Britain’s shrinking homes and the rise of renting has seen a surge in demand for miniature Christmas trees.
One of the country’s biggest sellers of fresh-cut trees has seen a 300per cent increase in sales of dwarf tree types such as the Picea Conica.
The tree is normally small, less than 3ft, which means there is no danger of it taking over the living room as happens with most Christmas trees.
Britain’s shrinking homes and the rise of renting has seen a surge in demand for miniature Christmas trees. The demand for smaller real and artificial trees has been picked up by Wyevale Garden Centres (above), which has some 148 outlets
The garden centre – one of the country’s biggest sellers of fresh-cut trees – has seen a 300% increase in sales of dwarf tree types such as the Picea Conica (above)
If it comes with a root ball and is planted in the garden, the slow-growing tree will eventually reach 10-12 feet after 25-30 years.
The demand for smaller real and artificial trees has been picked up by Wyevale Garden Centres, which has some 148 outlets.
Its real-Christmas-tree expert, David Mitchell, said: ‘With house sizes shrinking, the big trend over the past few years has been towards slimmer, smaller trees.’
The company has brought in an extra line of Swedish-style Nordman Fir, which is slimmer with fewer branches and comes in a range of heights. The variety also has the advantage of being unlikely to drop its needles.
Mr Mitchell said: ‘The trees’ unique, delicate frame is the result of tailored in-the-field pruning, creating larger gaps between branches and taking up less living space in breadth compared to other varieties.
‘Sales on the Swedish Nordman Fir variety were up 100per cent from 2015-16. Numbers are expected to double to an impressive 30,000 this year.
‘Our smaller varieties currently account for over 25per cent of total Christmas tree sales across the centres, with complementary miniature tree types such as the Picea Conica becoming an increasingly popular add-on purchase, currently up 300per cent on sales.’
The trend for smaller homes has also seen an increase in the sale of smaller furniture, including 4ft double beds, and quieter household appliances, such as washing machines. (File photo)
Many people will be putting up Christmas trees from this weekend, which carries the risk they will be all but dead by December 25.
Wyevale recommends buyers saw a few inches off the bottom of the trunk, shave of some bark, and stand the tree in a bucket of water overnight before bringing it inside.
To keep it looking green and strong, the stand should be regularly topped up with water as some trees can soak up two pints a day.
The trend for smaller homes has also seen an increase in the sale of smaller furniture, including 4ft double beds, and quieter household appliances, such as washing machines.
There is also evidence that the change, and a move to renting rather than buying, has brought a reduction in the number of households that have room for a pet.