All trees are good...right? When it comes to Christmas trees, how true that is needs exploring. With choices ranging from pot-grown, rooted, cut or organic, in order to grow this seasonal pleasure we need to ensure other habitats and plants aren’t being destroyed. And then there’s this year’s new trend: rented. Renting might be the next eco trend in fashion, but it’s also the new buzzword in Christmas trees. Rent-a-tree Gloucestershire company Rental Christmas Trees estimates an average of eight million cut Christmas trees are consumed in the UK every year. In contrast, theirs are pot grown and can then be ordered online for local delivery. Several Christmas tree growers are offering rentals this year – including in Leicestershire or Yorkshire. Renters just need to water their tree daily, enjoy it over the festive season then Christmas, then return it. Always remember that extra lovely tree you had a few years back? With this service you can even give your tree a name and have the exact same one back the following year – just slightly taller. Sourced well, your tree can be an incredibly positive purchase, offering new ways of creating income for family farms. Go organic Almost as rare as a white Christmas, the UK’s only certified organic Christmas trees are grown by Simon Paddon, a third-generation farmer at Peach Hayne Farm. “Being small we have looked at opportunities to diversify in order to maintain a viable farming business, and in 2013 decided to grow organic Christmas trees,” he explains. Their organic herd of beef cattle need to graze on lush pasture, so trees were planted in the less productive fields. Seven years later in 2020, after a lot of learning, they sold their first few trees online, delivering direct to customers doors. Organic trees do cost more to grow, with no pesticides or artificial fertilisers they need a lot more manual labour than larger non-organic enterprises. This may mean a pricier tree, but the plus side is more rural jobs and better biodiversity.