Managing our fields naturally
Digging ponds and planting eucalyptus and willow to help with drainage, and creating an area of native woodland in our boggy area is all adding to the richness of the natural environment at Frenchay Christmas Tree Farm.
Amazing Biodiversity At Christmas Tree Farms
Christmas Tree Farms provide varied and unique habitats for an amazing array of wildlife – in field margins, hedgerows, wild-meadow areas, ponds and ditches, and the Christmas trees themselves!
Planting baby Christmas Trees
In the spring and autumn, we are busy planting 1,000s of sapling Christmas trees, to replace trees that have been cut for Christmas. It’s always a race to get the fragile plants safely into the ground in their new home – Frenchay Christmas Tree Farm!
Blue Spruce in Iceland!
We like finding Christmas trees on our travels, and this summer we found Blue Spruce growing in Iceland! Our own Blue Spruce are only just reaching heights of 8-9ft. So it was good to meet some of their taller relations growing in the sub-arctic.
Beautiful Big Christmas Trees!
Our beautiful big Christmas Trees need pruning to make sure they are a perfect shape. In the Spring and early Summer, Simon gets the tall ladder out and sets off around the fields.
No-Mow May
Our no-mow May was a big success. In fact, we didn’t mow our fields until early July, which meant orchids and other wildflowers had a chance to flourish and the insects and birds all benefitted, too.
Wildflower field margins
Along the grass verges that surround our farm, we have been busy cultivating wildflowers amongst the grasses. Last September, we planted yellow rattle and are thrilled to se them coming into flower this spring!
Recycling christmas trees for charity
We were thrilled to learn that St Peter’s Hospice raised over £22,000 this January, collecting and recycling used Christmas trees from all around Bristol. Many of these were brought to Frenchay Christmas Tree Farm for processing and mulching. We were delighted to be able to help with this great charity fundraiser.
Harnessing wind power at the farm
We are looking at ways we can harness wind power at the farm – we are not on the grid and we don’t need much power, but it would be great to be self-sufficient, using a natural resource that is readily available to us – the wind!
Carbon footprint of a Christmas Tree
We love that our customers are thinking about the impact of Christmas on the planet. Many ask us about the environmental impact of buying a real Christmas Tree, so here are some of the facts.