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The 2011 Garden Tree Give Away!
The scheme has now closed for 2011.
Funding permitting, we hope to run the scheme again in the autumn of 2012
In 2011 scheme was run in partnership with The National Forest Company, and the neighbouring authorities of North West Lesicestershire District Council and East Staffordshire Borough Council and details were as follows.
There was a maximum of two trees per household, or 10 if you were applying on behalf of a school or community group.
All the trees were two years old and approximately 60-90cms (2 to 3 feet) high. They were supplied together with a guidance sheet on how to plant and to look after them.
What was on offer?
Alder Buckthorn(Frangula alnus) - is a deciduous shrub, growing to 3–6 m, occasionally to 7 m tall. The flowers are small, 3–5 mm diameter, star-shaped with five greenish-white petals, flowering in May to June in clusters. The fruit is a small black berry, ripening from green through red in late summer to dark purple or black in early autumn.
Bird Cherry (Prunus padus) - is a species of cherry, native to northern Europe and northern Asia. It is a deciduous small tree or large shrub 8–16 m tall with clusters of small, white flowers. The English name refers to the berries, which are astringent and bitter-sweet and eaten by birds.
Common Spindle (Euonymus europaeus) - grows to 3 to 6 m tall. In autumn the leaves often show a beautiful bright red colour. The flowers are produced in late spring and are insect-pollinated; they are small, yellowish green and grow in clusters. The fruit ripens in autumn, and is red to purple or pink in colour and approximately 1 to 1.5 cm wide. When ripe, the four lobes split open to reveal the poisonous orange seeds.
Hazel (Corylus avellana) - A small, fast growing, native, deciduous tree, that will grow to around 6 metres. It has edible nuts in autumn and bright yellow lambs tail catkins in February which provide essential early pollen for bees. A hazel tree can be coppiced to produce straight stakes for hedge laying, runner bean poles etc, but also makes a lovely small tree if left to grow.
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