More than 500 new trees to be planted across the borough

Thanks to local residents 559 small seedling-sized trees have been adopted and will be planted in gardens and land in Wirral.

Trees were available for residents to collect from dedicated hubs at Eastham Country Park, Royden Park and Central Park, to plant in their gardens.

Hubs were operated thanks to the support of volunteers from Wirral Tree Wardens, Wallasey Tree Planting Group and Volunteers of Royden Park.

All trees planted will help Wirral’s ten-year tree strategy, which aims to plant more than 210,000 trees – that’s at least 21,000 per year!

Date for your diary if you missed us:

For residents who’d like a free tree, but weren’t able to attend our latest giveaway, our team of staff and volunteers will be running another giveaway on Saturday 16 March at the same locations between 10 and 1pm.

Planting your tree

Where to plant your tree

Depending on the type of tree claimed, this growth could get to heights between 4m to 35m or widths of 2m to 8m so residents are advised to ensure that they consider their planting spot carefully.

Think about the proximity to buildings, drains, boundaries, lighting, ponds and overhead cables etc. Prepare your planting site by removing long grass and weeds.

How to plant your tree

Before planting, keep trees upright and sheltered from wind and frost.

Dig a hole as deep as the root ball and two times as wide. The hole should be big enough to take all the tree roots up to the root collar (area where the roots join the stem or trunk). Do not bury the tree stem or trunk.

Place the tree in the planting hole and position so that the root collar is level with the soil surface. Refill the hole, ensuring you firm up all the soil to remove any air gaps.

Make sure the tree feels secure and that there is no movement in the root ball. Insert a cane or timber stake, if required to provide support. Push the cane or stake into the ground next to the tree but do not insert it through the root ball. Gently tie the tree to the support using soft tree ties. Make sure the ties to do cut into the tree as it grows.

If you have rabbits, hares or voles that visit your garden you may want to attach a guard to protect your tree from predation.

How to look after your tree

• water your tree regularly during dry spells
• keep a 1m diameter circle around the base of the tree free of weeds for the first three years
• organic mulch can be applied around the base of the tree in early summer to suppress weed growth. If using mulch take care to leave a collar of 10cm around the tree stem or trunk that is free of mulch
• be careful if strimming around the tree as blades can damage the tree stem or trunk