Thank you for your application to the local Trees4TW scheme.

Your involvement in our Trees4TW scheme is providing habitat for local wildlife as well as helping the borough reach the target of becoming carbon neutral by 2030.

We would love to see how your trees are getting on. Take a photo and tweet it to @My_Wild_Telford and tell us how you’re finding the experience with the hashtag #tweetyourtree

Should you have any queries about your tree, please don’t hesitate to get in contact. Our team will be happy to offer advice and guidance to keep your tree healthy. You can contact us by email sustainability@telford.gov.uk

On behalf of the Telford and Wrekin Climate Change & Sustainability Team, thank you for being involved.

How to plant your tree

When your tree arrives

When your tree arrives its best to store upright, in a sheltered area away from winds and chance of frost.

If the roots look like they may be drying out lightly spraying them with water will keep them moist.

You may need to wait before planting your tree if the ground is frozen.

If you are intending to store the tree for a little while before planting then you may want to consider temporarily ‘healing’ them in. We’d be happy to discuss this with you so get in touch if you want any help or guidance.

Preparing your planting site

Choose where your tree(s) will be planted and ensure the area around the site is not overgrown. Mowing the grass down is a good idea. On the day of planting, dig a hole about a foot deep and feel the soil to ensure it is not frozen. Do not worry if your ground isn’t ideal for the tree such as being slightly stony, if you plant it properly it should grow to be large and healthy.

Giving your trees enough space to grow: residential gardens

Silver birch and crab apple trees should have a 3 meter buffer between other trees in your garden, whilst oak and beech should have a 5 meter buffer. This does not mean you cannot have flowers and other smaller plant life growing around the tree.

Giving your trees enough space to grow: copses

If you’ve ordered more than one tree from us for copse planting we recommend that trees are planted at least 2 meters apart.

Giving your trees enough space to grow: planting hedges

If you’ve requested one of our hedge packs plant your trees 30cm to 45cm apart. Planting in a ‘double row’ with each whip spaced in a ‘zig zag’ will result in a thick and strong hedge. If you plant in double rows make sure each row is 50cm apart.

Planting your trees

All trees have been supplied as whips, single stemmed trees of between 30-60cms in length. There are two ways you can plant your tree, Pit Planting or Slit Planting.

Pit Planting

On the day of planting, dig a hole deep enough to take all of the tree roots – be sure to feel the soil to ensure it is not frozen. Do not worry if your ground isn’t ideal for the tree such as being slightly stony, if you plant it properly it should grow to be large and healthy.

Take your sapling to the hole you have dug. Place your tree in the hole and begin to fill it in. You may want someone to act as a spotter at this point, to see if the tree is skewed. You should try to make it upright, but it doesn’t have to be exact. Compact the ground with your hands and heel, there should be no large air pockets which water could get into and then freeze. Once planted, give the tree a very gentle tug. It should stay in the ground and not pull out easily.

If you are worried about frost around a recently planted tree, pour some warm water over it to try and melt any frozen water droplets.

Slit Planting

We’d always recommend pit planting, especially for individual trees. However, for large scale planting, 100+ whips, or in land that is very stony, slit planting may be more appropriate.

Slit planting can be done in three easy steps.

Step 1: Push a spade into the ground. Move it forwards and backwards to create a slit in the ground that is deep enough for the whips roots to fit into.

Step 2: Using the spade to keep the slit open, put the whip into the slit. The ‘stock’, where the roots meet the stem, should be about 2cm below the ground.

Step 3: Remove the spade letting the slit close around the whip. Firm the soil around the whip with your heel.

We hope you enjoy watching your tree grow.