Grow your own Christmas trees / RHS

On November 13, 2024By Pranco

On the leafy outskirts of Bristol, a family farm has been transformed into a festive woodland wonder, growing Christmas trees but also creating a habitat for wildlife.

Simon’s story begins with a decision made by his father, Peter, a self-made entrepreneur who saw a business opportunity. “I played Rodney to his Del Boy and after a few years we got the Christmas tree business going. We went from selling about 50 trees from a truck in 1998 to finding homes for about 4,000 trees by 2023.”

Their journey was not smooth: “The first mistake we made was planting the trees too close together. The next mistake was to plant 5,000 trees (properly spaced) and then not take care of them. Young trees quickly become smothered by long grass and other wild plants and while many farmers tackle this problem with a range of weedkillers, we opted for the ‘free from chemicals‘ path, and as a result our farm becomes a beautiful meadow with many Christmas trees in the summer.

Wildlife on the farm

Planted across three fields and surrounded by native hedges that Simon and his wife Kate planted in 1999, the Christmas trees provide a haven for wildlife. Wild flowers and grasses bloom and all kinds of fungi grow around old tree roots.

The birds also love this habitat: tree sparrows, rock warblers, blue tits, robins, blackbirds, woodpeckers, woodcocks and owls all make their home on the farm. Buzzards routinely patrol the area in search of smaller rodents, which make their homes in the long grass and under trees.

Tree species

On Simon’s farm they mainly grow pine trees, the most popular of which are pine trees Nordmann spruce (Abies nordmanniana), but they also grow Fraser fir (A. fraseri) And Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii). These trees have a long shelf life and their soft, deep green needles often remain on the tree, rather than falling all over the floor once the tree begins to dry out. They also grow a number of spruces: Norwegian (Picea abies), Serbian (P. omorika General Meeting) And Blue (Picea pungens Glauca group).

When planting, the correct distance is 1.2 m apart. Simon says some farmers in the US who have more land to spare may be able to increase this to 1.5m or more, but you really have to pack them in to make use of the available land.

Cut to perfection

At Simon’s Christmas Tree Arboretum, each tree is cut and shaped over a six- to eight-year cycle until they reach the perfect church steeple shape. It takes about six to eight years for the trees to grow to a marketable size. “We buy them as young plants from specialized nurseries when they are already three years old. The Danes specialize in Christmas tree seedlings, especially Nordmann fir.” Simon says the Danish government has invested in the sector, and as a result the best trees come from their nurseries. Until recently, all Christmas tree seeds came from wild populations, but the Danes now have their own seed orchards and select only the best trees, so the supply is constantly improving.

It’s quite an art form to get that perfect look, which many of us may take for granted. “It has taken all my years as a grower to become good at what I do. I cut the trees and see how they react. They don’t always do what they’re supposed to do, leaving us with some very strangely shaped trees. Over the years I have tried all kinds of different pruning techniques, but I find that every year a gentle cut with scissors is all that is needed.”

As Christmas approaches

The trees are harvested when they are about 1.8 meters tall, but sometimes they are cut down when they are a little smaller, if they have the perfect shape at that height. Some trees can grow much taller, up to 20 feet, for community trees or larger homes. “We start receiving inquiries as early as August, but the farm won’t open to the public until mid-November. That’s a bit early for the trees, but you can’t blame people for looking forward to Christmas.”

Tips for caring for felled trees

If you buy a spruce tree, make sure it is freshly cut. A few years ago BBC Gardeners World did an experiment and found that a spruce will retain its needles for about three weeks from the day it is cut. Feedback from Simon’s customers confirms this, especially when the trees are watered at the base. if they were cut flowers
Spruce trees shouldn’t drop their needles even when they’re dead (well, maybe they’ll drop a few), but even after three weeks in a warm living room they’ll start to look a bit parched. Research by the British Association of Christmas Tree Growers suggests that there is no need to water pine trees
Don’t buy too early. Christmas trees are living things, but they slowly deteriorate after being cut down. You don’t buy Valentine’s Day flowers on January 25
Try to buy locally grown trees. These have probably been recently cut, so they will be fresh and have less road mileage

As the season ends

The season at the Christmas tree nursery is almost over by mid-December, although they remain open for customers who traditionally buy their trees the week before Christmas. “It is best to buy the tree as late as possible, but then there is usually not much choice left and so it is a quiet week. However, we have a little more time with the customers to find their tree and we enjoy the change of pace. We light the fire pit to stay warm and start clearing out the tree debris left all over the farm and put it in piles ready for the chipper in the new year.”

Recycle your Christmas tree

A new service they are offering at Simon’s farm near Bristol is collecting Christmas trees in January and taking them back to the farm for recycling. A local charity also does this and they raise quite a bit of money. “In the end, we are left with a mountain of returned trees, and ultimately a lot of wood chips!” This is by far the most environmentally friendly way to dispose of your Christmas tree, short of chopping it up at home and putting it in the green bin or letting it rot naturally on a pile of logs.