At Rougham Estate they've been growing Christmas trees for decades. Estate manager Simon Eddell explains why you should buy local, how to choose your tree and look after it
What varieties of Christmas trees do you grow?
We grow five different varieties - Norway Spruce, Blue Spruce, Nordmann Fir, Nobel Fir and Fraser Fir, although about 98 per cent of what we sell are either Nordmann Fir or Norway Spruce. All our cut trees are grown on Rougham Estate and are cut within a day or so of going on sale at Blackthorpe Barn. This is something we're really proud of, not only for the environmental factor - our trees have travelled a matter of metres before they're sold - but also from a quality perspective, particularly freshness. If you buy a tree from a garden centre or DIY store It's likely to have been cut several weeks before, and has probably travelled many miles to get to the point of sale, so it's already getting past its best.
For the third year running, we're offering people the opportunity to choose their own tree direct from the plantation while it's still growing. For an additional fee of £10 per tree, people can go out to the plantation, select a tree, label it for cutting and collect it on a specific date nearer to Christmas. There's a growing trend for people wanting to see where their trees are grown - it follows other pick-your-own events we run on the estate, like sunflowers and pumpkins. It's a great way of getting the whole family out. This is what's really special about a Christmas tree, it symbolises the uniting of your family, gathering around it, as it comes into your home for a short time each year. I think it's great.
As well as freshly cut trees we also sell potted trees, including Albertinina Conica, a small ornamental Christmas tree which is ideal for window or table top displays, and smaller Nordmann Firs and Norway Spruce trees.
What's involved in growing them?
A huge amount of work goes into growing Christmas trees throughout the year. All our trees grown on Rougham Estate start life as a bare-root sprig about 15-20cm tall. At this point they're about three years old and have been grown from seed in a nursery elsewhere. We tend to buy all our new trees from nurseries in Scandinavia as they have the best genetics.
Once the trees arrive on the estate they're grown in beds, spaced about 1.2 metres apart. At this early stage they grow very slowly and are vulnerable to deer and rabbits, so our Christmas tree plantations are fenced to them out. We also have to do lots of weeding for the first couple of years to remove competitive weeds which can steal water, nutrients and light from young trees.
A 6ft tree - typical for most houses - takes six to seven years to grow. We have a constant cycle of newly planted trees, developing trees and matured trees to provide the full range that we sell. That's about 60,000 Christmas trees growing at any one time.
Once they're established and are about 2-3 ft, we start to shape them into the typical conical shape that we all imagine a Christmas tree to be. First, we have to control the leader, the very top of the tree and the main growing point. We don’t want it to grow too long and scraggly otherwise this will make a slim and sparse tree. Secondly, we trim or prune the sides of the tree to create the ideal shape. Finally, we undertake a process called bud rubbing. The buds are the new growth on the branches in the spring - rubbing them can stimulate additional branching which creates a bushier tree.
Once trees are mature enough we gradually start to thin them out over. By removing trees to sell at Blackthorpe Barn we create extra space for the remaining trees to grow on for future years. Once we've cut all the trees from an area or bed, we replant the same area with new Christmas trees, retaining the carbon sequestered from the previous trees, and start the cycle all over again.
Give us your tips for choosing a tree
A tree’s beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. If you like to put your tree up early pick a fir tree like a Nordmann Fir, as they tend to hold their needles better. If you put your tree up closer to Christmas, I don’t think you can beat a Norway spruce for its fantastic scent.
Feel the weight of the tree - generally the heavier it is the better the quality, as the amount of water it's carrying is an indication of its freshness. Finally, buy your tree directly from a grower so that you can guarantee its freshness. The British Christmas Tree Growers' Association - Rougham Estate is a member - can be a brilliant resource for finding grower near you.
To keep your tree as fresh as possible for as long as possible, treat it just like fresh flowers. Trim a small amount off the bottom of the trunk, immediately place it in fresh water and keep it in water constantly until the end of Christmas. Keep it away from heat sources such as fires, radiators or underfloor heating. Once you've finished with your tree, it can be fully recycled on the garden compost heap or there are charities that will recycle your tree for a small donation.
My own Christmas tree will most likely be a Nordmann fir, after I've been 'persuaded' to put it up at the end of November by the rest of my family. We usually go out to one of the plantations as a family and my two young boys pick a tree to cut and take home. When we get it home it's not unusual for us to have to cut a bit more off the top and the bottom to make it fit, as we have quite a low ceiling.
I've been managing the whole Rougham Estate for about a year and a half. Prior to that I was the estate's farm manager for about ten years. The estate is a really diverse business - farming, residential, forestry, container storage, pick your own sunflowers and pumpkins as well as Christmas trees, and Blackthorpe Barn events. I'm fortunate that the estate has a very good, hard-working team. It’s a really interesting job and I absolutely love it, although I do find myself thinking about Christmas and other seasonal things throughout the year, which can be very strange, especially in the heat of the summer.
For information about buying Rougham Estate Christmas trees at Blackthorpe Barn visit blackthorpebarn.com/christmas/christmas-trees
