Your Guide To Real Christmas Trees With Dobbies & Squires
The focal point of the festive season has to be the Christmas tree. There’s nothing quite like the scent of a real tree to get you feeling festive. A day out to choose the perfect tree has become a magical Christmas highlight, and it quickly becomes the star of the show once home and decorated.
The experts at Dobbies Garden Centres have put together their essential guide, including tips to help you choose the picture-perfect tree, keep it looking its best, and finally what to do with it when the time comes to take it down.
In a change for 2020, Dobbies is responding to demand and focusing on one type of real tree – the Nordmann Fir. Growing in popularity year-on-year, the traditional real tree has become a firm family favourite and here they explain why. With everything you need to create the perfect Christmas, find your local store and browse the online range.
Squire’s Garden Centres also have a huge selection of beautiful real trees to choose from. Cut trees start from £29.99 for a 150cm Norway Spruce – the ‘traditional’ or ‘original’ Christmas tree.
Also in stock are the Nordmann Fir – including a ‘slimline’ version, great for small rooms – and the Noble Fir with excellent needle retention, with a blue-green hue and a stronger more citrus scent.
1. Choosing your tree – type
First things first – decide what style to go for. At Dobbies, there are two main types, Nordmann Fir and Fraser Fir – both available as cut or pot-grown. With demand
high, choosing your tree early will ensure you have the biggest choice.
Each year, Christmas trees seem to go up earlier and earlier. But to keep your tree looking its best through to the 25th, the best time to buy is the first or second weekend of December.
The busiest day for real Christmas trees, dubbed ‘Bring Your Christmas Tree Home Day’, is the second Saturday in December, which this year falls on the 12th.
Nordmann Fir
Nordmann Fir, standard cut, 4-7ft, from £19.99; Premium grade cut, 5-9ft, from £34.99, Dobbies
With its classic Christmas tree shape, glossy green foliage and fresh pine scent, it’s easy to see why this is by the far the most popular variety for the perfect festive centrepiece.
British-grown for Dobbies, the Nordmann Fir has good needle retention and the softer foliage makes it the ideal option for families with young children or pets.
- Symmetrical, triangular shape
- Slow to drop needles
- Strong branches
- Glossy green
- Soft, dense foliage
- Easy to care for
Fraser Fir
Fraser Fir, 120-150cm 4-5ft, from £29.99. Available at selected Dobbies stores
The Fraser Fir is slightly narrower in shape, making it a good alternative for smaller areas, but still with plenty of taller options to make the most of vertical space. Dobbies will be stocking the Fraser Fir in selected stores.
- Slightly narrower shape
- Great for smaller spaces
- Dense foliage
- Blue tint to the overall green colour
- Citrus like scent
Pot-Grown
From right: Outdoor wicker LED polar bear, £49.99; Nordmann Fir pot grown trees (sizes from 3ft to 5ft), from £39.99; Bilbao black lantern (small), £19.99 and (large), 29.99; Pilar glass vase (20cm), £14.99; Set of 3 LED candles with remote, £14.99. All at Dobbies.
A pot-grown tree has extra green credentials as it can planted outside afterwards. Grown from hand-raised seedlings and transplanted into growing pots plunged in the open field, each pot is dotted with tiny holes which allow the finer tree roots to find nutrients from the surrounding soil, while keeping the main root system protected and intact.
This method of growing, with minimal impact on the root system, can give trees an excellent chance of survival when transplanted into the garden after the festivities.
Once inside and decorated, this tree gives off a fresh and festive scent of natural pine.
Potted trees look equally good outside your home, greeting guests at the door or creating your very own winter scene in your garden. Add battery-operated outdoor fairy lights for a finishing touch.
- Great for use in a kid’s bedroom, as generally the trees are smaller
- Sustainable
- Best dressed for minimalist style
- Can be used indoors or out
Colorado Spruce
Potted Colorado Blue Spruce trees, £34.99 (80-100cm) from Squire’s
Pot-grown trees are a popular choice at Squires Garden Centres too. The striking UK-grown Colorado Blue Spruce is available at £34.99. Planted outside after Christmas, the Colorado Blue can reach 3 metres tall by 2.5 metres width over 25 years.
Why not get a mini tree as well? They are great for a kid’s bedroom or for the kitchen. A 30cm ‘Picea Perfecta’ is just £7.99 at Squire’s.
Norway Spruce
Potted Norway Spruce trees at Squire’s, £24.99 (80-100cm)
An 80cm Norway Spruce is available at Squire’s for £19.99. The ‘traditional’ or ‘original’ Christmas tree, it has dark green, slightly spiky needles, with a wonderful pine scent and a classic Christmas tree shape. It doesn’t hold its needles as well as the Nordman or Noble Fir but is a great value tree.
2. Choosing your tree – quality
Healthy trees will have a shiny, glossy green coating on the needles which feels slightly waxy to touch.
A quality tree should have good needle retention and sturdy branches. Do a simple needle retention test before you make your final selection.
Take the tree by the trunk and give it a gentle tap on the ground. All evergreen trees lose needles all year round, but any more than a few fallen pine needles then you may want to reconsider your tree choice.
