It’s never too early to plan for next christmas, so here is my insightful and environmentally friendly recommendation for next year’s christmas tree.
Araucaria heterophylla. Photo: WikiCommons
Without calculating the detailed carbon footprint of that temporarily living piney off-cut standing beglittered in your lounge, or the plastic alternative you picked up for £20 at Woolies’ terminal sale, it’s probably safe to say both are more environmentally harmful, more expensive, and probably less attractive than the alternative – a living christmas tree.
From my experience this christmas, I can happily recommend the arboreal company of a Norfolk Island Pine, a handsome 7ft tall in its pot, and supporting all the lights and trimmings you could want. Cometh twelfth night, this tree can, unlike its temporary cousins, be returned to the garden until next year. Or, if you don’t enjoy the favourable climate of Southern California, just keep it indoors like a regular potted plant. Either way – low maintenance, low hassle.
Starting next year, make one part of your family.
Since the mid 1980s, I've worked in university and industrial research, as a manager and editor in technology and environment for an international NGO, and held senior business development, strategy, and procurement posts in industry. I hold a PhD in chemical engineering from Birmingham University, an MBA from Warwick University Business School, and an MSc in Science Communication from Imperial College. In 2008, I left industry to focus full-time on my passion for science and technology, and to share that enthusiasm with others as a freelance science communicator. I live in London with my American wife Erin.
Thankyou to the regular reader who privately pointed out the Genus should be capitalised and the Species not. All sorted now!
We love our A. heterophylla. It has been growing in a 3 gallon pot for several yearsand is now about 7 feet tall. We live in a moderate climate and leave it outside for most of the year and bring it in for Christmas. We decorate with small lights and small baubles because the branches can be easily weighted down otherwise. But, it is gorgeous and we will get another if this one outgrows the house. Happy Holidays!!!