‘Buy local’ to avoid missing out on festive centrepieces
IMPORTED TREES COULD BE SCARCE
FEARS about turkey and toy shortages at Christmas have hit the headlines recently and now it has been reported that the traditional centrepiece to the December festivities, the Christmas tree, could be in limited supply as well.
People have been urged to order their fresh tree early this year or risk having nowhere to hang their baubles.
Chris Bonnett, the founder of Gardeningexpress.co.uk, said he is expecting to see demand soar this festive season, after last year’s muted celebrations, but says a shortage of lorry drivers and potential Covid restrictions could play havoc with Christmas preparations.
With fewer than 100 days until Christmas, Mr Bonnett is already seeing a jump in the number of customers searching for Christmas trees on his site, despite the Christmas range not yet being fully live.
“The past few years have played havoc with the Christmas tree market,” he said. “Mild winters in Scandinavian countries have made it more complicated to fell trees.
“Add in the Covid restrictions in place last year and the current shortage of lorry drivers and you can see why we’re concerned that there could be a shortage of trees.
However, an award-winning Christmas tree grower from East Yorkshire has assured people there will be plenty of Christmas trees available if people shop for a home-grown fir.
Neil Wright, of Newsholme Christmas Trees, near Goole, said: “There is not going to be a shortage of trees this year, according to the British Christmas Tree Growers Association (BCTGA).
“Our trees have been growing really well this year – the conditions have been ideal – so we should have some really nice specimens for people to buy.
“We will have a couple of thousand available to buy, up to 20ft tall ones. We have Nordmann and Fraser fir varieties, and a handful of the traditional Norway spruce that are better for nearer Christmas.”
The Wrights have run their Christmas tree growing operation for many years at Warp Farm, Newsholme, near Goole, and last year scooped the award for best runner-up in the Norway spruce section of the BCTGA contest to find Britain’s best Christmas tree.
The farm is holding its annual open weekend on November 20 and 21, when families can enjoy choosing their trees straight from the field. These will then be tagged and freshly-cut ready for collection on a given date up to Christmas.
Mr Wright said: “Getting supplies of some our items has been a bit of a problem – with our tree stands, we like a particular style and brand and we have not been able to get those, but we’ve gone for something different.”
In a tweet earlier this week, the BCTGA said: “Keep calm and support a local Christmas tree grower. Our members’ trees are looking amazing and there are plenty to choose from. Please don’t panic buy, buy your real tree as normal from your local business.”