Norfolk-based Aztec Plants supply and maintain interior landscaping features for office and commercial environments. With Christmas approaching, they wanted to explain why locally grown trees are the wisest choice in this lighthearted blog post with a serious message.

Have Yourself a Very British Christmas (Tree)

The true origins of the Christmas tree are shrouded in history, with some commentators claiming that it was a surviving relic of pagan tree worship given respectability when Christendom came to Europe. As for how this tradition came to the British Isles is similarly unclear.

The popular account is that it was introduced by Prince Albert consort to Queen Victoria, who imported the Yuletide tradition from his native Germany. He undoubtedly encouraged and popularised the idea, but credit may have to go to another royal with Teutonic connections.

Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the story goes brought the idea to her marital home in 1761 when she married George III, having imbibed from birth a tradition started by the reformer Martin Luther some two-and-a-quarter centuries earlier (it makes for interesting speculation whether pine needles constantly scattered on royal carpets might have actually been the cause of the unfortunate King’s madness later in life).

The Christmas tree once again won international significance at the end of the Second World War, when in 1947 Norway presented an impressive specimen from its forests to the nation, as a token of gratitude for Britain’s support in fighting Nazi aggression and occupation. They have maintained this tradition every year since, which is jolly decent of them, as it must cost quite a few kroner to get it across here.

At Aztec Plants, we don’t import our trees from Scandinavia, for several reasons.

• A lot of Scandinavian trees actually come from Denmark, where a new strain of coronavirus has recently emerged that is carried by mink and can be transmitted to humans. As you probably know, mink also go by the name of pine marten from the trees which they inhabit. We haven’t been able to establish a link at time of going to press, but you can never be too sure…

but on a more serious note…

• We grow Nordman fir, not Norway spruce which has a bad reputation for needle drop. Keep Nordman fir properly watered, and you’ll enjoy a reasonably house-trained tree throughout the festive season.
• Our trees are locally grown in Norfolk, in smaller volumes that allow the growers to be a lot more careful on quality control, which is sometimes lacking in high volume growth and harvesting.
• Local sourcing reduces carbon footprint and energy consumption to keep the trees chilled during storage and transport
• We cut our trees in the last week of November and install them in the first week of December, so they are ‘farm fresh’
• Every purchase of a tree from Aztec Plants will be another much-needed boost for the local economy.

To reserve your Norfolk-grown, Best of British Christmas tree, call us on 01553 617060 or email us at inspired@aztec-plants.co.uk. We can supply them undecorated, or decked in a design of your choosing and even in your corporate colours.

With garlands, wreaths, swags and hanging decorations that complement your tree and extend the look to the rest of your reception and office areas, we can restore a bit of festive charm to the end of what, for many companies, has been a challenging year.