A Planting Guide for Bigger Projects
For churchyards, schools, parks, farms, estates and community land. If you’re planting more than a garden tree, this is the longer read. It follows current conservation best practice, so you can plant with confidence that you’re doing right by wildlife as well as by the view.
The golden rule: right tree, right place, right reason
A tree is one of the best things you can give a place - but only where a tree belongs. The single most important step in any larger planting is to look hard at the ground you have and ask what would do the most good there. Sometimes that’s a blossom grove. Sometimes it’s leaving an open, flower-rich meadow exactly as it is. Getting this right at the start matters far more than the species you choose later.
First, do no harm: where not to plant
Some habitats are more valuable left open than planted with trees. Please don’t plant on:
- Species-rich or old grassland - meadows that have never been ploughed are irreplaceable and often richer in wildlife than young woodland.
- Wetlands, marshes, heathland and peat - these store carbon and support rare species; trees can dry them out.
- Permanently wet ground - most trees simply won’t thrive there anyway.
- Archaeological features - if there’s any chance of buried heritage, speak to your county archaeologist first.
- Sites with rare or protected wildlife, and anywhere designated (SSSI, ancient woodland) - these need expert advice before anything happens.
If you’re planting near a main river, you may need to talk to the Environment Agency first. And it’s always worth asking whether natural regeneration - simply letting trees seed in from nearby - would do the job. On many sites it gives tougher, better-adapted trees for free, and it’s often the most nature-friendly choice of all.
Native first, and why it matters
For anything beyond a few ornamentals in pots, lead with native species. Native trees support far more wildlife than introduced ones because our insects, birds and fungi evolved alongside them. Happily, several natives are as beautiful in blossom as any ornamental cherry: wild cherry, bird cherry, blackthorn, hawthorn (the ‘May’), crab apple and rowan. Ornamental cultivars still have a place - in containers, formal settings and small urban spaces where a native won’t give the effect - but on open ground and ecological sites, native should be your default.
Right species for the site - and the climate
Match each species to the soil, moisture and exposure it will actually face, and mix your species. A planting of one kind of tree is one disease away from disaster; a diverse mix is resilient. On provenance (where your trees’ seed came from), current thinking is nuanced: for native and conservation planting, local or regional provenance is generally best, because those trees are adapted to your conditions - but with the climate changing, it’s sensible to include a proportion of stock from a little further south to build in resilience for the decades ahead. Diversity of species, ages and origins is what makes a planting last.
Biosecurity: buy UK-grown, and ask where it was raised
Britain has lost millions of trees to imported pests and diseases - ash dieback, oak processionary moth, and the looming threat of Xylella. The simplest way to protect your project and the wider countryside is to buy UK-grown stock and ask the nursery to prove it. Look for the UK and Ireland Sourced and Grown (UKISG) assurance or Plant Healthy certification, which mean the trees were grown here under good biosecurity, not shipped in. This is the single most responsible sourcing decision you can make.
Designing for wildlife
A great planting is more than rows of trees. Build in a mix of species and ages, an understorey of shrubs, and open glades or edges where light reaches the ground - edges and clearings are where most wildlife lives. Link your planting to existing hedges, woods or green corridors so wildlife can move through. Leave any deadwood where it’s safe to; it’s home to a huge range of life. Blossom and berries (blackthorn, hawthorn, crab apple, rowan) feed pollinators in spring and birds in autumn.
Orchards and local heritage
Orchards are one of the loveliest bigger projects, and traditional orchards are a priority habitat in their own right - grassland, blossom and old fruit trees together support a remarkable amount of wildlife. Britain has a wonderful heritage of local county varieties of apple, pear, plum, damson and cherry. When you plant an orchard, choose a mix of varieties for good pollination (or self-fertile anchors like Victoria plum, damsons, Conference pear, quince and medlar), pick the right rootstock for the size you want, and manage it gently - low input, room to breathe. The People’s Trust for Endangered Species, The Orchard Project and the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale are all excellent for variety advice.
Planting and establishment
Plant bare-root stock in the dormant season (roughly November to March); potted trees can go in more flexibly. Don’t plant too deep - the old soil mark should sit at ground level. Use peat-free compost, firm the tree in, mulch well to hold moisture and suppress weeds, and water through the first two or three summers - most losses are simply from drought in year one. Expect to replace a few and plan for it.
Protect without plastic
The old plastic spiral guards have become a pollution problem in their own right. Where you need protection from deer or rabbits, choose plastic-free or biodegradable guards, fencing, or generous spacing, and commit to removing and recycling any guards once the trees are established. Many projects now go guard-free where they can.
Who to ask, and when to get expert help
You don’t have to know all this yourself. Your local Woodland Trust or Wildlife Trust, and your council’s tree officer, will happily advise on what belongs in your area. For orchards, talk to the PTES or The Orchard Project. And do get proper advice before planting on or near any designated site, ancient woodland, archaeology, or watercourse, or if your project is part of a development where Biodiversity Net Gain applies.
Quick checklist
- Is this the right place for trees - or is the open habitat more valuable? Could nature regenerate it for free?
- Native-led species mix, matched to soil and site, with diversity built in?
- UK-grown stock, UKISG or Plant Healthy assured?
- Designed for wildlife: mixed ages, understorey, edges, links to existing habitat?
- Peat-free compost, plastic-free guards, a plan to water and to remove guards later?
- Expert advice sought for any designated, historic or waterside ground?
This guide reflects current best practice from the Woodland Trust, Forest Research and the GB Plant Biosecurity Strategy. It’s a starting point, not a substitute for local expert advice on a complex site.
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