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0 CommentsFresh Guide: Picking the Perfect Christmas Tree
There is just something about Christmas that makes you smile – even if you express annoyance or irritation at the various marketing gimmicks that companies use to lure you into spending your hard-earned cash. These tactics usually begin towards the end of October, with sharper marketing representatives pushing out Christmas bait to consumers earlier in the same month.
At UCS Fresh we are, of course, smarter than that.
How do you ask?
Simple: We’re offering you the chance to get ahead of the rush – to order now, months in advance, and secure your Christmas trees, wreaths, garlands, and pine bundles before demand exceeds supply.
Don’t we deserve a pat on the back for being proactive?
As always, there are reasons for us putting forth this offer so early. And, unfortunately, we do have a transparency policy – so we must share our reasoning with you.
But for us to do that, we must share with you a short story.
The Tale of Dave
We all love Christmas stories. From those stories, we learn about love, life, and the challenges we face daily.
Likewise, this is a story about Dave from accounting. Not our accounting department, mind you. No, we have another Dave for that (this isn’t about you, Dave, please ignore if you were referred here).
Dave grew up in a forest – you know, the quaint cabin in the woods – so he knew his trees. You couldn’t fool Dave at all. He could tell whether the tree was a Fraser or a Nordmann from the scent alone. Just rubbing some soil between his fingers was enough to judge the annual rainfall that the trees in the vicinity received.
Dave loved the outdoors. However, Dave moved to the ‘big city’ and started working in accounting due to personal circumstances.
Come Christmas last year, Dave wanted a real tree to set up at home, and so off he went to the retail stores close by. The trees were in plentiful supply, oddly though, as Christmas was around the corner. Dave was suspicious.
On inspecting the trees, Dave found that the trees on display were at least three months old even though he was a week from Christmas. The needles were falling drastically, the wood had dried out completely, and the tree was just a bramble of branches more brown than green.
Ah, such is the challenge of life. Fear not though, Dave ordered a tree from us, and we provided a freshly harvested one in line with his request.
Dave learnt his lesson and has already placed his order with us for this year.
From his example, we learnt that we must open Christmas orders early to manage expectations in line with supply and demand.
In all honesty, Dave wouldn’t have received his tree if not for a last-minute change in request.
And so, in true UCS Fresh fashion, we’ve put together a guide on selecting the Christmas tree that is best for you.
The Christmas Tree Guide
Step 1: Decide on Freshly Cut, Potted, or Pot Grown
Real Christmas Trees provide a fantastically traditional and nostalgic feeling to your home during the holiday season, with a variety of wonderful shapes, colours, and smells. Our premium quality trees are grown with care in the UK and are shipped directly from our premises to your door, and we ensure that only the best trees are sent to our customers.
When we think of real Christmas Trees, the Freshly Cut type springs to mind, but there are another two fantastic options to choose from when selecting what’s best suited to your needs – potted (also known as “containerised”) and pot grown.
|
|
FRESHLY CUT |
POTTED (Containerised) |
POT GROWN |
|
Definition |
Grown in a field, then cut above the ground. |
Grown in a field, then ‘lifted’ out of the soil and potted into a pot. |
Grown in a pot or a series of larger pots from being a young plant. |
|
Does it have roots? |
No |
Some |
Yes, established roots |
|
Christmas time care |
With proper care, most real Christmas trees should last 5 weeks or more.
If you're not putting your tree up right away, place it in a bucket of water in an unheated area that’s protected from wind and freezing temperatures.
When ready to use, it’s best practice to make a fresh cut of a few inches straight across the base of the trunk to aid water absorption.
Place it in a sturdy stand that holds at least 3 litres of water. Plenty of clean water is all you need to keep a tree fresh. Check the water level daily — it should always cover the cut end of the trunk. Refill as needed. If you lower the temperature in the room, it can help slow down the drying process.
Keep the Christmas tree away from heat sources. Try using a humidifier to add moisture to the room. |
A potted tree has some roots that can take up water. Once your tree is placed in your home it will evaporate water at a very rapid rate. You need to replace the water regularly, probably daily. Stand the pot in a plant saucer to hold excess water that your Christmas tree can draw on during the day. Place away from radiators. |
Position the tree in a cool but light spot – not next to a radiator, heater, or fire.
Container-grown Christmas trees should be watered regularly but not over-watered. Too dry and the needles will turn brown and drop off. Too wet and the roots will start to rot. Go by the feel of the soil.
Ideally, you should put your potted Christmas tree outside for 24 hours every 7–10 days to allow it to really 'breathe'. It also gives you an opportunity to give the tree another good shake to remove any loose needles.
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|
After-Christmas care |
Take your tree down before it dries out, so you have fewer dead needles to deal with.
Start a new compost pile with the tree; recycle it; turn it into mulch; or ask your town about disposal options. |
After Christmas, you can continue to grow it in the pot it arrived in, although better still would be to re-pot it into a larger pot with proper potting compost before the end of March. You can also plant directly into your border soil, but again, do it before the end of March. |
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|
Can it be planted in the garden after Christmas, and will it grow? |
No |
Maybe. No guarantee of growth.
