Real Christmas tree buyers guide
The festive season is upon us and we are starting to feel very Christmassy here in Tirlán CountryLife thanks to the arrival of our first lot of Irish grown Christmas trees in selected stores. For me you cannot beat a real Christmas tree, even though artificial ones have come on leaps and bounds in recent years in terms of quality, they still don’t hold a candle to a real tree.
Buy Irish Christmas Trees!
I think it is the same for most gardeners, you can never beat the glorious smell or feel of a real Irish grown Christmas tree in your house. The smell seems to have an ability to waft throughout the house and take the Christmas feeling up a notch.
At the moment, in selected stores, we have some beautiful specimens that have come in to us from our grower Forest Fresh Ireland, they have farms in Tipperary, Wexford and Wicklow.
We have some great 7 foot Noble Fir Christmas trees in at the moment which are proving really popular with customers already.
No mess Christmas tree
When I speak to customers I am often surprised by the amount of people that are turned off real Christmas trees because of;
- The perceived work and maintenance that is required
- The mess they think the tree will make as it loses its needles as the tree dries out.
This was the case with Spruce Christmas trees which would drop every single needle the minute you brushed past it.
However with non-shed varieties, such as Noble Fir available this does not pose a problem anymore.
Tips to help your Christmas tree stay fresher for longer
- When you buy your tree make sure it is a good quality one to start with, it should be fresh and green when you are buying it
- Don’t settle for a tree that is damaged or fading in colour as it just won’t last when you take it home
- If you are not ready to put it up straight away leave it outside in the garden. The moisture in the air will keep it fresh for you. If you leave it in a garage or shed the tree can often start to dry out.
Keeping your tree upright
I find the best tree stands to use for real trees are the ones with a water reservoir built into them which you can keep topped up during Christmas. Just before you place the tree in the stand I like to cut the bottom again as often the cut will have sealed up and the tree will not take up fresh water as easily.
Places to avoid when putting up your Christmas tree
Being careful with where you position the tree in your house can have an impact on how long it survives.
Keep it away from fire places and radiators as even if you keep the tree topped up with water these heat sources can dry out a tree.
If you are smart with how you handle your tree and treat it well you can easily be enjoying a lush green Christmas tree right up until mid-January!
SHOP NOW IN SELECTED STORES
You can shop Irish grown Christmas trees in our selected CountryLife stores; Dungarvan, Castlecomer, Kilmeaden, Castlelyons, Campile and Fethard.
