christmas tree

10 years ago I bought a little christmas tree in a pot for £6 ,its the best christmas tree but I ever had.I feed it and water all through the year and have just transplanted it to another pot for this year.I also rescued another from outside house that had dumped the tree in hopes the ash bin  men would take it ,a great pity so many people do this to perfectly healthy tree.I took it home after my shift and nursed it back to being loved and also use that tree at Christmas too.Its a crime to chop down so many trees just for a few weeks or throw out rooted trees.I know some are recycled through for example the zoo for what ever,but I cant help thinking what a shame ,what  waste,and yet as well as re-using your saving a fortune.so my two trees will be going on display soon......merry Christmas.

Brilliant flowering rose! I don't have trees at Christmas as I really don't think a tree should be axed just for 3 weeks of interior decorating. I don't have the patience to keep a tree from year to year. So just make do with baubles on a synthetic conifer swag on the mantelpiece. I bring in the prunings from the Rosemary and the Juniper horizontalis (?) for the scent.

On the other hand.............

There is a big business in growing christmas tree-now as gardeners we see it as a shame-but it is a bit like animal lovers knocking turkey farmers for growing a bird just to be killed. 

These trees are grown just for that- to be felled and sold in December.

It is just a question of demand.

This is my Christmas tree, growing in a pot. This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago...

We have recently freecycled our living potted xmas tree after having enjoyed it for 6 years. It really needed growing on in the ground which was something we personally did not want to do. It went to a good home and now we have a new one which we will keep, potting on each year as required, until it too I hope will find a grateful new  home elsewhere when we are no longer able to accommodate it.

When are those Xmas smileys going to be available?

I was thinking of getting a real tree this year and on impulse bought a potted one from Lidl at the weekend for £7.99, it's coffee table size (a little over 2ft) not sure it will stand the cold weather outside at present but was thinking of putting it out after Christmas. If it lasts 10yrs Flowering rose it will be money well spent

James there is a thread in Nature Garden forum about hedgehogs and hibernation if not there is loads of information available via google, hope this helps

I bought my first real christmas tree this year and its lovely, I potted it up for this year and planned to put it in the garden next year.  I too think it is such a waste, we see many here dumped after xmas but a lot of people tend to buy the ones with no roots so they just get trimmed for a few weeks and then discarded

In the last 4 years we have purhased a christmas tree ,all about 4 to 6 feet ,last year in Cornwall we paid £24 a very nice tree ,this year in Tenby Wales the same tree is £39.99 a complete ripp off if ever i saw one ,so this year we are not playing there game and Kates says she,s going to decorate with holly and branches and things,very soon  now we aim to do our very last move and settle down for good and get a tree with roots, she always wanted one but didnt have a garden so next year  the real macoy it,ll be a tree well spoilt believe me

cheers everybody  Alan

Alan 4711 I love the idea of someone 'spoiling' a tree; will you be out there tempting it with a little plant food?

After we moved into this house in 1990 I thought I would only buy Christmas trees with roots, so for the next 5 years I bought a tree each year and planted it in the garden. I live in the country and have over an acre of garden. After that the Garden Centre changed supplier and the trees always died. The 5 trees are now enourmous and blocking the light from other shrubs and trees. I've had to cut off the bottom branches from 3 of them as they were blocking the way to the rest of the garden. If I had a small garden it would be a disaster. I've been told that if ever I need to remove them I would have to get a professional tree surgeon.

thats why I left mine in a pot .

In this house there was a 40ft tall pine tree - obviously an ex christmas tree. i have a picture of the tree surgeon sttached by ropes cutting it down. The roots spread over a very large area of garden and the stunp is now a mushroom seat

I had problem leylandi some years ago in my old house they grew taller than the house and took much of the garden as they were on both sides orginally as hedge,we moved and the next owners had them taken down at a cost.

TCB I also inherited a Christmas tree the size of the house. Couldn't get the root out and it took several years before the stump finally toppled over.  

We bought 2 very small potted christmas trees after christmas 3 years ago.  One didnt survive but the one that did is doing really well.  For the past 2 years we have brought it indoors as an extra christmas tree for our dining room, each year slightly bigger than the last.  Hopefully one year it will take the place of the large one we buy for our lounge.

Where we used to live - Cannock Chase - there is a Santa. The present for seeing Santa was a very small pine tree. The children thought it was lovely and was carefully planted in the front garden so that when it grew it would be easy to put lights on. The grass grew very long that year and OH did the first mow of spring forgot about the tree and ..... well.....you can guess the rest

Sorry for sounding niave, but who is this 'OH' person that many people mention? Does it mean Old Husband?

OH=-Other Half-

husband,wife partner etc...................

MIL-mother-in- law

SIL, BIL---similar

Dear elf, many thanks.