Don’t bin your Christmas Tree!

Christmas tree branches provide invaluable plant supports in the garden.  Snip the branches as close to the trunk as possible and store them upright.  When the needles have dropped, you’re left with a range of different sized supports.

The large branches at the base make ideal pea sticks and will support the larger flowers at the back of the herbaceous border.  Place the sticks in the ground early in the season, before the plants need them.  The flowers will cover and  completely conceal the branches.

Use the small and medium-sized branches in a similar way.  The small ones can be used for tiny peas seedlings and will prevent birds from ripping them out of the ground.

The medium and large branches can also be used as ‘cloches’ for fleece and enviromesh and you can grow a couple of sweet peas up the tree’s trunk.

Don’t throw out all these free gifts – buy some more plants at the garden centre rather than cloches and plant supports.  Recycling can save you money as well as being good for the environment