eastfield Garden Centre:

  • Nordman Fir – A non needle dropping tree (with appropriate care) and glossy deep green foliage in the classic triangular shape.
  • Norway Spruce – A narrower conical shape with drooping branches, easy to decorate and an excellent pine fragrance.
  • Blue Spruce – Similar in shape to the Norway but with attractive silver /blue foliage, Good fragrance and needle retention with appropriate care.

When buying your Christmas Tree it is important to consider that your tree is a living thing, & needs looking after like any other plant.

We recommend the following Top Tips to keeping your tree fresh for the Christmas period:-

  • Leave your tree in a cool place ( outside / garage etc) until you are ready to put it up.
  • When placing your tree in a stand or bucket, cut 2cm off the base of the stump to allow moisture back into the tree.
  • Always use a stand that can hold sufficient water, and place your tree away from direct heat sources such as fires or radiators.
  • Top up daily with water, even a small tree can drink up to 2 litres of water a day!

Enjoy, and have a Very Happy Christmas.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)

Related

  • Tweet

What you can read next

Once upon a Christmas Time…
Festive Events
Preparing for Spring

Recent Posts

  • Once upon a Christmas Time…

    Our Christmas Department is now open and packed...
  • SPECIAL OFFER SAVE £500 OFF RRP

    The best selling Malmo range is as popular as e...
  • WAS £2199.99 – SOLD OUT

    Dine in style with the Hartman Heritage 6 seat ...
  • THE TURIN RANGE BY LG OUTDOORS – CONTEMPORARY, COMFORTABLE & CARE-FREE

    The Turin Range of Garden Furniture from LG out...
  • Great Design & Usability – THE MONACO RANGE

    The New Monaco Range from LG Outdoors is a winn...

Categories

  • Autumn
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Uncategorised
  • Winter

FIND US

Easton Rd (B1253)
Bridlington
East Yorkshire
YO16 4DB

Tel. 01262 676285
Email. info@eastfield-gardencentre.co.uk

HELPFUL LINKS

  • Customer Contact & Help
  • Gift Cards
  • Job Vacancies
  • Cookies & Privacy Policy

Receive regular updates from us

Follow Us

  • Facebook

© 2018. All rights reserved. Eastfield Garden Centre.

TOP
This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.AcceptReject Read More
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT