CHRISTMAS DECK THE DOORS
NEWS COMPILED BY MOLLY BLAIR
DIG IN
If you’re looking to create a grand entrance this Christmas, you have just enough time to order a beautifully crafted wreath from Lucy Vail Floristry. Prices start at £200 for the Luxury Green & Wild wreath (above), which combines soft, silver-green wintery foliage with a mixture of fresh and dried pine, eucalyptus pods, brunei pods and dried herbs. Or you can make your own under Lucy’s expert tutelage, with her Luxury Create-Your-Own Christmas Wreath Kits (priced £150). These come with a selection of dried flowers and fruits and a step-by-step video to help you assemble the kit. If you live in central London, you can order until 5pm on 8 December, while orders for nationwide deliveries must be received by 10am on 4 December. lucyvailfloristry.com
Talking pointTO TREE OR NOT TO TREE?
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a tree, but what is the most sustainable option? Is it more environmentally friendly to buy a freshly cut tree, which according to the British Christmas Tree Growers Association, around seven million of us do each year? Or is it better to reuse an artificial tree? While most Christmas trees are grown as a crop on a Christmas tree farm rather than felled from existing forests, there are, as our commissioning content editor Veronica Peerless (above) discovered, many factors – such as transportation, fertiliser use and how you’re going to dispose of the tree – that you need consider when calculating the sustainability of a cut tree.
So, is an artificial tree any better? Well, most are made from plastic, metal and PVC, meaning fossil fuels need to be burned for their production. On top of which, they’re mostly manufactured in China then shipped to the UK, and as they’re made from mixed materials, they can rarely be recycled. The Carbon Trust estimates that an artificial tree would need to be used between seven and 20 times, depending on its weight and materials, for its environmental impact to be lower than that of a real cut tree, provided you dispose of it properly. “I was surprised at how hard it was to find a definitive answer on this,” said Veronica. “But having looked at all the options, I bring a small pot-grown tree indoors every year. I’ve managed to keep it alive for several years so far.”
To read more on the pros and cons of both, scan the QR code with your phone camera, or head to gardensillustrated. c
