A Chilly Chat With Gilchrest & Green

Given the time of year we thought we’d widen our criteria for our Guest Gardener this month and bring a bit of festive cheer to this article. Gilchrist and Green sell their Christmas Trees just outside of Haddington, but grow them in West Linton in the Scottish Borders. We caught up with them to find out a bit more about the business, but also some useful tips for keeping your Christmas Trees looking good that little bit longer over Christmas.

Tell us about Gilchrist and Green and what makes you special?

Gilchrist and Green is a family business run by Davie, Jane, Rae and Shauni Gilchrist from our family livestock farm near West Linton in the Scottish Borders. We started growing and selling Christmas trees 40 years ago when Davie was in agricultural college and went into partnership with his then tutor, Peter Green. We’ve selling Christmas trees in Haddington since then and in recent years we’ve been selling an increasing number of trees directly from our farm in West Linton. We love being involved in such a variety of scale of trees from compact Christmas trees for cosy living rooms, to beautiful trees for churches, schools and bars, to huge trees for village greens, manor houses and wedding venues. It's exciting to hear the story of where every single tree will be and who will be enjoying it.

What is the process of growing a Christmas Tree for say a 5ft tree?

A Christmas tree takes around two years to establish then grows around one foot in height per year, so a 5ft Christmas tree takes around seven years to grow! The trees have multiple purposes; not only are they are a beautiful addition to your home during the festive season but whilst they are growing on the farm they act as shelter belts for our livestock and wildlife on the hillsides.

Can you tell us what Christmas trees you grow and why you’ve decided to grow this/these types?

We grow Nordmann Firs which are a popular Christmas Tree because they hold their needles for a long time - well past Christmas! - and have the perfect shape for decorating, with well spaced branches. They have the lovely Christmas tree smell and cope well indoors.

Have you noticed any trends in Christmas trees eg a move to potted ones or people wanting to plant another tree in its place?

There has been growing interest in potted trees recently and while we haven’t grown any in pots yet, it's something we might consider in the future. A major trends that we have seen is people wanting to put their Christmas trees up earlier and earlier. The first week of December used to be very quiet 10+ years ago, however it is now our busiest time! Our Nordmann Firs don’t drop their needles nearly as quickly as traditional species such as the Norway Spruce so they are well suited to a month or more indoors and it's lovely to know that they are bringing people festive joy.

Any tips for looking after your Christmas tree at home to make it last as long as possible?

Our trees have grown up outside in the Scottish weather but they adapt well to indoor life with a little care. When you arrive home with your tree we recommend sawing roughly 2cm off the bottom of the trunk (or we can do this for you) and standing the tree in a bucket of water in a cooler place for a day to allow it to acclimatise before taking it into a warm room. When locating your tree inside your house, you should find a cooler spot away from radiators, fires or stoves if possible. Ideally, you should use a tree stand that has a water reservoir so that you can keep it topped up with plenty of water throughout the festive season. You would be surprised how much they can drink (it is the festive season after all!).

Gilchrist and Green are located on the A6093 about a mile outside of Haddington.

December Guest Gardener