How to rent a Christmas tree because trees are for life, not just for Christmas.
Why buy when you can rent? For a greener Christmas, more and more people are turning to Christmas tree rental services for an eco-friendly twist on the traditional tree. Here’s our guide on how to go about it and how to look after your new festive friend.
Who doesn’t love that scent of pine that trails into the house with the Christmas tree each year with its promise of tantalisingly wrapped presents, festive banquets, squealing children and Santa? For those who’ve eschewed plastic Christmas trees on the basis that they don’t feel very Christmassey, the Carbon Trust has good news: real Christmas trees have a smaller carbon footprint than plastic ones.
So go out and bag yourself a real, live tree.
A real live tree? Yup, you read that correctly: renting Christmas trees is now a thing. Not only does it ensure that that evocative scent of pine lasts throughout the Christmas season, but renting a tree also makes a dent in the approximately 7 million Christmas trees that end up in landfill each year.
Between Christmases, rented trees can be replanted and cared for by the supplier, ready for you to use again next year. In fact, as you can have the same tree year after year, you can even name your tree… Noel, for instance? And with the average tree growing a foot per year, your tree will literally grow with your family.
Renting a pot-grown Christmas tree is also good for the planet too. Your tree can continue to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in between Christmases as well as provide a habitat for wildlife in between the festivities. Best of all, you get to enjoy a healthy, real Christmas tree, with none of the faff of what to do with it in the new year!
Rental Christmas Trees have lovely potted trees for rent in Berkshire
Where can you rent your tree?
If you’re keen to rent your Christmas tree this year, the best thing to do is locate your nearest Christmas tree rental service. We recommend renting a Christmas tree from a grower local to you to keep it’s carbon footprint as small as possible.
We've popped a list of suppliers below to help.
London Christmas Tree rental – London
Cotswold Fir – Gloucestershire
Eco-Elf – New Forest
Love A Christmas Tree – Kirkby Mallory, Leicestershire
Rental Christmas Tree – Stroud
Festive Tree Hire – Reading, Berkshire and Surrey
Greenies Trees – Nantwich, Cheshire
Winstone Ice-cream – Stroud, Gloucester, Cheltenham, Nailsworth, Woodchester, Tetbury and Cirencester
How much will it cost me?
Renting a tree can also save you money as renting is often cheaper than buying. At the Green Salon office, we’ve rented our tree this year and paid £60 for a 125-150cm Blue Spruce which is significantly less than the similar size cut Christmas trees at the end of our street each winter. However, the saving really only stacks up if you’re able to collect and return the tree yourself. Otherwise, you’ll pay £20 to £30 to bring it to your home and take it away again in January.
How do I take care of my rented Christmas tree?
Renting a tree does take a bit more care than buying a pre-chopped tree. After all your tree is for life not just for Christmas. The British Christmas Tree Growers Association recommends watering it a litre a day. Try to keep it in a spot that is neither very hot or very cold and as far away from a hot radiator as possible.
Choose a tree that you know will fit, as pruning the tree will be a shock too far for it when it’s out of the ground and growers advise only having the tree indoors for a maximum of three and a half weeks so think through your delivery and collection dates.
If you do rent your tree this year, we’d love to see it! So upload a photo of your new tree in its decorated finery and what name you’ve given it and tag us @greensalonconsultancy here. And we’ll pick our favourite and give you a shout out!
Inspired to start living a greener lifestyle? How our directory works is here to help!
NOTES:
According to the British Carbon Trust, if you chop up or burn your Christmas tree its carbon footprint is 3.5kg, if it ends up in the dump its 16kg but an artificial tree can emit as much a 40kg of CO2 so you’d need to use it for between 7 - 20 years to sop up its emissions.
We analyse each brand for their commitment to sustainability but we are not a certification body, nor are we auditors, and we have taken the approach that we trust brands to tell the truth about their sustainability policies, practices and plans.
Affiliate disclaimer: ❀ indicates affiliate links with brands to help fund the Directory so that we can research further sustainable brands. This does not affect the price you pay.