Plants & Gardens

Plants&Gardens Find your perfect tree!

During the festive season there’s nothing like a real Christmas tree – so here’s how to find the one that suits your needs perfectly

Areal tree makes your home smell of the season so it feels festive from start to finish – but which type to choose? The options can be baffling, so here is Shire’s indoor gardening guide to help you pick the perfect Christmas tree this year from those widely available in the UK – with numerous retailers across the Shire patch waiting to provide you with the tree of your dreams!

Nordmann fir

Originating from the Caucasus mountains, where Europe meets Asia, this holds on to its soft, glossy dark green needles for the entire season so its growing popularity is not surprising. Its strong branches also produce the idealised pyramidal Christmas tree shape.

Soft, glossy needles

Douglas fir

If it’s the classic aroma of Christmas you’re looking for then consider a Douglas fir. These trees are also popular for their colour, with a bluish-green needles that release a strong, sweet smell when crushed. They’re popular in the US and have a conical shape.

A strong sweet smell

Fraser fir

This has flat needles that are long, dark green on the top and silvery Perfect for decorations underneath, and well retained. Their scent is pleasant and they form a good shape with strong branches that turn upward – perfect for hanging decorations on.

Noble fir

These trees’ inch-long, bluish-green needles give off a strong festive aroma and tend to turn upwards. With its short, stiff branches it is great for heavier ornaments and lasts throughout the season.

Norway spruce

If you don’t want to spend loads and don’t mind a bit of tree care, this is for you. It has a classic form, a strong fragrance and shiny dark needles – but it does shed.

Sti branches

Long cones

Scots pine

Bright green with stiff, dark green needles on branches that fall open and can accommodate more ornaments. It keeps its needles and aroma for around a month, and is also good for replanting if you want a tree to live in your garden.

Needles that fall open

TIP TOP TREE TIPS

• Buy from your local Christmas tree farm for a tree that hasn’t suffered too much in transit. • Give a shake to check not many needles fall off. • Trim the trunk to aid water absorption. • Replenish the water frequently. • Keep the tree away from heat sources to avoid drying. • Take it down before it dries out to avoid needle mess.

TOP MARKS TO WOODWORKS GARDEN CENTRE

The Woodworks Garden Centre in Mold has been awarded full membership of the Garden Centre Association following a recent inspection by the industry body – as well as a Merit Award for Garden Construction.

“We are thrilled!” says Iwan Gwyn, manager of the Woodworks Garden Centre. “The Garden Construction category covers the Zest 4 Leisure section within The Mill display area, which features fencing, trellis, timber and sheds and summerhouses. The auditor was extremely impressed by this category including the layout, environment, product, quality and value for money.

“Our café, indoor lifestyle gift shop and plants area also received excellent feedback.”

The audit report also commended Woodworks’ cleanliness, product displays and good staff presence.

Iwan says: “The team has worked really hard to ensure that we offer an excellent service so it’s brilliant that this was recognised in the report.”

WINTER TASKS FOR A BRIGHTER SPRING

Before you start sheltering indoors from the cold, wind and rain, there are still plenty of jobs in the garden that will reward you when milder weather returns

When it’s dry enough, says Lis Morris, lecturer in horticulture and sustainable technologies at University Centre Reaseheath in Cheshire, carry out these important garden tasks. As she says: “Any effort made now will more than pay off in the spring.”

• Tender plants, particularly those in containers, need protection so move them into a clean greenhouse or into a sheltered position.

• Raise containers on pot feet to prevent waterlogging and insulate with bubble wrap or fleece if they are likely to crack in icy weather.

• Clear fallen leaves from paths and patios so they don’t become slippery; rake them from your lawn to allow light and moisture to your turf.

Use the leaves to make leaf mould – waste not, want not!

• Grass will grow if the air temperature is above 5°C and can harbour mould if it’s long and wet, so run the mower over it when you can (use a high setting).

• Clear out containers and refill with winter bedding, placing them where they can be admired from the house. Favourites include wallflowers, cyclamen, winter pansies and primulas. • November is an excellent time to plant tulip bulbs. And it’s also not too late to plant lily bulbs in pots. Bring them inside in spring if you want them to flower early.

• Keep beds and borders tidy by hoeing off late weeds and mulch round plants for added protection.

• Lightly prune roses and hardy perennials such as buddleias to prevent wind rock, and consider extra staking for exposed plants.

• Lift and store dahlias, cannas and tuberous bedding begonias once they have been blackened by first frosts.

• Help birds by putting out water and bird food daily. Clean the containers weekly to avoid spreading disease.

Wrap containers to prevent cracks

Leaves, get o my lawn! include wallflowers, cyclamen, winter pansies and primulas.

Plant bulbs in November

Prune roses and hardy perennials

TOP TIP

Remove old leaves from “Christmas rose” hellebores to show off the flowers For more on Reaseheath’s horticulture courses see www.reaseheath.ac.uk/ horticulture (for diplomas and RHS courses) or www.ucreaseheath. ac.uk/courses (for degrees)

TOP TIP Don’t work on your borders when the soil is sodden – it can cause compaction

CHRISTMAS CLASSICS

Plants don’t get more festive than holly and ivy – but you can add greenery all year round with these varieties can add greenery all year round with these varieties

Yaoupon

This holly doesn’t have the classic leaf shape but it’s an evergreen that can be both a shrub or a small to medium-sized tree. It has thick branches covered in equally thick glossy and leathery foliage.

English holly

This is the holly most commonly seen growing wild or at home. It has glossy, hard foliage that’s spiky at the bottom and smooth-edged at the top, with leaves usually a deep emerald green. And, of course, it produces an abundance of rich red berries.

Chinese holly

This also has the rich green, shaped leaves – but no spikes here! The leaves have a leathery texture and are slightly twisted. The white, small, fragrant flowers come in spring and the red berries follow.

English ivy

The most popular of them all, and known for its unlobed leaves and flowers. There are green, yellow, variegated, hanging and climbing varieties. It does well in full sun or partial shade, and can make an excellent houseplant as well as a great garden grower.

Irish ivy

This variety of ivy has a simple and heartwarming beauty. Its leaves are of a glossy emerald green, soft in shape, with lobes that make it look almost like a stylised ivy leaf – very traditional and classic.