Advice to keep your tree in tip-top shape

The traditional Christmas tree remains a magical part of the Yuletide celebration.

- BY TOM PATTINSON

Several aspects of the feast have changed over time, the variety of presents for example, but one thing that still brings back memories of a prickly nature is the good old Norway spruce (Picea abies).

Walk barefoot into the room on that special morning, to see what goodies lie under the tree, and some of the estimated 20,000 needles a two-metre specimen carries, may be lying in wait!

This is not to decry the tree that remains so popular and, with the correct treatment will see you safely through to Twelfth Night, as we rediscovered three years ago.