With just two weeks to go until Christmas, now is the peak time to buy a real Christmas tree, according to the Horticultural Trades Association (HTA), which says UK garden centres are leading the way in sales of real trees.
New research from the membership organisation, which represents over 1,400 garden retailers, growers, suppliers, manufacturers, landscapers, and garden designers across the UK, reveals that 4.9 million households bought a real Christmas tree last year, with more than half of households (52%) purchasing theirs at UK garden centres.
Garden centres have significantly grown their share of the real Christmas tree market over the last eight years. In 2016, an HTA survey found that approximately 4.2 million households had purchased a real Christmas tree for the 2016 festive season, with just 37% of households buying from a garden centre or retail nursery.
The HTA's Independent Christmas Tree Survey (2024) also reveals that the total spend on real Christmas trees topped £194 million. So, with Christmas tree buying in full swing, now is the time to head to the garden centre, spruce up the house and prepare for a tree-mendous Christmas.
The festive season is a vital trading period for garden centres across the UK, but it's not just real Christmas trees that sell well. 11% of total annual garden centre turnover in 2024 occurred in December, and HTA research shows that Christmas and gifting departments accounted for more than a third (35%) of those sales.
The other highest-selling categories at garden centres in December (by value; excl. VAT) were Catering (14%), food and farm shop (11%), and indoor living and homewares (10%).
© Dobbies/Stewart Attwood
Laura Loveridge, Market Research Manager at the HTA, said: "Nowhere does Christmas quite like garden centres, where festive departments have grown to become a bigger part of their offer over recent years to now account for over one quarter of turnover in December, keeping the customers visiting throughout colder winter months.
"Visiting the garden centre over the build-up to Christmas is a day out for the whole family, from choosing the tree, to picking new decorations and visiting the restaurant for a treat afterwards. Many garden centres now offer added magical experiences for families to enjoy, such as Santa's grotto, making a visit to your local garden centre an annual tradition for many to look forward to. Coupled with the expert advice available from staff in store, it's unsurprising that garden centres are the leading sales channel for real Christmas trees."
Nordmann firs are the most popular Christmas trees in the UK, known for their excellent needle retention, lush dark green colour, and strong, symmetrical branches. Norway spruces have a classic Christmas look with a rich fragrance and a tidy conical shape, though they need plenty of water to hold their needles. Fraser firs offer a strong scent and dark green needles with a silvery underside, along with good needle retention and upward-turning branches. Blue spruces stand out with their blue colouring and sturdy branches, but also need regular watering. Noble firs have a fresh fragrance, bluish-green needles, and short, stiff branches that hold well. Douglas firs carry the strongest scent of all and grow into a full, dense shape that feels traditionally festive.
Pippa Greenwood, Horticulture Manager at the HTA, says: "I'm a big fan of the classic old-style Christmas tree, the Norway Spruce, and the wonderful aroma from its needles. I find that, provided you don't bring the tree in too much in advance of the day, and as long as you keep the fresh-cut trunk in water and don't place the tree close to a direct heat source, it really performs well.
"That style of tree might not suit everyone, so if you want to guarantee no needle drop, I'd suggest choosing another variety of Christmas tree, such as the Nordmann fir, Fraser fir or Blue Spruce. Whatever you decide, I know you'll enjoy something really special".
For more information:
Horticultural Trades Association
[email protected]
www.hta.org.uk
