Great Tree Giveaway 2024
If you are one of the lucky residents who managed to take away one of our tree saplings then this is the page for you to find out all you need to know about planting and caring for your new tree.
We have three types of trees in our giveaway; crab apple, rowan and hazel and all can be planted in the same way but consideration should be given to where you plant them.
Crab Apples are a medium size tree and grow up to 14ft (3 to 4m) tall with spring blossom and abundant autumn fruits for birds, insects ...and jam-makers!
Hazels have the potential to grow into quite a large tree but are best pruned as large shrubs every 2 years to encourage the production of catkins and hazelnuts for the benefit of wildlife and to manage their height and spread within a medium-sized garden.
Rowans are light and airy trees, with beautiful spring blossom and bright red berries for birds over the winter, that can be easily pruned to limit their height and spread in smaller gardens.
Planting
We would recommend planting your sapling(s) as soon as you can. The best way to plant individual whips is the pit planting method. Pit planting ensures better contact with the soil and is recommended particularly in areas prone to drought.
The Woodland Trust have a great page that tells you all about how to plant your new sapling. Go to the page by clicking this link https://www.woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/advice/how-to-plant/
Looking after your tree
Basic aftercare is essential to ensure a healthy and successful tree.
Weeding - is the most important step in giving your tree the right start. Try to keep a 50cm to 1mdiameter around the tree clear of weeds and grass for the first two or three years. This will reduce competition for moisture and nutrients. You can suppress weeds with a thick layer of mulch (eg. wood chippings) and this will have the added benefit of improving water retention.
Watering - trees should adapt to the natural conditions of your site so watering shouldn’t be necessary, especially as it can encourage the roots to grow towards the surface rather than down towards groundwater. However, if there’s a particularly long dry spell and you feel watering is essential, saturate the ground thoroughly to ensure that the water soaks deep into the soil