What Trees Do Councils Plant? The Best Urban Trees in the UK

What trees do councils plant, why they choose them, and how urban trees are changing the way our cities feel

If you cycle around a city regularly, you probably notice trees more than you realise.

There is the enormous London plane you pass on the way to work. The row of lime trees along a residential street. The little cherry tree squeezed into a pavement outside a café. The trees that give you welcome shade at a red traffic light on a hot summer’s day.

And then there are the streets with almost no trees at all.

You notice those too.

At Goodordering, we spend a lot of time thinking about how people move around cities – particularly by bicycle. But a cycle-friendly city isn’t just about cycle lanes and junctions. It is also about what the journey feels like.

A tree-lined cycle route feels different from a stretch of road surrounded by concrete and parked cars. Trees provide shade, soften busy streets and make walking and cycling more pleasant. They can turn an ordinary route into somewhere you actually enjoy travelling through.

But choosing an urban tree isn’t that simple. A council has to think about the size of the pavement, underground pipes and cables, soil, roots, buildings, traffic, pollution, future climate and how enormous that cute little sapling might eventually become.

So what are the best trees for UK cities – and why do councils choose them?

Why do cities need trees?

Urban trees do a remarkable amount of work.

They provide shade, help cool streets, intercept rainfall, support birds and insects and make built-up areas more attractive. They can also contribute to urban biodiversity and help create more pleasant environments for walking and cycling.

This becomes particularly important as summers become hotter. We have felt this recently with soaring temperatures in London over the last few weeks.

Anyone who has cycled across London on a sunny day knows the difference between a tree-lined street and a wide expanse of exposed tarmac. A little shade can make a surprisingly big difference.

Trees can also help manage rainfall. Their leaves and branches intercept some rain before it reaches the ground, while soil around trees can help slow down surface water.

And then there is the less measurable benefit: they make cities nicer places to be.

A row of mature trees can completely change the character of a street.

What makes a good urban tree?

A tree growing in a park has a relatively easy life compared with one growing beside a busy road.

An urban tree might have to cope with:

• Compacted soil
• Limited root space
• Air pollution
• Heat reflected from buildings and roads
• Drought
• Road salt
• Heavy foot traffic
• Cars parked around it
• Underground pipes and cables
• Regular pruning
• Very little natural habitat

And it has to do all this while growing next to buildings, roads, pavements and sometimes cycle lanes.

This is why councils increasingly think about the principle of “the right tree in the right place.”

A giant oak might be fantastic in a park but completely inappropriate for a narrow pavement.

Conversely, a small flowering tree might be perfect for a residential street but provide nowhere near enough canopy for a large city square.

15 of the best trees for UK cities

There isn’t really one definitive “best” urban tree. The ideal choice depends on the location.

But these are some of the most interesting trees for Britain’s towns and cities.

1. London Plane 

Platanus × acerifoli

If there were an official tree of the British city, the London plane would have a strong claim.

It is almost impossible to imagine parts of London without them.

Large, tough and capable of growing into enormous mature trees, London planes have become particularly associated with urban streets and parks.

Their mottled bark is one of their most recognisable features, while their huge canopy can provide valuable shade.

Why councils like them

They can tolerate many of the difficult conditions associated with city life and can become extremely long-lived trees.

Why cyclists like them

Shade. On a hot summer cycle, a long avenue of mature trees can be the difference between a pleasant ride and feeling like you’re cycling through a giant radiator.

Best for: Large avenues, parks and streets with plenty of space.

The catch:

They are enormous.

A London plane is not something you want squeezed into a tiny pavement simply because it looks good on the planting plan.

2. Lime

Tilia species

Lime trees have been planted in British towns and cities for generations.

They have attractive heart-shaped leaves, create a substantial canopy and can make beautiful avenues.

When they flower, they can also be valuable for insects.

Why councils like them

They combine an attractive appearance with a substantial canopy and can work particularly well along streets and avenues where there is enough room.

A Goodordering observation

A tree-lined avenue is one of those things you might barely notice when walking or cycling through it – until you travel along an equally long street without any trees.

Then you suddenly notice.

Best for:

Avenues, parks, residential streets and larger urban spaces.

The catch: Some lime species can produce sticky honeydew when aphids are present, which isn’t particularly popular with anyone who has just washed their car or parked their bicycle underneath one.

3. Oak

Quercus species

The oak is one of Britain’s great trees and, where there is enough space, it can be a fantastic urban tree.

Native oak supports an enormous range of insects and other wildlife and can live for centuries.

Why councils should plant them?

If you have the space to allow an oak to mature, you are essentially planting infrastructure for the future.

A mature oak can provide shade, habitat and character for generations.

Best for:

Parks, school grounds, large green spaces and wide verges. 

The catch:

It needs space.

A future 30-metre tree isn’t necessarily a brilliant idea beside a narrow cycle path or pavement.

4. Silver Birch

Betula pendula

Silver birch is one of Britain’s most recognisable trees, with its distinctive white bark and delicate foliage.

Unlike an enormous plane or oak, birch has a lighter, more airy appearance.

Why councils plant it

It can work in locations where a large, dense canopy isn’t appropriate.

Best for:

Parks, residential developments, gardens and smaller urban spaces.

Why it works in cities

It adds greenery without making the street feel completely enclosed.

5. Rowan

Sorbus aucuparia

Rowan is one of my favourites for urban planting.

It isn’t enormous, but it manages to pack a lot into a relatively modest tree.

It produces flowers, colourful berries and attractive autumn foliage.

Those berries can also provide food for birds.

Best for:

Smaller streets, residential areas, schools and community spaces.

Why it works

It is a good example of why “best urban tree” doesn’t necessarily mean “biggest tree”.

Sometimes a smaller tree that can thrive is far better than a huge species that is constantly fighting for space.

6. Field Maple

Acer campestre

Field maple is a native British tree that is particularly interesting for urban planting.

It can cope with a range of conditions and has attractive autumn colour.

Best for: Streets, parks, gardens and residential developments.

Why plant one?

It combines relatively manageable size with native wildlife value and seasonal interest.

That is quite a useful combination for a city.

7. Crab Apple

Malus species

Crab apples are brilliant little urban trees.

They flower beautifully in spring, produce colourful fruit later in the year and can provide food for wildlife.

They also don’t require the enormous amount of space demanded by an oak or plane.

Best for:

Small streets, courtyards, schools, community gardens and residential areas.

Small flowering trees can be particularly effective along quieter cycling routes. They create a beautiful dabbler shade cover.

Instead of designing every cycle route as a strip of asphalt with white lines, trees and planting can help create a more pleasant sense of place.

8. Hawthorn

Crataegus monogyna

Another native favourite.

Hawthorn produces beautiful spring blossom and berries later in the year, making it useful for wildlife.

It can also remain relatively modest in size.

Best for: Parks, verges, community spaces and wildlife-focused planting.

Why plant one?

Because an urban tree doesn’t have to be exotic or enormous to be valuable.

Sometimes the humble native species are the ones doing the most ecological work.

9. Hornbeam

Carpinus betulus

Hornbeam has a strong architectural appearance and makes an excellent substantial tree where there is sufficient room.

It has attractive foliage and good autumn colour.

Best for:

Avenues, streets, parks and larger developments.

Why plant one?

It is a useful combination of structure, longevity and urban adaptability.

10. Sweet Gum

Liquidambar styraciflua

If autumn colour is your priority, sweet gum is difficult to ignore.

Its leaves can turn spectacular shades of red, orange and yellow.

A street lined with mature sweet gums in autumn can be almost ridiculously photogenic.

Best for: Streets, squares and modern developments.

Why plant one?

Seasonal interest.

Cities can sometimes feel the same throughout the year, whereas trees constantly change the visual character of a neighbourhood.

11. Ginkgo

Ginkgo biloba

The ginkgo is one of those trees that makes you stop and look twice.

Its fan-shaped leaves are completely distinctive and turn brilliant yellow in autumn.

It also has a reputation for tolerating challenging urban conditions.

Best for: City streets, squares and formal urban spaces.

Why plant one?

Because cities need a little personality too.

Not every street tree has to look the same.

12. Disease-resistant elm

Ulmus cultivars

The elm was once a defining part of the British landscape before Dutch elm disease devastated populations.

Disease-resistant varieties now offer the possibility of bringing some of the traditional characteristics of elm back into streets and parks.

Best for:

Avenues, parks and larger streets.

Why plant one?

Large canopy, heritage value and greater species diversity.

And diversity is important.

13.Sycamore

Acer pseudoplatanus

Sycamore is sometimes controversial because it is not native to Britain and can spread readily.

But there is a reason it has become such a familiar sight.

It is tough.

It can tolerate difficult urban conditions and can provide substantial shade.

Best for: Larger urban spaces where its eventual size can be accommodated.

The downside

Its vigorous growth and non-native status mean it isn’t necessarily the first choice for every biodiversity-focused planting scheme.

14. Fruit trees

Apple, pear and plum trees have an obvious advantage over many ornamental street trees.

You can eat them.

