Habitat Aid
 
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All Native Trees and Shrubs

We sell all British native trees and shrubs, which are listed below. Our smaller sized trees have guaranteed UK provenance, and we also sell a number of larger, standard sizes.

Many species are also available as whips in our hedge mixes.

We also offer selected collections of native trees for broadleaf woodland, wood fuel, and exposed and wet sites.



This useful, easy, and fast growing neatly shaped tree supports over 90 species. It has colourful yellow catkins in spring and cones in the winter, which attract Goldfinches. It needs moist soil of any type other than acid peats, and is commonly found in wet woods, fens, and streamsides - so numbers have fallen due to drainage and reclamation schemes.

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These fast growing vaulting domed trees will typically only live up to 200 years. They are distributed throughout Britain, but are shade intolerant and tend to grow on calcerous soils. Ash seeds encourage birds and small mammals.

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"The quaking aspen light and thin" only lives for 50 years. Their leaves tremble in the wind and make a noise described as a "rustling whisper". They are common throughout Europe, partly as they regenerate so quickly. They demand light and are wind tolerant - a good pioneer species. They also like heavy damp conditions, so can be used to improve clay soils.

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The majestic Beech has been here since before we were an island - pollen in Hampshire has been dated back to 6000 BC. It is an antisocial tree, growing best among its own - hilltop beech groves are one of the most beautiful landscape features of Southern chalk downlands. It is adaptable, growing in moist soils and tolerant of shade, but it is vulnerable to dry conditions and grey squirrel damage.

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Downy Birch is a valuable tree, although short lived. It looks similar to Silver Birch, but has a darker trunk and its shoots are covered in soft white hairs. It does well in the cold and wet, rather than the Silver Birch's prefernce for dry conditions. Like the other native Birch, however, it supports over a hundred insect species and its seeds attract birds, especially redpolls.

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Silver Birch is a pretty and valuable fast growing tree, although only living for up to 80 years. Like Downy Birch it supports over a hundred insect species and its massive numbers of seeds attract birds, especially redpolls. It also prefers full sun, typically of a pioneer species. Its graceful silver limbs hold small leaves, which give dappled shade and yellow in the autumn.

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Blackthorn is a fine hedge plant, slow growing but suckering freely and having needle like spines. Its habit makes it a fabulous refuge for small birds and mammals, who feast on its sloes, and a raft of moth and butterfly caterpillars feed on it. It is tough as old boots, and as a hedging plant lays well and forms a good stockproof - and people proof - barrier. Its prolific white flowers are an important nectar source in spring.

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Box only grows to around 6 metres - and slowly. It's also poisonous to livestock, which two characterstics mean it is not widely planted other than for formal gardens. It does best on lighter soils, and with some shade.

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Alder Buckhorn is a large shrub with glossy green leaves that turn yellow, contrasting with red berries in the Autumn. It prefers damp, peaty sites, and unlike Purging or Common Buckthorn is thornless. Both Buckthorns are, however, the only foodplants of the Brimstone butterfly.

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Common or Purging Buckthorn is an upright, spiny shrub usually found in scrub and hedgerows on chalky soil. Its black berries serve as what Richard Mabey describes as a "fierce" purgative. Both Buckthorns are the only foodplants of the Brimstone butterfly.

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Bird Cherry is a small tree found in the north, with pretty white flowers and bittersweet edible cherries which the birds crop. It's a very hardy tree that unlike the Wild Cherry does not sucker, so is often found on its own. Orchard ermine moth larvae feed on it and can strip it in the summer.

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Wild Cherries are fast growing short lived trees with high biodiversity value and all year round interest. Prolific white blossom attacts bees and insects in the spring, and birds and small mammals feed on its bitter fruit in autumn, when its leaves turn orange-red. They prefer relatively sheltered positions.

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The Crab Apple is a small tree of woods and hedges throughout Britain. It's relatively scarce; mostly you will now find cultivated varieties or "wilding" apple trees. The Crab's extended flowering period (pretty pale pink blossom) is helpful for bees as much as it is for cross pollinating other apple trees, and its fruit makes delicious jelly for us and good winter eating for the birds.

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The Common Dogwood is a large, colourful and versatile shrub. It does well in most conditions and suckers freely, making it a good hedging plant. It has red spring twigs and autumn foliage, delicate white flowers in the spring, and black berries that attract birds.