Meant to be a temporary Christmas decoration, but in some cases, you may be able to keep after Christmas if they receive the best and proper treatment. The nature of growing in a field and then potting them for immediate sale means that the firs have not produced new roots to sustain them. Think of them more like a cut Christmas tree than a properly grown conifer.
The chances of successful garden growth reduce if your ‘outdoor’ tree has suffered central heating for 4 weeks or so to then be abandoned to the coldest part of winter in your garden. Moving it gradually from heat to a cool room to a cold conservatory or greenhouse until March would be best but we know this is unlikely.
If you realise that it’s a 50:50 chance of success before buying, then you won’t be as disappointed. |
Yes.
The roots are never disturbed, and the plant is guaranteed to grow when planted and nurtured in your garden. |
|
Set-up |
Requires a stand in which to be placed upright.
We recommend purchasing a Christmas Tree stand with a deep-water reservoir that can be topped up every 1-2 days. This will ensure that your tree remains happy, healthy, and vibrant throughout the Christmas period. |
Easy placement with no stand required. |
Easy placement with no stand required. |
|
Varieties available at UCS Fresh Garden |
Nordmann Fir Norway Spruce Fraser Fir |
Nordmann Fir |
Nordmann Fir Norway Spruce |
STEP 2: Decide on variety (Fraser Fir, Nordmann Fir or Norway Spruce)
As you know, trees come in various shapes and sizes, however, our table below can simplify matters for you:
|
VARIETY |
CHARACTERISTICS |
TYPES |
SIZE |
PRICE incl. tax excl. delivery |
LINK |
|
FRASER FIR
|
- Elegant, slim, conical shape (splendid for smaller spaces). - Dense foliage best suited to tinsel and lights. - Soft green/silver needles with great needle retention. - Delicious woody scent.
|
Freshly Cut |
120/150 cm 150/175 cm 175/200 cm 200/225 cm 250/300 cm |
From £32.50 |
https://ucsfresh.com/collections/christmas-tree-pre-order/products/fraser-fir-freshly-cut
|
|
NORDMANN FIR
|
- Britain’s most popular Christmas Tree. - Long, glossy, deep blue-green coloured needles and silvery bark. - Big, soft, rounded needles which are suitable for young children. - Best known for its excellent needle retention. - Wonderful natural cone shape. - Easy to decorate. - Light fragrance, preferred by allergy-sufferers. - Will stay fresh for a long time if watered.
|
Freshly Cut |
3-4 FT 4-5 FT 5-6 FT 6-7 FT 7-8 FT |
From £39.60 |
https://ucsfresh.com/collections/christmas-tree-pre-order/products/nordmann-fir-freshly-cut
|
|
Potted (Containerised)
Supplied in 10-litre pot |
60/90 cm 90/120 cm 120/150 cm |
From £24.99 |
https://ucsfresh.com/collections/christmas-tree-pre-order/products/nordmann-fir-containerised
|
||
|
Pot Grown |
60/80 cm 80/100 cm 100/125 cm 125/150 cm 150/175 cm
Be advised - As per the listing image, the total height is inclusive of the pot. |
From £42.00 |
https://ucsfresh.com/collections/christmas-tree-pre-order/products/nordmann-fir-pot-grown
|
||
|
NORWAY SPRUCE |
Norway Spruce is the traditional Christmas tree as introduced to England by Prince Albert, consort to Queen Victoria, in the 19th Century. A very popular tree and firm favourite in the UK due to its wonderful shape and distinctive forest scent. Makes a superb and ideal focal point due to its commanding height and full Conical shape. Foliage is dense and spikey with a vibrant green colour that stands out beautifully against traditional winter colours. Needles can be quite sharp on fresh trees so care is recommended when manoeuvring your tree into position and decorating. Does require to be well watered to reduce needle loss. |
Freshly Cut
|
125/150 cm 150/175 cm |
From £37.50 |
https://ucsfresh.com/collections/christmas-tree-pre-order/products/norway-spruce-trim-cut
|
|
The Norway Spruce is a firm favourite in the UK due to its wonderful shape and distinctive forest scents. It is an especially popular Christmas tree and makes a superb and ideal focal point due to its commanding height and full Conical shape.
Norway Spruce has foliage that is dense and spikey with a vibrant green colour that stands out beautifully against your traditional winter colours. Needles can be quite sharp on fresh trees, so care is recommended when manoeuvring your tree into position and decorating.
The Norway Spruce does tend to lose its needles once the tree starts to dry out, hence it is very important to keep it properly watered once cut to ensure the best needle retention.
|
Pot Grown
Supplied in 7.5 litre pot |
60/80 cm 80/100 cm 100/125 cm 125/150 cm |
From £25.99 |
https://ucsfresh.com/collections/christmas-tree-pre-order/products/norway-spruce-pot-grown
|
STEP 3: Select your tree, size, delivery week – and place your order!
Ordering your tree early will not affect when your tree is cut. When you place your order, you can select the week you would like your tree delivered. We then acquire freshly harvested trees each week prior to delivery.
It is as easy as that, simply click here to pre-order
Don’t wait for the last minute to order your tree. Did you know that trees also make great gifts for loved ones?
Capture your Christmas spirit and do so before anyone else.
For all your winter wonderland needs and trees, visit us at UCS Fresh
