Plant4Paul - Let's re-forest our world!

What species to plant

Different trees have different purposes and needs. Choose your species according to the land you have and what you want from your trees.

Which species will thrive in your area?

Most trees can grow in a range of conditions, though some will prefer particular soil types. Take a look around your neighbourhood and see what’s thriving for an idea of what might do well. If you’re planting lots of trees, think carefully about using a mix of native species. Forests and woods are under pressure from pollution, climate change, pests and diseases. Including a broad range of native tree species will make your planting more resilient to these pressures.

Below are 14 trees that are not commonly thought of, all are suitable for temperate climates as recommended by the woodland trust:

Alder, Alnus glutinosa

Alder has clusters of cone-like fruits that hang like baubles on bare winter trees. In spring, yellow catkins appear alongside glossy, rounded leaves.

Silver birch, Betula pendula

Silver birch is a graceful, attractive tree with light airy foliage and distinctive silvery-white peeling bark. It has triangular-shaped leaves on its elegant, drooping branches. They turn yellow then golden in autumn, bringing striking colour to your garden. Look out for the fine display of catkins from spring to autumn.

Blackthorn, Prunus spinosa

Blackthorn is traditionally associated with witchcraft, it is said that witches' wands were made using blackthorn wood. This thorny tree is an excellent choice as an informal hedging shrub, providing interest throughout the year. It produces white flowers during early spring and purple-black fruits (sloes) in late summer. Pick sloes after the first frost in autumn and use them to make your own sloe gin.

Bird cherry, Prunus padus

As well as its glorious flowering spikes, bird cherry is also beautiful for its golden-yellow autumn leaves and pretty bark. It’s a neat tree and doesn’t produce lots of new shoots at the base. Take care as this species can grow tall.

Wild cherry, Prunus avium

Wild cherry has beautiful clouds of blossom in spring and its bright summer fruits that bring a splash of vivid colour in summer. Its warm autumn leaves fade to a deep crimson, giving your garden a warm glow.

Crab apple, Malus sylvestris

Crab apple is a wild ancestor of the cultivated apple with sweetly-scented, pink-white blossom in spring. Crab apple wood has long been associated with love and marriage, was burned by the Celts during fertility festivals, and is referenced in A Midsummer Night's Dream and Love's Labour's Lost. Use the fruits to make a rich amber-coloured crab apple jelly.

Dog rose, Rosa canina

Scented flowers appear in May and June and range in colour from pale pink (almost white) to deep pink. They are followed by orange-red hips which hang on its arching, thorny branches into winter - they can be picked to make raw rosehip syrup. Plant it alongside other shrubs or as part of a hedge.

Dogwood, Cornus sanguinea

Grow this plant for its shimmering crimson and orange winter stems. In spring it has creamy, white flowers and in autumn its leaves turn red. Dogwoods generally grow well (and look great) in front of an evergreen hedge where nutrients, water and sunlight are in short supply for other species.

Elder, Sambucus nigra

Elder is a small tree, popular for gardens. Many cultivated varieties exist with different coloured foliage and flowers - some of them are pale pink with deep purple-red foliage. It was once thought that if you burned elder wood you would see the devil, but if you planted elder by your house it would keep the devil away. In early summer you can use the fragrant flowers to make elderflower cordial, and in late summer the berries make a dark syrup to ward off colds.

Hawthorn, Crataegus monogyna

Hawthorn is an amazing tree for wildlife gardens and can be planted as a hedge or single tree. It has beautiful pink-white blossom in May and ruby-red berries, called haws, in summer. The appearance of the May blossom was the herald of the end of winter and the beginning of summer.

Hazel, Corylus avellana

In spring, hazel is laden with lovely 'lambs tail' catkins and in autumn it produces delicious nuts popular with people and wildlife. This responds well to close pruning. Hazel also has a reputation as a magical tree that provides protection.

Holly, Ilex aquifolium

Holly is a small, distinctive, easy-to-grow tree that suits any sized garden. Holly has tough, glossy, dark green, spiny leaves. Female trees have clusters of scarlet red berries that are ripe from October onwards that often stay on the bush throughout the winter. In winter, its branches, with their glossy, evergreen leaves and red berries, can be used to decorate your home.

Rowan, Sorbus aucuparia

It’s a wildlife magnet and pretty tree for every season. Rowan has silvery-brown bark and fern-like leaves which turn a lovely burnt red in autumn. In spring you’ll find clusters of creamy-white flowers followed by vibrant, orange-red berries in autumn. Don’t be fooled by its delicate appearance – rowan can grow at altitude hence its other common name, mountain ash. Its bitter, raw berries are rich in vitamin C and can be made into a delicious jelly for meats and cheeses.

Goat willow, Salix caprea

Goat willow's familiar 'pussy willow' is so called because of the silky, grey male catkins that resemble a cat’s paw. It’s a great tree for the garden and, unlike other willows, it has broad leaves rather than narrow ones. Its soft catkins appear in early spring and are one of the earliest food sources for early emerging bees. It’s useful to you too - you can decorate your home with sprays of pussy willow at Easter.