Roses

Rosa ‘Angela’

Rosa ‘Angela’

Living Christmas Trees have many benefits aside from just gaining a new plant for your garden.
Not only do you save money buying a new tree every year, but your environmental impact is greatly lowered. Once you’ve got a living tree you will be able to use it as your Christmas Tree for many years to come, bringing it inside each year for the festive period. 
Unlike a cut tree, these won’t shed the same. As long as they are properly acclimatized they shouldn’t drop many needles at all. As they shouldn’t dry out they can also pose less of a fire risk than cut trees as the tree should still be full on moisture.
What’s not to like? A real tree, without any of the hassle of a cut one.

bringing your tree inside

Our trees have been living outside and will therefore need to be brought inside slowly and carefully to acclimatize them to warmer temperatures. It is best to start by bringing your tree under some shelter, either in a porch or greenhouse. You can then bring it slowly into the house, starting with a colder room and gradually making your way to it’s home for the holidays. This process will a few days so be patient. Once inside it is important to keep your tree watered as the warmth inside will make it dry out much faster. Make sure there are drainage holes in the pot and that the tree isn’t right next to a radiator or draft.
Ideally these trees shouldn’t be kept inside for more than two weeks. Any longer and conditions may negatively effect the longevity of the plant. The RHS suggests bringing the tree in the week before Christmas giving you time over the festive period to decorate and enjoy your tree.
Look out for roots growing out of the bottom of the pot, this is a sign your tree needs re-potting, best to be done before bringing your tree inside.

TAKING YOUR TREE BACK OUTSIDE

Once it’s New Year it’s and it’s time to take your tree back outside you need to just as carefully acclimatize it to the cold weather as you did when bringing it inside. This also requires some careful thought regarding where the tree is going to live in your garden and if it will remain in a pot. Keep in mind that a conifer kept in a pot all year round will require careful attention especially when it comes to watering in the summer months. 
After you have acclimatized your tree to the colder weather it’s time to place it in it’s home until next Christmas. You can plant out your tree in a sunny spot and it will keep growing until you are ready to dig it up next year. This can be done year after year until your tree reaches about 6ft. At this point the root system will have outgrown a pot. If you do decide to dig it up to bring it in again the roots will have to be cutback, this means when you go to pant it back out the tree will need to be staked to hold it up. Some people choose to retire their Living Christmas Tree when it gets to this stage and allow it to retire in their garden, opting to get a new tree to continue the journey. 
If you choose to keep your tree in a pot you may stunt it’s growth possibly giving you a year or two more to be able to bring it in. If kept in a pot you will eventually need to pot it into a larger container to prevent it becoming pot bound. Depending on the size of your tree at the time of purchase you should be able to keep it potted for a number of years. There will however come a time where it will eventually have to be planted out. Conifers can grow quite big and although they are slow growing will eventually need the room to carry on.

YEAR ROUND CARE FOR YOUR TREE

Whether you’ve planted your tree out or are keeping it in a pot, these trees will need watering especially in the hot summer months. Potter plants cannot draw up the natural moisture from the ground so require regular watering. You must however be careful not to over water, or water log your tree. Make sure the pot it’s in has lots of drainage and feel the soil before watering. 
Trees planted out, as with any newly planted plant, will require some watering and possibly food to help get it’s roots established. This should sustain it, but if there is a very hot summer you may need some additional water to keep it healthy. 
You should check on your potted tree throughout the year to ensure the container is large enough to keep your tree healthy. A good sign that your tree is ready to ‘size-up’ it’s pot are roots pocking out the bottom. As with any potted plant this is a perfect indicator to get re-potting.