Community tree nursery
Our community tree nursery is a place where tiny seeds grow into something really special - a greener, healthier, more connected community!
Established in 2025 and funded by our community, we grow up to 1,000 native trees each year to be planted in and around Chippenham.
Order a tree!
We are currently taking orders for trees that must be collected between 10am and 12pm on Saturday 7 November 2026, from The Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre, Cocklebury Rd, Chippenham SN15 3QN.
More collection dates will become available throughout Winter, please check back after 8 November for our next collection date.
The trees are one year old and between 20cm and 60cm high, depending on the species. Each tree comes with well established roots in a plug of soil and a 60cm tree protection tube, to help protect them when planted out. You can order as many trees as you like - if planting a mixed native hedgerow, please allow 5 saplings per meter.
We sell our trees on a pay-what-you-can model, with a minimum donation of just £1 per tree, to cover our material costs. Any donations above £1 per tree are gratefully received to support our work!
By the community, for the community
From seed to sapling, our trees are nurtured by local volunteers for our community to plant in gardens, schools, hedgerows and small woodlands. Our volunteers forage for the nuts, seeds and berries locally that we grow our trees from. This means we can provide resilient trees that will thrive in our neighbourhood and support the widest range of local wildlife.
We process the nuts and seeds before they undergo winter pre-treatment to break their natural dormancy. In Spring we sow them in rootrainer containers, and nurture them all year until they are ready for our local community to plant out.
Please note that we do not accept donations of tree saplings from the public. This is to prevent diseases being introduced into our nursery that could threaten the 1,000 seed grown trees we are raising.
Want to help us?
To find out more about helping out at our community tree nursery, just pop along to our monthly garden meet-ups on the first Saturday of the month! If you have any questions, please drop us a message.
Behind the scenes of our Community Tree Nursery!
Every tree we grow represents a community effort: someone gathering a seed, a volunteer carefully preparing it, months of watering and nurturing, and someone ready to plant it and help it grow.
Did you know…
We gather our tree seeds and nuts locally to improve the resilience of our saplings
We place all our tree seeds in the fridge to break their dormancy so they germinate in spring
Some tree species need to stay in the fridge for over a year before we can sow them!
Read our blog to have a look behind the scenes at how our Community Tree Nursery actually works - from all the work our volunteers do to the magic of stratification.
Here's how the trees we grow benefit our local community:
The tree species we grow
We have a focus on growing mostly native edible trees. These provide maximum benefit to both wildlife and humans.
Bird Cherry
A magnet for pollinators in spring with masses of almond scented flowers that develop into tiny, bitter fruits loved by birds. Bird Cherry can grow up to 25m when mature. Find out more
Available in 2027
Blackthorn
A favourite for making sloe gin! Grows to 7m with beautiful clouds of flowers in early spring followed by dark blue fruits that glow on the tree in autumn and winter. Find out more
Available 2027
Bullace
A wild plum, best eaten when fully ripe or used in jams, jellies, chutneys and gins. Grows to around 8m or as a bush with lightly fragrant flowers in spring. Find out more
Available November 2026
Cherry Plum
One of the first trees to blossom in the UK, producing delicious fruits that are an ancestor of the domestic plum. Grows up to 8m, loved by pollinators and birds. Find out more
Available November 2026
Crab apple
The original wild apple! Growing up to 10m with beautiful, scented white blossoms in spring and a bounty of small fruits loved by wildlife. Find out more
Available November 2026
Elder
Elderberries are used to make drinks and desserts - be aware that unripe and uncooked berries are toxic. Loved by pollinators, birds & mammals. Grows to 15m. Find our more
Available November 2026
Hazel
Hazel nuts are prized by humans and wildlife! Lovely hanging yellow catkins in late winter before coming into leaf. Can be coppiced or left to grow to 12m high. Find out more
Available November 2026
Rowan
A stunning tree with feathered leaves, clusters of flowers in spring and red berries in autumn and winter. Loved by pollinators in spring and birds in winter. Grows to 15m. Find out more
Available November 2026
Silver Birch
Stunning white bark and provider of dappled shade, perfect for gardens. Silver birch grows to 15m and supports over 300 insect species. Find out more
Available November 2026
Wild Cherry
Dark bark, white flowers and masses of tiny cherry fruits loved by birds. Supports early pollinators and feeds many caterpillar species. Grows up to 30m. Find out more
Available in 2027
Wild pear
Gorgeous white flowers in spring and sweet pear fruits, growing up to 12m high. Supports pollinators, birds, moths and butterflies throughout the year. Find out more
Available November 2026
Get in touch
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