It’s real Christmas tree season at Dobbies

50,000 sustainably British grown, quality trees land in garden centres across the UK

Dobbies Garden Centres is marking the official start of the 2024 festive season with its delivery of 50,000 real Christmas trees, available at Edinburgh and other stores across the UK now.

With a wide selection of 1-9ft trees to choose from, including pot-grown and freshly cut varieties, customers will be spoiled for choice when it comes to finding their perfect real Christmas tree, and can take one home for as little as £20.

Dobbies’ pot-grown range includes the Nordmann Fir, Blue Spruce, Serbian Spruce, Noble Fir and Norway Spruce. Freshly cut trees are available in Nordmann Fir and Fraser Fir varieties, with slim options available to suit smaller spaces.

All of Dobbies’ real Christmas trees are sustainably grown in partnership with real tree grower, Needlefresh, in environmentally managed fields across Scotland.

Each tree is grown from specially selected seeds at the Needlefresh farms, taken from hand-picked cones which have been left to dry and nurtured into seedlings.

Specialist pruning techniques are used to create a bushy, uniform shape with emphasis on each individual tree’s features, and the work is done by hand to keep any impact on surrounding wildlife to a minimum. 

Dobbies’ Plant Buyer, Nigel Lawton talks through some tips on what to look out for where choosing your real Christmas tree, and how to keep it looking its best for longer.

Nigel says: “Before you come to Dobbies to pick your real tree, make sure to measure the height, depth and width of your ideal Christmas tree space, and bring a tape measure to the store to double check the dimensions.

“However, don’t worry if your tree is a little too big when you get it home as you can always trim it to fit the space. 

“Once you get your tree home, keep it outside in a sheltered area, cut 1 inch off the base of the trunk and stand in a bucket of water until you are ready to bring it indoors – this will help reduce needle drop.

“Once you bring your tree inside, position it in its water holding stand and ensure the water reservoir is topped up on a regular basis to make it last throughout the season. Ideally, you’ll want to position your tree away from any radiators or heat sources as this can cause the needles to dry out faster.”

For more advice, and to explore Dobbies’ range of Christmas trees for 2024, visit www.dobbies.com

How to create a wildlife haven with your real Christmas tree

Dobbies’ Edinburgh store highlights how to repurpose your real cut Christmas tree

Whether you’ve got a Nordmann Fir standing pride of place, or a Fraser Fir is your tree of choice, Dobbies’ Edinburgh store is encouraging you to repurpose your Christmas centrepiece once the festivities are over.

Dobbies’ Horticultural Director, Marcus Eyles has outlined how people can recycle their cut Christmas trees to create a wildlife haven for small animals and insects to shelter in during the winter months.

Follow Marcus’s step-by-step guide:

1.       Remove the tree from your house carefully to stop any loose needles from dropping. Wear thick gloves to protect your hands. 

2.       Using a good quality pair of secateurs, starting from the top remove each branch as close as possible to the main trunk. 

3.       Stack the branches together four or five pieces high and place onto soil or leaves under large shrubs, trees or hedges.

4.       Repeat this process until all the branches are used. This will provide a great shelter for small animals and insects to protect them from the worst of the winter weather. Marcus points out that the needles and branches will breakdown over time to produce organic matter than will enrich the soil.

5.       For the main trunk of the tree use a pruning saw to cut into 30cm lengths, which can then be stacked to make a mini log pile which is a great habitat for wildlife to shelter in.

To watch the video, visit www.dobbies.com/ideas-advice

or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtqfMS5fmF8.