David

How to Choose the Perfect Real Christmas Tree - David Domoney

• Report rights infringement
• published: 27 Nov 2014
• views: 1943

TV Gardener David Domoney visits a British Christmas tree grower to look at the most popular types of real Christmas trees. Discover the differences between Norway Spruce and Nordmann Fir, and learn what to look out for when choosing a Christmas tree for your home. Plus David reveals his tips on keeping the tree looking its best and preventing needle drop. With thanks to Crocker's Christmas Trees is Southam for allowing us to film on location. Transcription You’ve got to love this time of year – Christmas! And of course Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without the tree. And they have been around since the 7th Century, but the became immensely popular in 1841 when Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert, actually bought one from Germany back to the castle at Windsor, and put it on the table. It was featured in a London newspaper, and then everybody wanted one. Now in the UK, we buy over 8 million Christmas trees every year, but the good news is that 7 million of them are grown here in Britain, which is great. Now they take about eight years to grow to an average-sized Christmas tree, and there must be somewhere in the region of 10 different types of tree. Now the two most popular are the Norway Spruce and the Nordmann Fir, and I’ll show you why. First up, this is the Norway Spruce. This is the real traditional Christmas tree. It grows a little bit quicker so generally it is significantly cheaper to buy. But it does lose some of its needles during the Christmas time. Years ago, it got a bit of bad press because they were imported from abroad, so by the time they got here they were a little bit old and they lost their needles. These ones are grown in Britain, therefore they hold their needles generally considerably better. But the main advantage of the Norway Spruce is the lovely pine fragrance. To me, it smells of Christmas. So in a nutshell, the Norway Spruce is cheaper, does lose some of its needles but it has the pine fresh smell. Now the other option is just over here. The other alternative is the Nordmann Fir. Now this does take a little longer to grow. It’s a slower-growing tree and therefore it is slightly more expensive. But the main advantage with these thicker needles is that they actually hold onto the stem a lot better. So there is little needle drop at all, certainly compared to the Norway Spruce. But it is a lovely tree. It has got a lovely silver underside of the leaves, it’s certainly more rigid and fuller as it goes. So with the Nordmann Fir, it’s a fuller tree, it holds the needles generally better and it has got this lovely silver underside. But don’t forget – for every tree that is cut down in the UK, three more are grown. So let’s take a look at some little ones that are about to get started. And here they are! Little baby Christmas trees. Now it is not going to be until 2022 before this tree can be cut for inside somebody’s home, so get growing. But choosing the right tree for your own home is an important decision. So before you buy your Christmas tree and have it netted, I’ll give you some advice. Here are my four Fs. 1 – Freshness Make sure you choose the healthiest tree possible. And also, check the weight. Lift it up – the heavier the tree, the more water it has and the fresher it will be. 2 – Fullness Make sure it is full from the bottom all the way to the top. Don’t buy them when they are netted – cut them open and take a look for yourself. 3 – Foot Make sure the branches don’t go right to the base of the stump. That way, you have to cut some branches off to get it in the Christmas tree stand, and it could change the whole look of the tree. And if you’re putting it into a stand, make sure you can put some moisture into it too, because the tree will take up some liquid. Plus, mix a bit of sugar in there as well. Cut a slither off the bottom of the stump – it will help the tree take up the moisture. 4 – Fit Make sure you actually see the tree – don’t buy it all netted up. So when you get back home, it’s perfect proportions for your lounge. Finally, one of the best tips I can give you is to remember where these trees are grown – outside in the open. So when you bring them in, don’t bang them right by the raditiator or by the fire, because that makes the trees deteriorate and lose their needles sooner. Well there you have it – the beauty of real trees. Fibreoptics? Artificial? Plastic? Forget it. There’s something about having the real thing.