COTSWOLD FIR
SUSTAINABLE RENT A CHRISTMAS TREE SCHEME
'RENTAL CLAUS'
COTSWOLD FIR
HOW 'RENTAL CLAUS' BEGAN
The company behind the idea is Cotswold Fir Forestry based in Shurdington, near Cheltenham. It was created in 2012 by the owners, Commercial Manager Craig Tennock and Horticultural Manager Paul Keene.
They were looking for a more sustainable, cost effective and unique alternative to cut Christmas trees, as annually in the UK around 7 million cut Christmas trees sadly end up in landfill.
BUSINESS PARTNER
PRIMROSE VALE FARM SHOP
After meeting his now-business partner Paul Keene, owner of the popular Primrose Vale Farm Shop and tree growing manager, they came up with the sustainable Rent a Christmas tree scheme of growing beautiful premium Christmas trees in pots… Rental Claus!
SUSTAINABLE
RENT A CHRISTMAS TREE
This sustainable scheme reduces the amount of land used for growing trees and allows each tree to spend up to six Christmases inside. They can then potentially be planted outside to continue growing.
A FAMILY MEMBER
Name your christmas tree
You can either rent the same tree each year or choose a new one. Nearly half of our returning families rent the same tree each year. Some of them are named and become a seasonal member of the family. Names have included Caspar, Bruce the Spruce, Colin, Stella, Noel....
TREES ARE GROWN AND CARED FOR IN THEIR POTS AT PRIMROSE VALE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
Christmas trees range from saplings to six footers. The trees take around 10 years to grow to 6ft (1.8metres) and last for around 12 years. At this stage, they prefer to be in the ground as the pots become too restricting for their size.
You can either rent the same tree year on year or choose a new one.
NORWAY SPRUCE
TO SPRUCE THINGS UP, THAT IS THE QUESTION?
The rental demand for Christmas trees is growing. People are becoming more eco-minded and prefer to see their trees having a longer lifespan.
The popularity of a potted Norway spruce in the home is also increasing, because if kept alive by watering and avoiding an over heated room, the amount of needle shed is minimal, compared to one that has been cut.
The wonderful evocative perfume released around the home, as the tree lives and grows indoors, is wonderfully festive.
Although the cut Nordmann firs are incredibly popular too and have dominated the market for some years now (as they hold their needles better than a cut Norway Spruce), they are not suited to pot growing as their root ball becomes too big once they reach 3ft and they prefer to be in the ground.