Get spruced up for next Christmas

By Tom Gard

�

THE decorations are coming down, the hoover is clogged with needles and now you're facing the annual poser of what to do with that balding Christmas tree.

�

If your not one of the lucky ones who owns a shredder or live in an area where the local authority will shred it for you, that sad skeleton of a tree will probably sit at the bottom of the garden until the next bonfire or trip to the dump.

�

Why not save yourself from this ritual dilemma by growing your own tree It's cheaper, more rewarding, environmentally friendly and relatively easy.

�

The traditional British Christmas tree, the Norwegian spruce, is a forest dweller, and will get too big for the average garden. There are, however, many other more suitable varieties, widely available from garden centres and nurseries,�that can be grown in containers or in the ground.

�

If you are patient you can get seed from catalogues, or take cuttings from your current tree if it is still fresh. Look for a small shoot with a heal of hard wood, dip in rooting powder, pot up in a cold frame or inside in a cool, humid place out of direct sunlight.

�

Most of us, however, will want something that will be ready in time for the next festive season.

�

When buying, insist on trees that have been container grown, rather than those simply dug and potted up for the festive season. Some of these will have damaged or inadequate roots and may not survive. Most varieties will grow well in any half-decent garden soil or a good, moisture retentive compost.

�

There are over 50 different varieties of pines and firs that would do the job, but here are a few suggestions.

• The Serbian Spruce (Picea omorika) is an elegant, medium to tall green tree�that will grow well almost anywhere, or if you want a similar, but smaller, slower-growing version try Picea glauca Conica.

• Nordmann and Noble firs are increasingly sold as Christmas trees. There are attractive, bushy and slow growing.

All of these will make excellent garden trees for 50 weeks of the year.�To keep them healthy while they are inside keep them well watered in a cool area and return outside before�the twelth night of Christmas.

