Expert reveals best and worst Christmas trees & vital job for this weekend to keep them alive until New Year
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THERE’S nothing that shouts Christmas quite like a decorated tree. Earlier this month even Princess Kate and Wills got into the spirit by choosing one for their home in Kensington Palace. But all too often by the time the Big Day rolls around - if we don't have 'staff' to look after it - our firs are looking rather pathetic and there’s inevitably incredibly annoying needles all over the house.
![[Kate choosing her Christmas tree earlier this month.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/britains-catherine-duchess-cambridge-holds-545059506_fda3d3.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
There’s an art in choosing and looking after our Christmas trees, and happily the RHS have issued a set of guidelines for Sun Gardening readers. When it comes to which type of tree to choose, think about the characteristics you love the most, such as a strong smell, the colour or if fewer needles are dropped.
TRADITIONALISTS love to plant their onion seeds on Christmas Day afternoon. But if you've got better things to do that day - December is a good month to start. If you're growing your Christmas Tree in a pot, Ornamental Trees expert Gemma Barton-Parker has the following tips for Sun Gardening readers.
If your tree has been outside - acclimatise it. Leave in sheltered area of your garden or porch for 24 hours before bringing it inside. Keep your tree in the pot it arrives, to keep its root system intact. Avoid positioning next to direct heat, like a radiator, or open fire.
If the soil feels dry, water, but do not drench. Use again next year! Plant into the ground or grow in a larger pot. To successfully transfer outside, acclimatise to the cold by moving it gradually outside. Make sure its roots are watered and damp. Dig a hole wider than your tree pot and loosen soil.