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Elder is a very fast growing, short lived, adaptable large shrub/small tree. Its many plates of fragrant white flowers are helpful for insects and cordial makers alike (try them lightly fried, too), and birds and winemakers can split the berries between them. The stems of a coppiced tree are very useful around the garden - hollow and light, but surprisingly strong.

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We don't sell any varieties of Elm. We're surrounded by them in the hedgerows hereabouts as - fortunately - they sucker so freely and lay relatively well - but leave them to grow to 20 feet and they succumb to Dutch Elm disease.

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Gorse is a very spiny, fast growing evergreen shrub that bears masses of intense Broom-like yellow flowers from January to June . It is happiest on dry sandy soils with a southerly aspect. Its habit makes it a great refuge for small birds and mammals, and its flowers are a good source of nectar for bees and butterflies. It is also a food plant for several moth and butterfly larvae.

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In this case, a rose isn't a rose, but the Guelder Rose is, notwithstanding, a very beautiful shrub. It has large lobed leaves which turn well in the autumn, and globes of white flowers in early summer, followed by bright red fruit.

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The Hawthorn or Quickthorn is a fast growing tree, beautiful in flower. Its habit makes it an ideal refuge for small birds, who feast on its red fruit. It is tolerant of most conditions, and as a hedging plant lays well and forms a good stockproof - and people proof - barrier.

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Hazel's yellow catkins ("Lamb's tails") are an invaluable source of early pollen for bees, and its nuts, an iron age human staple, are a boon for insects and small mammals. Not only is it an important hedging constituent because of its speed of growth and habit, but it is widely used for all manner of traditional coppice products.

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Holly is slow growing but tremendously useful, not only as an impenetrable evergreen screen, but also as it is very hardy; it grows in deep shade and on a wide range of well drained soil types. It is a good protective habitat for birds and small mammals, and of course they love the female plant's berries. Iti is the food plant of the Holly Blue. It transplants poorly, and we consequently sell it in containers rather than bare root.

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This large spreading tree looks very similar to Beech, although it's not related and has an attractive fluted and sinewy trunk. It's a useful tree, holding its leaves in winter in a hedge. (although not as a tree) and tolerating surpringly deep shade. Its wood is amazingly tough, hence it being known as "Ironwood", and burns well.

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Juniper is a small, slow growing, and short lived evergreen (up to 100 years), and is a pioneer species disliking the shade. Its habit can vary markedly; in exposed conidtions it is a low scraggy bush, but can grow to a neat column. Its dense spiky habit provides a winter roost for birds and cover for small mammals, which also feed on its berries.

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Now very rarely found in the wild, but often planted as a handsome large specimen tree, or in clumps in parkland. Unlike the Small Leaved Lime and Common Lime does not sprout side shoots from its base. Its flowers, produced in May/June, are a magnet for bees, and its nectar makes lovely honey. Needs moist, deep soil.

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More commonly found in the wild than Large Leaved Lime, and in Neolithic times about the most common tree in the country. When coppiced, leaving huge stools, can live to an extraordinary age - arguably at least 2,000 years. Its fragrant flowers, produced in May/June, are a magnet for bees, and its nectar makes lovely honey.

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A beautiful medium sized but fast growing tree, often found in mixed hedges and mixed woodland. Its leaves turn bright yellow, then orange brown in the autumn. In spring it has small yellow flowers, succeeded by red fruit.

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Myrobalan, or Cherry Plum, was introduced to Britain from Asia, but so long ago we have included it here. It is a useful fast growing small tree, with occasional spines. It lays well, and looks good in a hedge. We have a couple in our orchard, however, as they are among the first trees into blossom (from February), and their masses of pretty white flowers swarm with honeybees on a warm day. They will occasionally also bear fruit, which is red or yellow and rather sharp, but good for jam.

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The Pedunculate, Common, or English oak prefers heavier soils and will tolerate flooding, even by seawater. Its masses of acorns are very helpful feed for the pigs - and a host of small mammals. Its wood has, of course, been used for a vast array of products - ships, barrels, buildings - since time immemorial. It is the supreme native hardwood. The tree's cultural, ecological, and economic significance give it a unique place in British history.

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Sessile oaks are as long lived as Pedunculate oaks, regularly living over 500 years, but because of their less useful timber (and possibly lower acorn yields) have been planted much less

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Like the the Wild Pear is distinct from feral pears from pips. It is a slow growing small tree, tolerant of most well drained soils. Pretty white blossom, but then its fruit is hard and inedible to humans - not, however, to a myriad of small mammals.