Urban orchards and community fruit trees can provide blossom, wildlife habitat and food while bringing people together.

Imagine cycling through a neighbourhood in September and seeing residents collecting apples from a community orchard.

That feels rather different from simply planting another ornamental tree.

Best for:

Community gardens, parks, school grounds and community orchards.

15. Disease-resistant and climate-resilient varietiea

Perhaps one of the biggest changes in urban tree planting is that councils increasingly have to think about the future.

The tree being planted today might still be alive in 50 or 100 years.

Will it cope with hotter summers?

Will it survive drought?

Will new pests and diseases arrive?

Will extreme weather become more common?

This is why the future urban forest is likely to contain a greater variety of species and cultivars chosen for resilience.

🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳

A council can buy a 3–4 metre tree today, but that doesn’t mean it immediately provides the canopy of a mature tree.

UK urban tree comparison

Tree	Approx. time to useful mature size*	Typical tree price**	Main pros	Main cons
London Plane	15–25 years	£140–£260	Very tough; huge canopy; excellent shade; long-lived; iconic UK city tree	Gets enormous; needs lots of root/above-ground space; not suitable for narrow pavements
Lime	15–25 years	£120–£250	Excellent canopy; attractive; traditional street tree; good for avenues	Honeydew from aphids can make surfaces sticky; needs space
Oak	20–30+ years	£100–£300+	Outstanding wildlife value; huge canopy; exceptionally long-lived; native	Relatively slow to become substantial; ultimately enormous; needs lots of space
Silver Birch	10–20 years	£80–£200	Attractive white bark; relatively quick; lighter canopy; good visual impact	Relatively short-lived compared with oak/plane; can struggle in very dry urban sites
Rowan	10–20 years	£70–£210	Excellent berries for birds; blossom; autumn colour; manageable size	Smaller canopy; not the best choice where maximum shade is required
Field Maple	12–20 years	£85–£225	Native; adaptable; good autumn colour; useful medium-sized canopy	Not as large/shady as plane or lime
Crab Apple	8–15 years	£60–£180	Blossom; fruit; wildlife; compact; good for smaller streets	Small canopy; fallen fruit can become messy
Hawthorn	10–20 years	£60–£180	Native; excellent for wildlife; blossom and berries; relatively compact	Thorns; smaller canopy; less suitable where a large shade tree is wanted
Hornbeam	15–25 years	£120–£250	Tough; attractive structure; good canopy; good autumn colour	Needs reasonable space; slower than some fast-growing species
Sweet Gum	15–25 years	£150–£300	Exceptional autumn colour; good street-tree shape; substantial canopy	Non-native; can be relatively expensive; needs suitable soil and space
Ginkgo	15–25 years	£180–£325+	Extremely distinctive; drought tolerant once established; urban tolerant; excellent autumn colour	Relatively expensive; slower early growth; female trees can produce unpleasant-smelling fruit
Disease-resistant Elm	15–25 years	£150–£300+	Large canopy; heritage value; potentially brings elms back into cities	Cultivar availability; disease resistance isn’t necessarily absolute; can become large
Sycamore	10–20 years	£70–£200	Fast-growing; tough; good canopy; highly adaptable	Non-native; can spread aggressively; ultimately very large
Fruit trees	5–15 years	£50–£180	Food for people; blossom; wildlife; community value; relatively cheap	Fallen fruit; maintenance; smaller canopy; fruit production needs management
Climate-resilient species/varieties	10–25 years	£100–£350+	Better prepared for hotter/drier future; greater diversity	Some are relatively expensive or less well tested in UK urban conditions

* Very approximate. Establishment conditions, soil, watering, pruning, climate and whether the tree is planted as a small sapling or a semi-mature tree make a huge difference.

** These are indicative retail UK prices for reasonably substantial trees, not the cost to a council of buying thousands of trees. Current retail examples show, for instance, London planes around £140–£260 depending on girth, field maple around £180–£280 and ginkgo around £225–£350 for larger standard trees. 

One particularly interesting thing about the prices

You might expect the fastest-growing trees to be the cheapest but not necessarily.

The size you buy is often more important than the species.

For example, current UK nursery prices for field maple range from around £85 for a 1.5–2m tree to around £200–£280 for larger 10–16cm-girth specimens. 

A rowan currently sells for roughly £195–£210 for a 10–12cm-girth specimen, while a ginkgo of similar substantial size can be around £260–£325. 

And a London plane can actually be comparatively good value for the amount of eventual canopy it produces: current examples are around £180 for a 10–12cm-girth tree and £220 for a 12–14cm tree. 

