That’s because this year is the first time a pine tree has been chosen to grace the steps of the prime minister’s official residence No 10 Downing Street.
Oxfordshire tree grower Andrew Ingram won the British Christmas Tree Growers Association’s (BCTGA) annual competition to supply the tree for No 10. The win for the lodgepole pine, imported from Europe as a sapling and grown for six years on Mr Ingram’s tree farm, represents the second triumph for Mr Ingram, who won the competition in 2011.
BCTGA secretary Harry Brightwell told TTJ that normally a spruce or fir won the right to stand outside No 10 as they had the more classic Christmas tree shape and pines were usually more bushy.
However, he said a Nordmann fir grown by Guildford-based Santa Fir Christmas Trees had won the runner-up prize and would be used inside No 10.
Mr Brightwell reported that pine and other non traditional Christmas tree species represented only about 5-10% of British Christmas tree sales, with the non-drop needle Nordmann fir taking 70-80% of the market and the Norway spruce about 10-15%.
He said British-grown trees accounted for approximately 2.4 million of the annual six million sales of Christmas trees, with the remainder being imported from countries including Denmark, France, Germany and Nordic countries.
A large southern UK-based tree wholesaler had told him recently that tree prices had stayed at a similar level for the past three years, but Mr Brightwell said there were likely to be regional variations.
“With the state of the economy not being great for consumers, growers have been doing all they can to keep the costs down for the last few years,” said Mr Brightwell. Nordmanns measuring 6ft are retailing at an average of £45.
This year isolated reports of bad crops have surfaced. Several growers in Cambridgeshire reported that droughts at key growing times in recent years had resulted in trees not reaching their target height.
“There could be some localised problems. But last year quite a lot of rain fell and this year we’ve had good sunshine so trees should be in a good position.”
The official No 10 Christmas trees unveiling was due to be held last Friday, but the event was cancelled due to the death of Nelson Mandela.
