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| Go greener |
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| With a growing number of gardeners eschewing chemicals in favour of natural alternatives, we can suggest some effective products from our organic gardening selection |
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| Relax and refresh |
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| Good food freshly prepared daily, aromatic coffee, chilled wine and a grassy play area for the children. What more could you need? |
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| Food heaven |
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| Our Farm Shop is heaven for food lovers! Delicious handmade food, top quality groceries, fresh fruit and vegetables and stylish cookware and gifts. |
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| The Discovery Walk |
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| As thousands of daffodils herald the spring, stroll or stride around our Walk while the youngsters enjoy the Nature Trail |
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Christmas tree? Get real!
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| Thursday, 6th December 2007 |
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IN THE GARDEN WITH PETA MARSHALL
It’s that time of year again…the goose had gotten fat, town centres have fairy lights hanging off anything they can hang off, and postpeople everywhere are groaning under the weight of the Christmas cards. And yes, the garden centre is choc-a-bloc with Christmas trees.
The reason we get so many trees in is that they are still more popular than artificial ones, and I’m really pleased about that. Buying a proper Christmas tree from a proper garden centre, where you know that the trees sold have been grown to high standards, and in a sustainable way, is very important.
I like to know that my own tree has come from a properly managed ‘farm’, and not cut from the wild. Properly managed Christmas trees are a type of ‘agricultural crop’. Dedicated nurserymen sow the trees, and then plant them out in rows. Then, a few years later, they are harvested in time for the Christmas season.
We’re a week into December now, and you shouldn’t hang about when it comes to choosing a tree, as the best ones soon disappear. This weekend and next weekend – four days out of the whole year – will see around 70 per cent of six million Christmas trees sold around the country. Cars everywhere are going to be driving home with pine needle-clad green things stuck out of windows, sunroofs and back doors.
It is important to choose a Christmas tree carefully. It should be well balanced and well clothed with needles that are likely to stay on beyond Christmas Eve. And there should be an aroma of pine when the branches are brushed up against.
When I was growing up, my Grandad would always buy the traditional Christmas tree – the Norway spruce (Picea abies). The appearance and the smell really ‘meant’ Christmas for us kids. Trouble is, as we now know, when compared to newer alternatives the spruce lacks colour – and it drops its needles at the slightest hint of central heating!
With thicker needles, the Nordmann fir (Abies nordmanniana) keeps its foliage on the branches far longer; but it is a slower growing tree so is a little more expensive as a result. And it doesn’t have that special fragrance either.
We also sell the top of the range Nobel Fir (Abies procera). It has soft blue-green needles completely covering its branches, as well as a beautiful fragrance, and truly excellent needle retention.
An up-and-coming tree, slightly narrower than the Nordmann, is the Fraser fir (Abies fraseri). And sometimes you’ll also see the Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) and lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta). The latter is more upright than the former (which is better for many rooms), and it retains its needles better.
But how do you ensure you get the best out of your tree? Well, it is essential that cut trees should be fresh when purchased. The needles should not be dull and dried up; the outer needles should not fall off if the tree is gently shaken; and the branches should not be brittle.
Even without roots, a cut tree continues to drink water via pores in its bark. If you stand it in water it can therefore stay fresh despite the effects of dry, centrally heated rooms. The modern version of a ‘bucket’ in which to put your Christmas tree is the so-called water retaining stand, and we have a very good selection. Use plain water (not a soil or sand mix) and keep that water topped up throughout the Christmas period.
Trees in pots will be small and seldom more than 4ft. (1.2m) high. These should be watered and cared for as you would any house plant, but do remember to place a tray under the pot to protect your carpet.
I certainly don’t look down on those who prefer the artificial option.
This year there are some fantastic colour themes, and I reckon the man-made Christmas trees are some of the best I’ve ever seen.
Artificial trees are, of course, easier to handle, and cheaper in the long run (if you keep them for several years). But don’t be fooled into thinking that they are better for the environment than the growing of real trees. Most of the artificial trees are made from metal and PVC which cannot biodegrade, and the materials to make these trees will often have come from places on the other side of the world, so there are other implications for the carbon footprint.
So, although I’m a little bit tempted by the modern appearance of artificial trees, for this year – at least – I’m staying with a ‘real’ one! Happy gardening!
This week in your garden
Tie in any splayed shoots of conifers; these could become weighed down by winter snow – if we get any – causing them to split from the main trunk.
Cover delicate alpine plants, such as tiny primulas and mat-forming saxifrages, with a cloche or at least a pane of glass supported on bricks, to protect them against excessive winter wet.
Sow the forcing carrot ‘Amsterdam’ in a cold frame or growing bag in the greenhouse. This will give you the earliest crops next year. Make sowings every two weeks until the end of February, to give you a succession of roots.
Dig up roots of mint and pot them up in free draining compost to grow on indoors for fresh leaves through the winter.
Peta Marshall is the plant centre manager at Priory Farm in Nutfield. Website: www.prioryfarm.co.uk
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