Nothing says home and family like a real Christmas tree. Chorlton Nursery’s been selling them to the people of Chorlton for over 25 years.
“You can’t beat a real tree and we LOVE the day ours arrive from Scotland,” says Nimira Ahmed, from the Nursery. “This year it will be 28th November and we can’t wait! We’ve ordered three types of fir and a spruce, both cut and pot-grown trees that you can plant out. Fir trees are great: they’ll all give you that lovely Christmas tree smell. They have very low needle drop, as long as you keep the log wet, or stand the tree in a decent reservoir of water. It takes 7-10 years to grow a 6-7-foot tree.”
Here are Nimira’s trees for Christmas 2025
Nordmann Fir (Abies normanniana). This handsome tree has strong branches, with long, soft mid-green needles. It has a nice, symmetrical shape, but it tends to be quite wide, so give it plenty of space: for a six-foot tree, allow five feet of space.
Fraser Fir (Abies fraseri). If you don’t have a lot of space, this tree is more compact. Its branches bend slightly upwards and its needles are a soft, flat blue-green. It has a lovely citrus-pine fragrance.
Noble Fir (Abies nobilis). Very symmetrical, with nice, stiff horizontal branches, making it good for heavy ornaments. It has lovely soft, flat blue-green foliage.
The Norway Spruce (Picea abies) is the classic, traditional Christmas tree, the one used in Trafalgar Square. Its prickly needles are mid- to dark green, but its good strong branches make it great to decorate. “This tree has its own unique scent. Keep it happy by not allowing it to dry out: put it in a stand with a large reservoir. A Norway Spruce can drink up to a gallon of water a day!
Maintaining a tip-top tree
Whichever tree you choose, there are few basic rules to keep it looking its best. “Think carefully about where you’re going to put your tree,” says Nimira. “If it’s too close to a heat source, it will soon drop its needles in protest.
“If you’ve bought a cut tree, saw an inch off the trunk. This will really help it to take up water. Trees are happiest in a stand with a reservoir. Check the water level every day and keep it topped up (turn the lights off first, of course!). Look after your tree and it will last up to four weeks.
“Pot-grown trees need a little more care. Wait until as close to Christmas as possible before you bring it indoors. Try to do it gradually, allowing it to acclimatise and keep it in a cool room. This will reduce stress for the living tree, which, if well cared for, will serve you for years to come.”
And after Christmas
Check your local council website for when you can put your tree out for recycling with your green bin.
Living trees can be planted out, but bear in mind how large they might grow. If you’re keeping it in its pot, keep it well watered and repot it every year.
Find Chorlton Nursery at 18A Vicars Road. They’re open for trees from late November, Wednesday to Sunday, 10am-4pm. They’ll be open until 20 December (or until they run out of trees – and they always do!)