Reader's question: Charlotte in Ingleby Barwick wants to know what type of Christmas tree would be best to get. She definitely wants one that doesn’t shed its needles, but also wants one with a traditional feel about it.

THE UK’s bestselling Christmas tree is the Nordman fir. This is a cone-shaped tree with open, spiky branches and a silvery bark. It has long, glossy, dark green needles, that are soft to the touch and have a white stripe on the underside. The soft foliage and great needle retention have made this Britain’s most popular Christmas tree. It will stay fresh for a long time as long as it’s watered. All of which makes this one of the more expensive trees at £5 to £6 per foot.

Add to this the fact that an EU grant to plant the Nordman in Britain ran out several years ago and it means there are fewer and fewer Nordman forests around.

When you’re buying a tree, though, there are several other types that you are likely to encounter and should consider. The Norway spruce was traditionally the most popular tree. It has short, sharp needles, and is a lighter green than the Nordman. It is one of the cheapest trees (£3.50 to £4 per foot) but is prone to dropping its needles. You need to water it very regularly and religiously in order to prevent this.

The Fraser fir is dense and narrow with short, flat, dark green needles. It has strong branches and good needle retention makes it the Nordman’s only real rival (in price as well, at £5.50 to £6 per foot), with the benefit that its shape makes it a good choice if you only have a small space to fill. It also copes better with being planted in the garden than other tree types. However, it is not as widely available as the Norway spruce or Nordman fir.

The most traditional tree of all used to be the Scots pine. It is native to Britain. Its bushy shape can be appealing, but its long, twisted needles are tricky to decorate. A strong pine smell and good needle retention are other plus points. If you can find it, it usually retails at £4 to £5 per foot.

There is one more tree to consider and that is the blue spruce. It is an attractive but hard-to-find tree, as its foliage has an eye-catching blue tinge that can be difficult for growers to achieve. It retains its needles slightly better than the other spruces. Prices can vary.

At the end of the day the best solution that I can offer is to find a tree (any tree) that you like the look of and make sure that when you pop it up in your living room, you have it standing in a receptacle that takes water. Keep this filled throughout the festive season and you should minimise any needle loss.

Jobs this week

Pick up rose leaves that have suffered from black spot and burn them so that the spores don’t re-enter the soil.

If plants’ root balls have heaved themselves out of the ground due to frost then heel them gently back in.

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