Why native trees are a gift to wildlife

Planting a native tree is one of the most generous things you can do for British wildlife. An English oak supports more than 280 insect species, from caterpillars to gall wasps. Those insects are the engine room of the food chain: a pair of blue tits may need 100 caterpillars a day to feed their chicks. Silver birch supports over 300 insect species. Rowan, or mountain ash, is smaller but still a magnet, with spring blossom for early bees and autumn berries for thrushes, redwings and fieldfares.

Native trees also give shade. On a hot day, an oak or birch canopy can lower the temperature beneath it by several degrees, creating a cool refuge for you and garden birds. Leaf litter feeds worms, beetles and fungi, which in turn feed blackbirds, robins and hedgehogs. A native tree is a whole habitat in one plant.

Choosing the right tree and the right spot

Match the tree to your space. English oak is magnificent but huge: allow at least 15 metres of height and spread, away from buildings and drains. Silver birch is lighter and faster, tolerating poor, sandy or acidic soils; its airy canopy casts dappled shade. Rowan is ideal for smaller gardens, reaching 8–10 metres with lovely autumn colour. All prefer sun, though birch copes with light shade. If your soil is heavy clay, improve it with compost; if it is sandy, add well-rotted manure.

Plant on the south or west side of a patio for summer shade, but keep 5–10 metres from buildings, drains and underground cables. Avoid overhead wires and frost pockets. Check for honeydew: oak aphids produce a sticky coating that can mark cars and furniture. If your plot is tiny, consider hawthorn or hazel instead, but the planting advice below still applies.

Planting your sapling step by step

Autumn is best, from November to March, when the tree is dormant. Bare-root saplings are cheap and establish well. Dig a hole twice the width of the roots and the same depth. Fork the bottom. Position the tree so the root collar – where roots meet trunk – sits at soil level. Spread bare roots over a small mound and trim any damaged ones. If the soil is dry, water the hole before planting.

• Drive a short stake (about 60 cm) at 45 degrees into the prevailing wind, and tie with a soft tree tie.
• For container-grown trees, use a vertical stake and a tie that allows movement.
• Backfill, firm gently, and water well.
• Mulch with a 5–7 cm ring of well-rotted manure or bark, clear of the trunk.
• Fit a rabbit guard or spiral guard to protect the bark.
• If deer are about, use a taller mesh guard.

Watering and care through the early years

Young trees need help for two or three summers. Water during dry spells: 10–20 litres per week, poured slowly around the root zone. A good soak is better than little and often. In very dry spells, a soaker hose or a watering can with a rose is ideal. Keep a 1-metre circle free of grass and weeds, which compete for water. Top up mulch each spring – composted bark also suppresses weeds.

Check ties and stakes annually, and remove the stake after two or three years. Protect against rabbits, deer and voles. Never spray aphids on oak: they feed birds, ladybirds and hoverflies. Rowan berries may be stripped by birds, which is exactly what you want. Prune only dead or crossing branches, in winter. No fertiliser is usually needed.

A legacy of shade and song

As your tree grows, it will reward you. Blue tits, great tits, nuthatches and treecreepers will search the bark for insects. Chaffinches and robins will nest in the crotches. You may even see a treecreeper spiralling up the trunk. In autumn, rowan berries draw redwings and fieldfares. In summer, you sit in cool shade, listening to the leaves.

An oak can live 500 years or more; birch for 60–90; rowan for 80–100. Planting one is a small act with a long echo. Water it through dry spells, protect it from nibbling, and let it grow. The wildlife will find it, and so will you.