Scotland is famous for its New Year (Hogmanay) celebrations, which fall happily on the Seventh Day of Christmas, so it seems doubly auspicious to have a Christmas tree that is named after a Scot. John Fraser was a seventeenth-century botanist who gave his name to a this splendid tree (Abies Fraseri), which he found on his travels in the Appalachian Mountains of North America. Over the years the Fraser Fir has been justly popular as a Christmas tree and frequently appears, suitably festooned, in the Blue Room at the White House.

To fulfil customer expectations Burford Garden Company carefully selects its Christmas trees from a high quality, sustainable British crop. In common with all grown purchases, there will be minor variations from tree to tree. Your tree may look slightly different from the image, but its quality should not be in question. Equally, the measurement cannot be precise. Trees are measured from the base of the trunk to the point at which the highest layer of branches if closed.

Your Christmas tree will last longer if in a room below 18ºC; avoid positioning near a radiator or other source of heat. As soon as your tree arrives, remove the netting, shake it out and saw 2cm from the bottom and place in a bucket of water. The water taken up during this period will hydrate the tree properly. Once positioned, ensure that the water reservoir in the stand is topped up daily with cold water.