Keeping Your Christmas Tree

Once the tinsel has been taken off, and the baubles boxed, it’s time to put your tree out in the garden for the year. Whether you intend to bring it in again next year, or let it grow free, we have some top tips for keeping your tree in tip top condition…

• Christmas trees are relatively low-maintenance trees requiring little attention throughout the year, however, after a few weeks living inside, your tree will require a good watering so whatever you intend to do with the tree, make sure you give it a good soak before anything else.

• If you intend to bring your tree in again next year then it is best to keep it in a pot. You can replant your tree in a larger pot giving it room to grow if you are looking for a bigger tree next year. To keep your tree looking good, we’d recommend using a soil-based media such as John Innes No. 2.

• If you don’t intend to bring your tree in again next year, you can plant it in the ground and watch it grow. Remember that Christmas trees are part of the conifer family so have the potential to grow quite large! Keep your tree in a traditional conical shape by removing any side shoots which are growing in the wrong direction. Remove dead or dying shoots as they emerge.

Ready to Recycle your Tree?

We hope you had a lovely Christmas and enjoyed your Coolings tree!

With the New Year underway, it’s time to take down your tree but what do you do with it? We invite you to bring it back to us at Coolings before the end of January where we will recycle it to make sure that it has minimal impact on the environment. You might be interested to learn that some of our trees get donated to The Big Cat Sanctuary in Smarden where the big cats love them, the rest are chipped and recycled.

To return your tree, visit Coolings The Gardener’s Garden Centre (Knockholt), Coolings Potted Garden (Maidstone) or Coolings Wych Cross (Forest Row) and leave your tree at the recycling point in the car park any time before the end of January. Please ask a member of staff if you require any assistance.

While you’re here, why not pop in and look at our fantastic array of houseplants? Treat yourself to a larger plant to fill the space left by your tree, or if space is limited opt for something smaller, either way, houseplants make a great addition to any room.

Happy New Year, we look forward to seeing you soon.