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Don't confuse the Black Poplar with hybrids. Richard Mabey, in his excellent Flora Britannica, estimates there are only 4-6,000 of these long living trees left in the country, largely as a consequence of land reclamation and drainage. These are very fast growing landmark trees that need the wet.

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Wild Privet is only semi-evergreen, and rather larger and less compact than the Garden Privet which superceded it in gardens. It is a fabulous wildlife shrub, however. Its small flowers attract insects, and birds (especially Thrushes) enjoy the cover it affords and its black berries, which are poisonous to humans. Furthermore, it is a foodplant for a number of butterfly and moth larvae.

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Of the 14 native species of rose, the Dog Rose is the most common. It carries sweet-scented pink or white blooms and red hips in the autumn. It's a good plant for wildlife, offering a protective habitat and food supply for birds and small mammals, nectar for insects and bees, and a foodplant for several moths and butterflies.

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The Field Rose has white flowers with golden anthers and a heady scent. It is a scrambler with arching stems, less tall than the Dog Rose. It's a great plant for hedging offering a protective habitat and food supply for birds and small mammals, nectar for insects and bees, and a foodplant for several moths and butterflies.

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The Rowan, or Mountain Ash, prefers cool conditions and any soil other than heavy clay and calcareous. Pretty white flowers in June and large bunches of red berries, which are eaten by birds and small mammals. Its foliage turns nicely in the autumn.

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Scots Pines are immensely hardy - surviving the last Ice Age - and will grow almost anywhere. They are particularly tolerant of poor and dry soils and exposed sites, although do not like sea spray. As a conifer, it provides helpful cover for birds in the Winter; Coal Tits, Goldcrests, and Crossbills are associated with the tree in particular.

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This spiny shrub isn't really a Buckthorn, but it is a native species, originally found on the east coast - it is extremely hardy and salt tolerant. Its bright orange berries are eaten by birds.

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Distinct from the Service Tree Sorbus Domesticus, the Wild Service Tree, also known as the "Chequer Tree", is now one of our rarest native trees, concentrated in the southern Weald. At a distance it could be mistaken for an Acer in the autumn when its leaves turn bright red and copper. It flowers beautifully, however, in May.

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Spindle, or Spindleberry, is a very pretty shrub/small tree, with tiny flowers in Spring followed by dayglow pink berries enclosing orange seeds. In the unlikely event you don't spot them, you will see its beautiful Autumn foliage. It is found in ancient woods in hedgerows in the South. Beware - it is known to herbalists as a strong purgative.

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Another Viburnum, like the Guelder Rose, widely distributed in the south on chalk. It has creamy white lily scented flowers in May - June which attract bees and butterflies, and are followed by red berries that turn black as they ripen.

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Slow growing and short lived (up to 80 years), but a beautiful medium sized tree, particularly in the spring when its white leaves emerge. Bears small red fruit in the autumn, which the birds like. Whitebeam are particularly hardy and tolerant, and will thrive in exposed, cold, and coastal sites.

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Bay Willow is a handsome small tree naturally found in Northern areas. Its leaves smell of Bay when crushed. Male trees produce bight yellow catkins in early Summer.

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Small and rapid growing, pollards have lived as long as 1000 years across the UK. Unpollarded, they tend to split open under their own weight. Among its dependent species is the spectacular Purple Emperor, for which it is a foodplant. Evelyn, writing in the 17th century when it was also known commonly as "sally" or "wully", thought the roots slower growing but deeper than other salix.

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The odd one out - Goat Willow (or Pussy Willow, or Sallow) doesn't necessarily need wet. In the female form it has silver catkins. We have a beautiful old tree in the village that is covered with our bees as soon as it comes into flower. Useful for the church flowers, too.

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White Willow is identified by its beautiful silvery leaves, and often found with Alder. It is the largest of the British species. Together with Osier, a non native shrub species, it is traditionally used for making baskets and hurdles.

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Although the foliage is poisonous to livestock, birds and small mammals love the berries and the trees - or hedging - as a habitat. It doesn't seem to be grown much now as a specimen tree; when looking for a yew people tend to go more for the Irish variety, with its more fastigiate and tidy habit.

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This native broadleaf collection includes a selection of native trees typical of British lowland woodlands, including ash, beech, birch, cherry, field maple, and oak.

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This native broadleaf collection includes a selection of native (or nearly native!) trees suitable for wood fuel production. It consists of a mixture of ash, birch, sweet chestnut, hazel and willows.

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