Christmas trees

Now you’ve bought your lovely Christmas tree, take a few simple steps to ensure that it stays in peak condition right through the Christmas period …

• Your Christmas tree should be treated the same as cut flowers – saw the last few centimetres off the bottom of the tree and stand the tree in a bucket of water outside for at least a couple of hours – ideally overnight or longer (even for days or weeks)

• If viable, before bringing the tree into the house, take the netting off it, and then lift the tree and bang it down hard on its base a few times. This will allow any loose needles to drop off outside, rather than on your floors!

• Once you have the tree inside, put it in its base or stand and secure it in place. It’s worth investing in a stand that holds water.

• Position the tree away from any direct source of heat. Heat will destroy the tree quickly, so if it must be positioned near a radiator, turn that radiator off or right down.

• Leave the tree to stand for a couple of hours before you start to decorate it. This allows the branches to drop down into their natural position, before you add any weight to them.

• Top up the base or stand with water regularly… it needs water to keep fresh and healthy.