At Chopwell we love to receive gifts that grow. Plants that enhance our environment and give pleasure for months and years. The shops are full of Christmas seasonal plants such as Poinsettia, Cactus and bulbs. These make a beautiful display and many of the bulbs are wonderfully fragrant too. We particularly like bulbs such as Hyacinth as we can plant them in the garden to give joy year on year.
Mid-winter is the right time to plant trees and bare rooted shrubs. Buying bare rooted is cheaper than container grown, easier to transport and the plants tend to grow better in the medium to long term. Bare rooted fruit trees and bushes are particularly effective, growing and cropping well.
The recent wet weather has left many gardens waterlogged, planting a tree will help your garden drain, as well as improving the environment, capturing carbon and encouraging wildlife. There are many websites offering advice on what tree or shrub suits particular conditions and take a look at our tree and hedge hub for inspiration too.
I have no room
Our gardens can feel overcrowded, with no space for another feature tree or shrub. If you still want to plant trees or give the gift of trees, consider working with a charity to plant trees elsewhere on the planet. Oxfam (Oxfam.org.uk) is well known for its ‘unwrapped gifts’ that include plants and seeds. There are also more specialist charities such as Tree Aid (treeaid.org.uk) who supply trees to help communities overcome poverty and drought. If you want to plant trees in the UK The Woodland Trust (woodlandtrust.org.uk) will plant species on your behalf.
If there is a person in your life who appears to have anything, buying them a gift that grows could be the answer to your present dilemma!
May we take this opportunity to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
