Why Native Trees Pay Their Way

A bird table tops up a diet; a native tree supplies one. That is the difference worth remembering when you are deciding what to plant this winter. Our garden birds evolved alongside our native trees, and the insects that feed on those leaves are the insects our chicks can digest. A single rowan can carry dozens of moth caterpillars in May, precisely when blue tit nestlings need them most, and it will follow that generosity with a crop of berries in late summer that blackbirds, redwings and fieldfares will strip before Christmas.

Native trees also bring a rhythm to a garden. Blossom in spring feeds early bees, catkins and seeds see siskins and redpolls through the lean weeks, and leaf litter underneath gives blackbirds and dunnocks somewhere to fossick. If you only have space for one tree, choose it as carefully as you would choose a fruit tree, because it will outlive most of your other planting.

Three Trees That Earn Their Space

• Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia). The best all-rounder for a modest garden. It reaches roughly eight metres, tolerates most soils except the very wettest, and its scarlet berries are eaten by thrushes, waxwings and blackcaps. Plant a single tree and you get blossom, berries and autumn colour in one.
• Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna). Happiest on heavy clay, where it shrugs off both drought and waterlogging. Its dense thorny growth makes a safe nesting site, and it supports a remarkable range of insects. Berries ripen late and often survive into January, which is exactly when birds need them.
• Birch (Betula pendula). Fast, airy and brilliant for seed-eaters. Its tiny winged seeds are a magnet for siskins and redpolls, and its bark hosts insects other trees do not. It does best on acid, sandy or light soils, and dislikes heavy, wet clay.

If you have room for a fourth, consider crab apple or field maple. Crab apple suits almost any soil and crops heavily; field maple is excellent on chalk and gives fine autumn colour.

Match the Tree to Your Soil and Space

Before you order anything, do two quick jobs. First, check your soil: squeeze a handful. If it forms a sticky ball, you have clay; if it trickles through your fingers, it is sandy or light; if it fizzes when you add vinegar, it is alkaline. Second, pace out the space, remembering that you are planting for the canopy, not the sapling.

As a rough guide, allow a rowan or hawthorn around six to eight metres of eventual spread, and birch rather more. In a courtyard or a narrow front garden, look for upright forms rather than planting a full-sized tree and pruning it into misery. Birch and rowan both have slender, columnar selections that suit a tight corner.

Keep trees well away from drains, foundations and overhead cables, and remember that birch is shallow-rooted, so it will compete with anything you plant beneath it. Underplant with bulbs and woodland perennials rather than thirsty shrubs.

Planting: Get the First Hour Right

Bare-rooted trees are cheaper, establish faster and are available from November to March while they are dormant. Plant on a mild, frost-free day when the ground is not waterlogged. Dig a hole wider than the roots spread but no deeper than the nursery soil line, fork the base to break up any pan, and position the tree so the old soil mark sits level with the surface. Backfill in layers, firming gently with your heel as you go, then water thoroughly even if rain is forecast.

Fit a spiral guard against rabbits and voles, and stake only if the site is windy or the tree is tall. A short stake, driven in at an angle and tied low, lets the trunk flex and thicken. Finish with a mulch of well-rotted bark or compost, five to seven centimetres deep, pulled clear of the trunk to prevent rotting.

Caring for Young Trees Without Fuss

The first two summers decide whether your tree thrives or merely survives. Water deeply once a week in dry spells, giving ten to twenty litres per tree, rather than little and often. Keep grass and weeds a metre clear around the base for the first three years, because they take moisture and nutrients your tree needs.

Prune only to remove dead, damaged or crossing growth, and do it between November and February, well outside the nesting season. Hawthorn especially should be left alone from March to August, when it is likely to hold a nest. Resist the urge to tidy fallen leaves and berries: they are the larder.

Small Gardens, Pots and Patio Trees

No lawn, no border? A rowan or crab apple will grow happily in a large container for many years, provided you use a soil-based compost, stand it on feet for drainage and water it diligently. Even a balcony can hold a compact birch in a deep pot, and the birds will find it. Whatever you choose, plant it this winter, and by the spring after next you will hear the difference before you see it.