Living Christmas Tree Rentals: A Greener Alternative to Cut Trees

You love the look, the feel and especially the fragrance of a real, live Christmas tree, but feel guilty about causing a tree to be chopped down for your own temporary enjoyment. You pull the old artificial pine out of the attic or garage and set it up, wishing there was an environmentally friendly way to enjoy a real tree.

If this sounds like you, put the plastic tree away and get in touch with a local pine tree grower. Many growers are now offering living Christmas tree rentals as a greener option for enjoying a real tree.

Businesses providing living Christmas tree rentals deliver a living, potted pine tree to your home or place of business. The types and sizes of trees available depend upon the grower and region. Some living Christmas tree rental services allow you to adopt a specific tree that they deliver and pick up each year. Others give you options depending upon their current inventory of live potted trees.

There are many benefits to living Christmas tree rentals. Obviously, the tree is living. The fresh, piney aroma will fill your home or office even longer and more strongly than it would from a cut tree. Living plants purify the air as well, providing health benefits to you and your family or colleagues. The living tree will be taken back to the grower's location at the end of the season, where it can grow and thrive, helping to clean its surroundings as well.

Most living Christmas tree rentals are provided by local growers. Shopping with local businesses is beneficial to the economy. More money spent on the local level goes back into the local economy than do dollars spent at national chains. Shopping local is beneficial to the environment as well, as less energy is expended getting the product - in this case, living Christmas trees - to you.

Renting a living Christmas tree is convenient, as well. Most growers who rent them out provide delivery and pickup service around your hectic holiday schedule. You do not have to deal with lugging it home and impaling it onto a stand, only to deal with messy needles all over the floor later.

There are a few disadvantages to living Christmas tree rentals, though. First and foremost is the fact that renting a live tree is much more expensive than buying a chopped one each year or an artificial tree that lasts several seasons. Renting a live tree may set you back upwards of $150 for one season, which is typically early December to late December or early January.

In addition, if you get a kick out of picking the perfect tree you might miss that experience when renting a live Christmas tree. Most growers have a limited inventory and simply deliver one that meets your size requirements.

To find living Christmas tree rentals near you, contact local nurseries who might be able to point you in the right direction. You can also Google "living Christmas tree rentals" with the name of your locality or region.