Fed up with throwing away your dead Christmas tree? Now you can RENT one from entrepreneur who'll collect it in January and replant it ready for next year

  • Rent A Tree is the brainchild of Peter Inch and his wife Jo Hunt
  • The couple grew 3,000 fraser fir trees on their Dorchester farm
  • Aim is to reduce the number of trees discarded and use of plastic trees, which are harmful to the environment
  • Mr Inch delivers the trees in November picking them up in January
  • They are then re-planted and revived ready for the following Christmas

By LIZZIE PARRY

Published: | Updated:


If you're tired of having to dispose of your dead Christmas tree year after year, one entrepreneur might have the answer.

Peter Inch is offering people the chance to rent a tree for the festive season before re-planting the fir at his Dorchester farm.

The businessman has grown 3,000 trees, since setting up his business Rent A Tree five years ago.

Rent A Tree is the brainchild of Peter Inch, left, and his wife Jo Hunt, right. The couple have grown 3,000 fraser fir trees at their Dorchester farm

Rent A Tree is the brainchild of Peter Inch, left, and his wife Jo Hunt, right. The couple have grown 3,000 fraser fir trees at their Dorchester farm

The trees are carefully pruned and tended to by Mrs Hunt and her husband before they are delivered to households across the country at the end of November

The trees are carefully pruned and tended to by Mrs Hunt and her husband before they are delivered to households across the country at the end of November

Businesses and families across the country can then rent one, with Mr Inch delivering the trees at the end of November.

Once he has picked up the trees in the first week of January, they are planted back in the ground in tubs and linked up to a watering system that revives them.

The trees are fed a litre of water each day and are carefully pruned by the 52-year-old and his wife Jo Hunt, 42, ready for Christmas the following year.

The aim is to reduce the number of people throwing trees away and cut down on the use of plastic replicas that are harmful to the environment.

After testing a range of varieties the couple decided to grow Fraser Fir trees, because they don't drop their needles, have a better shape and are hardier than other breeds.

Most Christmas trees have roots that grow around three feet into the ground - but Peter's trees have shallow roots so they can be grown in pots.

The trees grow between 6ft and 7ft and cost £99 to rent.

Mr Inch, pictured with two of the Christmas trees, rents each tree for a set fee of £99. As the festive season draws to an end, he picks up each of the trees, returning them to the farm to be re-planted

Mr Inch, pictured with two of the Christmas trees, rents each tree for a set fee of £99. As the festive season draws to an end, he picks up each of the trees, returning them to the farm to be re-planted

The Evans family receive their Christmas tree from Mr Inch's business Rent A Tree
Gemma Wall decorating the tree rented by Humphries Kirk solicitors in Dorchester

The trees are popular with families, including the Evans family, left, and businesses. Right, Gemma Wall decorates the tree rented by Humphries Kirk solicitors in Dorchester

Mr Inch said: 'The idea came from us seeing discarded Christmas trees, we saw people just leaving them in car parks after the festive period.

'We thought it was such a waste so we looked at ways that they could be reused time and time again.

'We tried different types of trees but in the end we settled on the Fraser fir.

'They take about 10 years to grow into a full 6ft sized tree so we purchased some from a grower in Scotland and and set up the business five years ago.

'We have up to 3,000 trees at the farm which are on a drip irrigation system that gives each one a litre of water per day.

'People can rent trees for as little as one or two days or from the end of November to the first week in January at a fixed price of £99.

'They do need to be regularly watered as they are a live plant but because they are alive, they do not drop any pine needles.

The Evans family finish decorating their rented tree in time for the festive period
Humphries Kirk solicitors rent a tree from Mr Inch each year

The Evans family tree is decorated and ready for the festive period, left. And the rented tree at Humphries Kirk stands pride of place in the reception area

'We drop the tree off and collect it at the end of the season before placing the pot back into a bigger container in the ground.

'It's much more environmentally friendly than simply discarding trees and people don't have to worry about what to do after Christmas now.'

The rented trees have been an instant hit with families and businesses snapping up all 3,000 trees this year.

Darrell Stuart-Smith from Humphries Kirk solicitors in Dorchester said: 'When I went down to the Rent a Tree farm it was a real delight to see how they care and restore the trees.

'We get so many compliments on our wonderful Christmas tree, it's absolutely beautiful.

'It has a real story behind it that we tell people when they come in and it's lovely to know that we are supporting the environment.'

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