With Christmas just around the corner (16 days to go - have you started your Christmas shopping yet?), many families are shopping for Christmas trees. It's a great family activity, as long you as you can all agree on the tree! At Longacres, we aim to help families find their perfect Christmas tree. Below are our tips on choosing trees for the festive season: 1. Make sure you have measured for both height and width Before heading out to buy your tree, you should measure both ceiling height and width of the area where your Christmas tree will be spending the next few weeks. Some growers and sellers taper the trees by 80%. This means a tree that’s 10ft tall could be 8ft wide! It may fit the room vertically, but then take up far too much floor space. At Longacres we have a wide range of trees from the small 60cm (2ft) to the large 5.5m (18ft)! 2. Decorations, decorations, decorations... Think about the decorations you’re going to use (including the toilet roll angel you made in primary school of course...) Some trees have fewer branches and shorter needles (easier to get decorations on, but it means they'll also come off more easily) than others. Be confident that the branches of the tree you’re getting can carry the weight of all your decorations. 3. Pick the right type of tree for you There are several types of Christmas tree available: Fir, Pine, Spruce, and Cypress. At Longacres, we offer a large selection of both Fir and Spruce trees (cut and potted). Nordmann Fir is the most popular type of Christmas tree due to its beautiful needles. They aren’t sharp (they have a rounded tip) and they won’t drop easily when the tree needs watering. Blue Spruce trees are popular for the striking blue-green foliage and pleasing symmetrical form. Similar to the Nordmann Fir, Blue Spruce doesn’t drop needles as much as others. 4. Making your tree last longer It’s pretty simple to take good care of your tree and make it last all the way through the Christmas period. The most effective way to keep your tree fresh and prevent excessive needle loss is by using a Christmas tree stand which acts as a water reservoir. When you get your tree home, cut approximately half an inch from the base of the trunk before you put the tree in its stand. If possible, keep the tree away from radiators, TVs and other heat sources! Don’t leave it until the last minute before buying your tree - it's much more fun to choose from a huge range! Get in touch with us for more information on our Christmas trees.
