How to plant a tree

So you have decided to plant trees! This advice is designed to help you give your tree or trees the best start in life and the best chance of a healthy and productive future without needing to heavily prune them because they have out grown their environment.

Planting in the right place

Before planting a tree you need to think about what is appropriate for your garden. Here are some things you need to think about: How big will it grow? Take care to ensure its final size will fit in with the environment and avoid planting large trees within 10 – 15 metres of buildings be careful when garden centers tell you that a conifer for example that you are just about to buy say to you "dont worry its perfect for your small garden its a dwarf variety"!You would be surprised a large number of our clients have been duped this way so look up references of the trees you would like to buy. Avoid planting trees in areas close to structures, buildings, garden fences or walls, even drainage systems need to be considered. If you are planting in larger gardens we recommend that you first attempt native trees, or in addition with locally grown trees if possible.

Choosing the right tree

A large garden might be suitable for species such as oak, beech, ash or hornbeam, Willows which provide homes and food for an extraordinary range of insects and the birds which feed on them. Native oaks, for example, are home to over 400  different leaf-eating insects.

If your garden isn’t big enough to accommodate larger trees,  medium-sized trees still provide a huge amount of pleasure – and they are important to wildlife. All of the following, except field maple and silver birch (which offer wonderful autumn colour), have the added bonus of beautiful blossom in spring:

common whitebeam (Sorbus aria)
- wild cherry (Prunus avium)
- crab apple (Malus sylvestris)
- field maple (Acer campestre)
- silver birch (Betula pendula)


Smaller trees – and shrubs can provide a home for an amazing array of animals and insects. Willows and sallows support more plant-eating insects than any other native tree or shrub. Small trees, ideal for smaller urban gardens, can provide a natural boundaries. Yew or Box is ideal for a formal straight-edged hedge, while hawthorn and blackthorn provide dense, protective cover for garden birds to nest.

When to plant

Plant hedges between November and March. To encourage wildlife, brush your natural garden waste into the lower part of the hedge rather than burning it. You might provide a home for hedgehogs and other small mammals.


Some small native trees:

  • holly (Ilex aquifolium)
  • hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
  • hazel (Corylus avellana)
  • blackthorn – (Prunus spinosa)
  • buckthorn – (Rhamnus catharticus); Alder buckthorn - (Frangula alnus);


For your interest this is a list of all our Native trees

  • Field Maple - Acer campestre
  • Alder - Alnus glutinosa
  • Silver Birch - Betula pendula
  • Downy Birch - Betula pubescens
  • Box - Buxus sempervirens
  • Hornbeam - Carpinus betula
  • Hazel - Corylus avellana
  • Common Hawthorn - Crataegus monogyna
  • Midland Hawthorn - Crataegus laevigata
  • Common Beech - Fagus sylvatica
  • Common Ash - Fraxinus excelsior
  • Holly - Ilex aquifolium
  • Juniper - Juniperus communis
  • Crab Apple - Malus sylvestris
  • Scots Pine - Pinus sylvestris
  • Black Poplar - Populus nigra
  • Aspen - Populus tremula
  • Bird Cherry - Prunus padus
  • Wild Cherry - Prunus avium
  • Sessile Oak - Quercus petraea
  • Pedunculate Oak - Quercus robur
  • White Willow - Salix alba
  • Goat Willow or Sallow - Salix caprea
  • Crack Willow - Salix fragilis
  • Bay Willow - Salix pentandra
  • Common Whitebeam - Sorbus aria
  • Rowan (mountain ash) - Sorbus aucuparia
  • Wild Service Tree - Sorbus torminalis
  • Yew - Taxus baccata
  • Small Leaved Lime - Tilia cordata
  • Large Leaved Lime - Tilia platyphyllos
  • Wych Elm - Ulmus glabra
  • Blackthorn - Prunus Spinosa
  • Buckthorn - Rhamnus catharticus
  • Alder buckthorn - Frangula alnus
  • Guelder Rose - Viburnum opulus
  • Wayfaring tree - Viburnum lantana
  • Spindle - Euonymus europaea
  • Osier - Salix viminalis
  • Grey Willow - Salix cinerea
  • Elder - Sambucus nigr
  • Sycamore - Acer pseudoplatanus
  • Sweet chestnut - Castanea sativa
  • Horse chestnut - Aesculus hippocastanum
  • White poplar - Populus alba
  • Lots of firs, spruces, larches, pines, cypresses etc.
  • London Plane