3. Bringing your tree home
An important first task – make sure you have emptied the car and have enough space to fit your tree, either inside or on the roof. To get your tree home safely, there are some simple steps to follow.
Dobbies net all of their real trees once chosen, which helps protect them for the journey home. Put a blanket down to protect your car’s interior. The same goes if you are putting it on the roof of your car. Securely fasten your tree down with rope or cable ties and drive home slowly and carefully.
Once home, remove the net as soon as possible. Then saw off an inch or two from the base – the sawing-off should be done outside – and stand it in water.
Place the tree upright against an exterior wall or fence, out of direct sunlight, as this will stop it drying out.
4. How to keep your real tree looking its best
Nordmann fir premium cut tree (5-6ft) £34.99. Baubles & decorations: Red & Gold Holly Bauble £4.99, Matt Gold Glass Bauble £4.99, Lacquered Cream Glass Bauble with Gold Glitter Band £3.99, Snowflake Glass Bauble £3.99, Red Sequin Pear £2.99, Diamond Etched Glass Bauble £2.99, Clear Glass Bauble with Beaded Gold Swirls £4.99, Two Tone Teardrop Bauble £2.99, Red Ribbed Glass Bauble £3.99, Antique Shiny Red Glass Bauble £4.99, Shatterproof Mixbox of 30 Gold Baubles £9.99, all Dobbies
Un-net your tree and leave it to stand for 24 hours before decorating so that the branches can settle. As exciting as it can be to get the tree up and decorated instantly , it will look much better if you give the branches a chance to drop into place.
Choosing a suitable tree stand is important. Opt for one with a water reservoir and cover it with a Christmas tree skirt. There are plenty of stylish solutions available.
Sawing off a couple of inches from the stump when you first get it home will help the tree take up more water and last longer. Your tree will need around 1-2 litres a day, depending on the temperature of the room.
Try to avoid putting your tree next to a radiator. Keep the tree stand water reservoir topped up and keep the room cool when not in use. Don’t place it too close to candles.
If you are bringing a pot-grown tree indoors, keep the compost moist but not wet.
If your tree is too wide for the space you planned it for, you can clip some of the larger branches lower down to make it fit. Save the cuttings, as these can make lovely decorations, in vases or as part of a homemade wreath.
5. What to do with your real tree after Christmas
When the festivities are over and we have welcomed the New Year, it is time to take down your real tree. Traditionally, January 5 or 6 is when trees should be taken down and decorations packed away.
Dobbies encourage people to recycle their trees. Check with your local council for more information on collection services from your doorstep.
If you opted for a pot-grown tree, plant it as soon as possible in January so you can enjoy it the following year. Select a spot with well drained soil, sun, and enough space for the tree to sit comfortably.
Water and feed your pot-grown tree regularly in its first year when planted out in the garden. Remember it will grow to be very large, so check you are leaving enough space!
Sizes and prices: Dobbies
- Nordmann Fir, 120-240cm (4-8ft), £19.99-£74.99
- Pot Grown Nordmann Fir 35/40cm (1ft 4in), from £14.99
- Fraser Fir, 120-150cm (4-5ft), from £29.99 (available at selected Dobbies stores)
- Prices subject to change
Sizes and prices: Squires
- Nordmann Fir Premium, 120-270cm (5ft-8/9ft), £39.99-£99.99
- Norway Spruce, cut tree from 150cm (5ft), from £29.99
- Pot-grown Norway Spruce, 80cm (2ft 6in), £19.99
- Mini pot-grown ‘Picea Perfecta’, 30cm (1ft) , £7.99
- Pot-grown Colorado Blue Spruce, 80-100cm, £34.99
Top tips to get your tree Insta-ready…
Rebecca Stanton, stylist at Dobbies Garden Centres, shares her top five Christmas tree styling tips.
- Light it up: No tree is complete without the twinkling of fairy lights. To make your home really sparkle, you will always need more than you think. Turn the lights on before adding baubles and decorations, to make sure you have good coverage all over.
- Go big: The tree you decide on will impact the overall styling and final look. For example, certain types of real tree will help bring to life a traditional scheme, while other types will lend themselves to a more contemporary Scandi style. If you are going for an opulent look, a tall tree will set this up perfectly.
- Level up: To create a more contemporary look, use extra-large baubles and clusters of smaller baubles together in your tree. Carefully place your larger baubles first to ensure your tree feels balanced, then work around those to add in smaller baubles and decorations.
- Bauble packs: To instantly update your style, pick up one of our mixed size bauble packs. We have shades to suit any colour palette. Not only do they instantly set the theme, they help spread colour throughout your tree – think a base layer for you to build on top of with your more special decorations. Top tip: if you wire three baubles together using silver floristry wire and attach them deeper on the branch it helps fill out your tree and creates a more stylised look.
- A layer of nature: Decorating your real tree doesn’t need to end at the baubles. Try laying some sprigs or bunches of dried flowers,dried grasses, heather or eucalyptus on the branches. Add orange slices and cinnamon sticks to bring the smell of Christmas into your home.
Find out more at www.dobbies.com
