On Friday the 11th of May the ‘drought status’ in the south west was lifted. So ITV News came to the nursery to talk to us about how we have been affected, and what it means to us. You can see the video here. Chew Valley Trees on ITV News

I have decided to take yet another step into the modern world and have started to Tweet on Twitter. You can follow what we  have been getting up to, look at photos of plants we take when we are out and about or ask me about anything tree shrub or plant related and I will do my best to answer. Follow us @ChewValleyTrees

They were planted as part of a community initiative to restore an area of open space in the centre of the village that had once been allotments and had become overgrown with nettles and brambles.   Villagers had spent many hours in the autumn clearing and now were planting some new trees.

All the trees were donated by someone living in the village or who had strong connections with the village and they came along to help with the planting.

Our landscaping department delivered the trees, dug the holes and erected the staking once the planting was complete.

The YouTube slide show of the planting is provided thanks to David Bland.

With mid January upon us I always think we are half way through winter.   Here in Somerset the warm weather has been a pleasant change from the last two winters with very cold and snowy months in January and December.

I’ve still got geraniums in full flower in my window boxes however there is still every chance of a cold frozen spell before March.

The weather conditions as I write are perfect for bare root planting, so if you are intending to plant some hedges or trees before next spring, now is the time to be getting them in, March is only six weeks away.

Christmas is fast approaching and many see it as a deadline by which to get things done.  The nursery will be open until 5pm on Friday 23^rd of December for ordering and collecting plants and will not be open again until Tuesday 3^rd of January.  If you want to plant bare root between Christmas and New Year you can collect them before Christmas and heel them in until you are ready to plant.

The last day to place orders for transplants and native hedging for nationwide delivery is Tuesday 20^th of December.   We will be delivering larger bare root and container grown plants nationwide and locally up until the 23^rd but you will need to contact us very soon if you are hoping to arrange a pre Christmas delivery.

In the unlikely event that you need to contact us urgently over the Christmas and New Year holiday email simon@chewvalleytrees.co.uk .  For non urgent queries or orders email us in the usual way at info@chewvalleytrees.co.uk or leave a message on 01275 333752.

Wishing  you a happy and peaceful Christmas and New Year from all at Chew Valley Trees

This year we are celebrating 25 years of Chew Valley Trees.  The same year that the M25 opened and the popular medical drama Casualty was first screened, David and Julia bought a 10 acre field full of docks.  Accompanied by their 5 year old daughter, Elinor and 3 year old son Simon, many back breaking hours were spent clearing, sowing and planting.

Our first plant list was a single photocopied sheet comprising native broadleaved seedlings and transplants.  Over the last 25 years the size and range of trees we produce has grown to fill a 62 page catalogue.  Our guiding principal has always been customer satisfaction both in the quality and suitability of our plant stock and level of service and advice we offer.  The commitment energy and enthusiasm of our wonderful staff both past and present has been the key to our continued success.

Much has changed in 25 years, that photocopied sheet has made way for this website (though we do still have a printed catalogue.) The 3 year old son is now 28 and shares the responsibility of running the business. BBC Casualty are now one of our customers and often use our tall,  bushy trees and shrubs for screening on their sets.  What remains constant is our focus on supplying the best quality plants for your requirements.

Watering Trees and Hedges

It takes between 12 and 24 months for a tree or shrub to develop a root system deep enough to draw its own water. And for this reason we need to help newly planted trees through any dry spells with a good watering two to three times a week.  In April and May this year we have had precious little rain and would suggest putting 2 gallons/10L of water on newly planted standard trees and 2 gallons/ 10L per meter of hedge, every 3 days.

It is almost impossible to overwater in weather such as this but common sense will tell you that you do not want newly planted trees sat in pools of surface water.

Weed control

The other vitally important thing do to in order to aid newly planted trees, whether we have had a dry spell or not,is to keep 1 meter free from grass and weeds at the base of the tree. This can be done using a herbicide, or an effective barrier covered with mulch. This must be kept for at least the first 2 years after planting. The reason this is so important is that any grass or weeds that grow around the tree will compete for water and nutrients resulting in the same problems you get when the tree is not watered at all.  Cutting the grass will not be sufficient as grass is an efficient water pump which takes up more water when it re-grows.

The rootballing of trees is a technique used to successfully transplant large trees it is generally used for trees 12 to 14 cm girth and above, (though difficult to transplant species such as Beech (Fagus sylvatica)  will need rootballing at a smaller size.)

Unlike bare root trees which have no soil on the roots, the soil around roots of the tree is retained and held in place with a tied hessian sheet and supported by an annealed wire cage.

It is important that when planting rootballed trees the hessian and the wire cage is left on the rootball and it will rot down in the ground

Corylus avellana contorta

One of the best of the twisted or corkscrew shrubs, this cultivar of the native hazel which was discovered in a hedgerow in Gloucestershire in 1870 and propagated by the rector of Britton, between Bristol and Bath, which makes it quite local to our nursery.

Since then this large shrub, which only grow to about 15ft has had enduring popularity.  It looks at its best in the late Winter when the long yellow catkins hang from the curiously twisted elegant stems.

When the leaves come out they are normal hazel leaves large and round and rather a jumble.

There are lots of different cultivars of  Liquidambar, but in my opinion for both autumn colour and form Worplesdon is the best.  A winner of  the RHS AGM (Award of Garden Merit) in both 1987 and 2002 it is fast becoming a favourite with both staff and visitors to our nursery.

The tree grows in an almost pyramidal habit and is  naturally very straight, unlike the more broad headed habit of the  natural form  Liquidambar Styraciflua, which can be tricky to train into a good shape.  The Worplesdon also has less corky  bark and a more cut leaf than the original.

The leaves which are of a  similar in shape to a  maple,  are  green in the spring and summer, before coming  into there own in the autumn.   It all starts in September when some of the leaves turn yellow and orange before falling.   As time goes on the outermost leaves start to turn purple and red giving a wonderful patchwork of colours.   Then in October for a  final spectacular display of colour only the outermost leaves remain offering a deep rich red display.

The only real draw back of this tree is it’s size as it will happily grow to 25 metres so does need a lot of room,  but if you have enough space it really has a stunning and long lasting autumn colour display.

As always comments and questions welcome.

Simon