Snowy and flocked trees

Three kinds of snow

The names on the cards mean different amounts of white. Frosted or snow tipped trees have a pale coating on the ends of the branches only, so the tree still reads as green from a distance. Snowy trees carry a heavier dusting across the outer third of each branch. Flocked trees are sprayed over the whole branch so the tree looks like it has stood out in a snowfall; the 8ft Snow Tipped Grey Fir with cashmere tips at £199 and the 7.5ft Snowy Dorchester Spruce at £329 sit at the two ends of that scale.

Decorating a white tree

Flocking changes what works on the branches. Warm white lights turn the snow cream; ice white keeps it crisp. Red and gold baubles stand out against the white far more than they do on green, which is why these trees are often decorated more sparsely. Dark greens and navy also work. Tinsel tends to fight with flocking, so most people leave it off.

Shedding and care

Every flocked tree sheds a little powder when it is first unpacked and shaped; a sheet under the stand for the first evening deals with it. Shedding stops once the branches have settled. At the end of the season let the branches dry fully if the room has been humid, then fold them in gently rather than crushing them, and store the tree upright or flat in a dry room. Avoid lofts that swing between damp and hot.

Lit and unlit

Several of the snowy trees are pre-lit, including the 7.5ft Dorchester with 600 warm white LEDs, and one 6ft spruce carries 280 multi coloured lights. The rest are unlit; a 600 to 800 LED warm white set is the usual match for a 6ft or 7ft flocked tree.