The life of a Patch Christmas tree

Everyone has different Christmas traditions, but whether you open your presents before or after lunch, head to the pub or curl up on the sofa, there’s one thing we can all agree on: a tree is a must. Each year, we offer a range of pot-grown trees, a great sustainable alternative to your traditional kerbside fir. Our Nora, Norman and Bruce trees are grown in the UK by our lovely grower Sadie and arrive in nursery pots with their roots intact, which means that, with the right love and care, your Christmas tree can last for many years to come. As we gear up for the festive season, we grabbed five minutes with Sadie to find out more about the life of our pot-grown trees.

Sadie’s family has been selling Christmas trees since 1984, when her dad, then a greengrocer, took a punt on a batch of trees from Belgium. Since then the business has expanded and, with Sadie at the helm, now specialises in UK-grown trees, with farms across the country. “We sell approximately 100,000 trees a year,” says Sadie, who spends her entire year thinking about Christmas. It's a long game – though they might arrive ready for baubles, real Christmas trees take years to grow. By the time they get to your door, they’ve already lived quite the life. “We plant seedlings when they’re four-years-old, usually in the autumn,” Sadie explains. “For 6-7ft Nordmanns, we expect to nurture them on our ground for 8-10 years before we harvest them.” 

The business of Christmas trees doesn’t stop in January – throughout the year they’re being pruned, fertilised and cared for to ensure each tree looks its best. In their final year of growing, Sadie will select which farms to harvest during the summer, and will return at the end of the season to choose her trees ahead of Christmas, picking the best based on colour, needles and height. 

Being homegrown, this year-round business provides a boost to the local community, one of the many reasons Sadie is an advocate for buying British. “British trees help to support our economy, creating jobs all year round,” she explains. “There are also lots of environmental benefits – less miles travelled means less carbon emissions.” They also bring benefits while they're growing, including providing habitats for wildlife, absorbing carbon and emitting oxygen. 

Though Sadie grows all sorts of trees, including those that are cut at the base, the trees she grows for Patch are kept in their nursery pots, with their roots intact. During the festive season, your potted tree becomes a temporary houseplant and, as it’s a living, breathing thing, will stay looking fresh throughout Christmas with the right love and care. Once the festive season is over, you can pop it outside, and bring it back in again the following December. “Pot-grown trees can be reused if looked after well, and you can help it grow by planting or repotting it for another season,” Sadie says of the benefits. “To keep your tree looking its best throughout Christmas, try not to bring it into the house too early, and keep it away from any heat sources such as radiators, open fires or underfloor heating. And don’t forget to water it!” 

Read our guide to caring for pot-grown trees for more tips, or get set for the festive season with our Christmas heroes Nora and Norman.