Buying a tree | Ivy Cottage Tree Far

The Full Story

Established in 1982, when we first started growing trees at our Racecourse Road site, Ivy Cottage Tree Farm has grown from supplying a small group of local retailers with a limited range of trees to being one of the biggest suppliers in Cheshire.

As well as our retail and wholesale business, we are proud to supply a number of trees around the country that are used in television programmes, advertising and at many cathedrals, churches, village greens, Christmas events and hotels across the country.

Many of our customers have been with us since the beginning, and as our own family has grown, we have enjoyed seeing customers who first visited as children come back with their children and now grandchildren of their own.

We are proud members of the British Christmas Tree Growers Association who promote the environmental benefits of UK customers buying trees grown in the UK.

Buying a real tree

The type of tree you need depends on the style you like, how long you want it to last for and how much you want to pay. Check out our Facebook page from autumn for an indication of this year's prices.

You can pick a Norway Spruce or a Fir tree growing in the ground, label it and return nearer the time to collect. A Norway Spruce can be supplied potted, rootballed or cut, whilst a Fir will need to be cut (because of its extensive root system).

We also have a huge range of pre-cut Nordmann Firs, Fraser Firs and Lodgepole Pines available to buy. Although we regularly stock trees up to about 12 foot, if you require anything larger please let us know as we will get larger trees to order from our other plantations.

Measure the height of your room and work out how tall you need the tree to be before you visit – you don’t want a tiny tree that looks lost in a high-ceilinged room, or to end up having to chop a bit off the top of it. You’d be surprised how often that happens! If you bring in your own stand we can trim the tree to fit.

Always buy from somewhere that can tell you about what you are buying, when it was cut and how to look after it.

Once you’ve got your cut tree home

We always put a fresh cut on the tree trunk when it leaves the farm, so put the tree in a bucket of water outside when you get home and don’t take it inside until you need to.

For cut trees, we recommend a tree stand that will allow the trunk to sit directly in water (placing it in soil or sand blocks pores) and will mean you don’t have to spend hours trying to get it to stand up in an ordinary bucket. Position the tree away from heat sources (such as radiators or open fires) and make sure the trunk is always submerged in water to stop sap sealing the pores and preventing water intake. Water it daily, as a tree can take up three pints per day.

At night turn off any lights on the tree to stop it drying out and to avoid the risk of fire.

After Christmas

When it’s time to take your Christmas tree down it’s easy to get it recycled. Bring your tree back to us and we will shred it into chippings. These are then spread on the ground around the next crop of trees…..the ultimate recycling!

Real trees- an environmentally sound choice

Having a real Christmas tree is the environmentally sustainable choice. Every tree cut down is replaced the next Spring. Trees take Carbon Dioxide from the air and turn it into Oxygen. A real tree, once harvested and enjoyed at Christmas, can be returned to us (or a local charity) to be recycling as wood chippings. This ensures minimum impact on the environment - as does the fact the tree is grown in the UK.

If you buy a potted tree, it can often be used for a number of years before being planted in the garden, to live out its retirement!

Did you know an artificial tree is produced using chemicals, is often shipped from the far side of the world? And it can take 100 years in a landfill site to bio-degrade. A real tree just makes environmental sense!

The Nitty Gritty!

We can take payment by Cash or Credit Card including AMEX.
Dogs are welcome on site, but we ask that they are on leads and that you pick up after them!
We are a farm so some areas are uneven and can be muddy if it rains. We have a boot room and wellington boots to borrow if you need them.
We have toilets (and baby changing facilities) on site.
We do limit the number of customers into the tree picking area at very busy times; that may mean a short wait but it ensures we can give every customer one-to-one dedicated service.
We do offer a delivery service Monday-Friday. There is a charge and is subject to available space in the diary.
During busy weekends near Christmas we aim to have a coffee van on site.

Wholesale customers: We are happy to discuss your requirements. Call us during September to give us the best chance of being able to help you and ensure we have the trees available.

Please be aware that once we open for retail customers, we are unable to deal with wholesale orders at the weekend. Our terms are strictly cleared payment on collection.