CHRISTMAS may be gone, but for an increasing number of people the memory lingers on — in a living tree.

Last year, more than any other, potted trees were for sale all over the place, priced at as little as a tenner.

They are, of course, more sustainable than a cut tree and much more so than artificial, which have a big carbon footprint not only in manufacture but from their journey probably from the other side of the globe.

There is a lot to be said for cut trees, which would not have been planted at all if not for the festive season and would not have sucked out carbon at all.

There’s even more to be said for a potted one which can be brought indoors and cared for outside for the other 11 months of the year.

Ours may have been on the diminutive side but in a couple of years it should be much more impressive and making sure it flourishes is really easy.

If your potted tree has been fooled by warm living room temperatures into sprouting in what it believes to be spring it’s probably a good idea to shelter it from extreme weather in a greenhouse or cool conservatory to reduce shock and potential damage to new growth.

Christmas trees planted in pots will be limited in stature by the constraints of the pot, so pot it on each spring using soil-based John Innes No 2 and give a gentle prune to keep the shape.

If you want to plant the tree out in the garden be aware that it will get very big.

Fraser firs, which reach about seven metres after 20 years, attain an eventual height of about 20 metres — and you can see the results of Christmases past in gardens around the Island.

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