8 Mistakes To Avoid When Buying And Caring For A Christmas Tree

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca) trees produce delicious fruit in summer and growing your own means the fruit can be enjoyed when they are sweet and meltingly ripe, unlike shop-bought fruit, which must be harvested early to be transported while firm. Apricot trees can be grown successfully outside in warmer parts of the UK, notably the south-east of England. Elsewhere, because the beautiful pink blossom is borne in early spring and is therefore liable to frost damage, only grow apricots in large pots and keep under cover for the colder months. When planted in the right conditions, an apricot tree should start producing fruit within two or three years and live for decades.

A Better Homes & Gardens Christmas craft is going viral on TikTok, but there’s something special about this viral DIY—the original how-to was written in 1969.

How to Grow and Care for Friendship Plants Pilea involucrata

Stock flower (Matthiola incana), also known as gilly flower or hoary stock, is a hardy biennial plant that brings splashes of colour and a sweet and spicy fragrance to a cottage or informal garden. With clusters of blooms forming a frilly spire of petals and soft narrow green-grey leaves, it also makes a long-lasting cut flower. The species is native to southern Europe and has purple flowers, but many single- and double-flowered cultivars have been developed in a range of colours, from white and yellow through every shade of pink, to red and purple. Stocks attract pollinating insects to the garden.

How to Grow and Care for Philodendron ‘Brasil’ Philodendron hederaceum ‘Brasil’

When the celebrations are over and decorations have been packed away, it’s time to think about how to reuse your cut Christmas tree, instead of sending it to landfill. From shredding it to make mulch to using it as a frame for climbing plants, there are many ways to put the wood and needles to good use.

There’s a Christmas tree hack working its way through TikTok and promising to make your tree grow healthier and happier but, as is the case with many rumors online, there's not much truth to it.

Licuala Grandis – a plant that stands out with its large, fan-shaped leaves, that can make it a focal point of any room! A spectacular specimen for anyone seeking a “foresty vibe” at home.

A fishbone cactus is easy to care for, durable, and fast-growing which makes it ideal for beginners.

Every year, new trends and tricks pop up for holiday decorating. And this year, one holiday question that is perplexing us is: should you be washing your artificial Christmas tree?

Rhipsalis is a low-maintenance, hanging house plant that’s perfect for beginners. Although it has no prickles, it’s a cactus and known as the mistletoe cactus. This may be because the tiny, white flowers that appear along its stems through winter into spring are followed by small, white or pale-pink berries or because its spineless foliage looks a little like mistletoe.

White Christmas Cactus, £11.99 from Hortology