Don’t let your Christmas tree go to pot, warns Which? Gardening
28 November 2008
People buying real Christmas trees this festive season may be throwing money away if they buy a potted tree, warns Which? Gardening.
People can expect to pay between £25 and £45 for potted* Christmas trees, but a new study** by Which? Gardening found that these trees looked dull and lifeless after three weeks, and one variety, the Norway spruce, had lost most of its needles. Potted trees are often planted in containers too small for the tree, making them difficult to water and look after.
While container-grown Christmas trees performed best overall in the Which? Gardening trial, these are an expensive option, costing between £30 and £50.*** These trees stayed looking healthy right to the end of the trial, and survive well outside after Christmas, but often cost too much for the family budget.
Which? Gardening found that cut trees****, sawn off at ground level and stood in a plastic stand with a water reservoir, performed almost as well as container grown trees, but usually cost less. People can expect to pay between £18 - £30 for a 1.8 – 2m Norway spruce or £30 - £45 for a Nordmann fir, and these stayed looking healthy throughout the trial.
Which? Gardening gives the following advice to people buying Christmas trees over the next few weeks:
- Measure the space where the Christmas tree will stand before shopping. Then measure both the height and the spread of your chosen tree to ensure a perfect fit.
- A fresh tree will have few browning needles. Needles should be flexible and not fall off if you run a branch through your fingers.
- Avoid cut trees that are nailed to wooden stands as they will be harder to keep fresh.
- Leave it as late as possible to buy a tree if you want it to stay looking healthy right up to Twelfth Night.
- Forest Stewardship Council certification guarantees that Christmas trees are grown sustainably and with environmental considerations in mind.
- The British Christmas Tree Growers Association promises that any tree bought from one of its members will have been grown sustainably in Britain.
Ceri Thomas, editor of Which? Gardening, says:
“During the festive season Christmas trees are the focal point of many households. No one wants a tree that’s going to drop all its needles or look dead before Christmas is over.
“If you only want your tree to last for one Christmas, don’t bother spending money on a repotted or container grown tree. Instead, pick up a healthy cut tree from a reputable grower. These trees performed almost as well as a container grown tree, and could save you a few pounds.”
-Ends-
Notes to Editor
For further information, a PDF of the full report, images for reproduction, or an interview with Which? Gardening, contact Rebecca Leach.
Which? Gardening is a subscription-only gardening magazine published 10 times a year by Which? For details on how to receive 3 issues of Which? Gardening for £3, telephone 01992 822800 or visit which.co.uk
* Potted Christmas trees are field-grown trees, dug up and replanted in pots.
** Which? Gardening bought a cut, potted and container grown tree of the two main varieties, Norway spruce and Nordmann fir, as soon as they arrived in garden centres in November 2007. These trees were watered regularly for three weeks, and monitored for needle drop. After three weeks the trees in pots were removed from the pots and their roots examined.
***People can expect to pay £30 - £45 for a Norway spruce and £35 - £50 for a Nordmann fir.
****Cut trees are field-grown and then sawn off at ground level.