How to care for your Doddington Hall Christmas Tree
Choosing your tree
• Choose a fresh tree - a freshly cut tree feels heavy, has that special fresh piney smell, and lustrous needles that don't come off when you give it a shake. The branches should be flexible not brittle.
• Buying direct from a grower is the best way to ensure that your tree is fresh-cut.
• Measure the height of your ceiling before you buy your tree.
• Bring a tape-measure to check the height of your chosen tree.
• Avoid buying a pre-netted tree - you cannot see its shape or freshness.
• Choose a retailer with plenty of choice and space for you to look at a variety of trees before you decide.
• Make sure you can fit it in your car, or bring a roof-rack if necessary.
Varieties
• Norway Spruce - the traditional tree with that real Christmassy smell. Keeps its needles well so long as you buy it freshly cut and give it water in its stand.
• Nordman - these trees have larger needles and have a reputation for keeping their needles for longer. This sometimes means that they are cut early and are not fresh when you buy them. Needle retention similar to a freshly cut Norway Spruce.
• Scots Pine - large needles, blue-green colour - do not need watering at all.
• Potted trees - after a month in a centrally heated living room potted or rooted trees rarely survive for future Christmases, so in the long run they are no better for the environment!
Tips for a Green Christmas
• Buy Local - this should ensure a fresh-cut tree that hasn't been transported hundreds of miles as well as supporting the local economy.
• Christmas trees from sustainably managed woodlands are 'carbon neutral' - trees harvested are replaced with two or three more each year so any CO2 emitted when they are burnt or composted is re-absorbed by new growth.
• Christmas trees grown in natural woodland plots support a wide variety of flora and fauna.
• Most local authorities will collect your tree after Christmas and compost it.
Looking after your tree (think of it as a cut flower!)
• When you get it home, leave it somewhere cool until you are ready to install it.
• Some people say it is worth sawing a short section off the end of the trunk before you install your tree.
• Use a stand that will hold water and remember to keep it topped up.
• Try to find somewhere for your tree that isn't directly in front of a heater or radiator.
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