We are hurtling towards the season to be jolly so here are some words about the plants associated with the festivities.

We’ll start with Christmas trees. On the whole, two types will be available as cut trees: spruce (Picea abies) and fir (Abies nordmanniana). They look completely different. The spruce is the old-fashioned Christmas tree, usually more densely packed with branches but with shorter needles. These are the ones that have that ‘pine forest’ smell to them. They are always cheaper than anything else you may be offered. They also have a tendency to drop their needles in the hot, dry air of modern centrally-heated homes.

They don’t make good garden trees, should you buy a pot-grown one and decide to plant it out. They take off like a rocket and although they look fine for a couple of years, they will develop a rather gaunt look on maturity. They also need a lot of space.

The alternative cut tree will be the Nordmann fir. Often the branches are spaced far apart so there is a lot of bare trunk between. They can grow very wide at the bottom even when not that tall (but can’t we all!). The needles are thicker and larger, more spaced out than on the spruce and they have no pine pong. However, they don’t drop nearly as readily as the spruce and therein lies the attraction.

Whichever you choose, you will need to cut about three inches off the bottom and stand it in a bucket of water outside for as long as you can. Once you bring it into the house, use one of those holders that you can keep topped up with water. Try to put it in a cool place, not by the fire or the radiator, if you want to keep it going.

Potted trees will also be available. They have been field-grown and lifted, then put into a pot with some compost. This is all about convenience and as long as the compost does not dry out completely, they will do away with the need to have some sort of water-holder. However, being field-grown, then mechanically lifted and potted by their thousands, means that the roots will have inevitably been damaged so there is absolutely no guarantee that they will grow at all should you decide to plant them in the New Year.

On the other hand, they will last for years providing that you pot them on, feed and water them. They are always expensive – a tiddler will cost about £25-£35. The other thing about these is that you can sometimes get more choice – maybe going for a blue spruce such as Picea pungens ‘Hoopsii’.

You decide. The most important thing to remember is that heat and dry air inside the house will damage the trees – some more quickly than others. I hold to the idea that a Christmas tree is exactly that – a tree for Christmas – and I don’t expect it to last longer than about ten days.