West Berkshire Christmas tree farm featured on ITV's This Morning

Feature included pointers on choosing a great tree

The national spotlight was this week cast on the Yattendon Estates' famous Christmas tree farm, with an ITV crew dropping in to film a segment for This Morning.

Celebrity gardener David Domoney presented live from the farm on Monday, providing an overview of the Christmas tree industry.

He outlined the different types of plant and offered some vital pointers for viewers looking to purchase their own tree for the festive season.

Mr Domoney said: "Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the Christmas tree.

"In the UK, we buy over eight million fresh Christmas trees every year – and the good news is seven million of those are grown here in the UK.

"You've got to treat a lot of these trees – these cut trees – as if they are cut flowers, really, because the roots have been removed.

"The magic of choosing the tree is making sure they're regularly watered.

"If you're not sure which tree to go for, feel the weight.

"The heavier the tree, the more moisture.

"If it's a tree that's dried out, a lot of needles will fall out.

"If it's well-hydrated, they won't."

Noting that he was buying his own Christmas tree from Yattendon, Mr Domoney mused on the scale of the local operation.

Around 80,000 trees, he emphasised, were procured straight from the farm every year.

Most of them are sold on to garden centres and other specialist stores, although the Yattendon facility does have its own shop on-site.

Last weekend, the Government announced that any business selling Christmas trees can temporarily reopen.

This is in spite of lockdown restrictions on retail, which have created difficulties for the seasonal industry.

The ITV This Morning segment can be viewed online.

To learn more about the Christmas trees of Yattenon, visit the Estates' website.