🌳 The really important comparison: cost vs waiting time

If a council wants shade quickly

It could buy a semi-mature London plane, lime or field maple and have a reasonably substantial tree immediately.

But it will pay considerably more for that privilege.

Alternatively, it could plant a much smaller tree for perhaps a fraction of the price and wait 10–20 years for it to develop.

That creates an interesting urban-planning dilemma:

Do you plant 100 small trees cheaply and wait for them to grow, or plant 50 larger trees that immediately transform a street?

And there’s another complication: the larger tree isn’t automatically the better investment.

Large transplanted trees can experience greater establishment stress, while a younger tree planted into excellent soil with sufficient root space can establish very successfully.

Forest Research’s work on urban trees specifically looks at how benefits change with tree size and age, and finds substantial differences between small, medium and large-stature trees. 

Which trees give you the most bang for your buck?

🥇 Best overall: Field Maple

Why: reasonably priced, native, adaptable, attractive, medium-sized and doesn’t require the enormous space of a plane or oak.

It’s a really good “everyday city tree”.

🥈 Best for cycling shade: London Plane

If there is sufficient space, it’s hard to beat a mature plane for creating a substantial canopy over a street.

🥉 Best wildlife value for its size: Rowan

You get blossom, berries, autumn colour and a reasonably manageable tree.

💷 Best budget option: Crab Apple / Hawthorn

Particularly useful when space is limited and biodiversity is more important than creating a huge canopy.

🚀 Best for relatively quick impact: Sycamore

It grows quickly and is tough – although its non-native status and vigorous spreading make it a much more complicated recommendation.

🍂 Best for making a street beautiful: Sweet Gum

If you’ve ever cycled down a street lined with spectacular autumn trees, you’ll understand the appeal immediately.

🌱 Best long-term investment: Oak

You have to be patient.

But if you have the space, planting an oak is less like buying a tree and more like building something for the next generation.

Oak tree Photo by Jeremy Bishop tss

 🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳🌳

Why councils shouldn’t plant the same tree everywhere

Imagine cycling down a street lined with hundreds of identical trees.

It might look beautiful.

But from a tree-management perspective, it could be a disaster waiting to happen.

If a pest or disease particularly affects that species, a huge proportion of the urban forest could be vulnerable at the same time.

This is why tree diversity matters.

The often-discussed 10-20-30 principle suggests aiming for no more than 10% of an urban tree population being one species, 20% one genus and 30% one botanical family.

It isn’t a rigid rule, but it illustrates a useful idea:

Don’t put all your trees in one basket.

For cities, diversity is resilience.

Here is a graph showing the current breakdown of trees populating the streets of the UK.

Why bigger trees matter to cyclists

There is something worth remembering when councils plan new cycle routes and pedestrian spaces.

A newly planted sapling might look almost comically small next to a six-metre-wide road.

But the objective isn’t what the street looks like today.

It is what it could look like in 20 or 30 years.

A mature tree can provide significantly more canopy and shade than a young one.

That means urban planning should think about tree maturity, not simply tree numbers.

One magnificent mature tree can be far more valuable to a street than several tiny trees squeezed into inadequate spaces.

And that means giving trees enough soil and root space from the beginning.

Trees and cycling: the missing part of the conversation?

When we talk about making British cities more cycle-friendly, we often talk about infrastructure.

Cycle lanes.

Junctions

Bike parking.

Traffic calming.

Protected routes.

All of these things matter.

But there is another part of the experience that is harder to measure.

What does the journey feel like?

A protected cycle lane beneath a canopy of mature trees is a completely different experience from a cycle lane beside six lanes of traffic with no shade.

Trees can provide a visual buffer from traffic. They can make streets feel calmer and more attractive. They can create a stronger separation between different modes of transport.

And on a hot day, shade can be particularly welcome.

This is one reason I think trees should be considered part of cycling infrastructure – even though they aren’t technically cycling infrastructure.

The best streets are often the ones where trees, pedestrians, bicycles and buildings all work together.

What should the ideal UK city street look like?

Perhaps something like this:

A wide, accessible pavement.

A protected cycle lane.

Mature trees with enough space for their roots.

Rain gardens and planting areas.

Benches.

Bike parking.

Shops and cafés opening onto the street.

Safe crossings.

And enough greenery that you don’t feel as though you’re travelling through a giant car park.

It doesn’t have to look like a park.

It just needs to feel like a place where people belong.

Native trees vs non-native trees

Should British cities only plant native trees?

Not necessarily.

Native trees can be hugely valuable for British wildlife, but an urban environment is already a highly artificial ecosystem.

A busy London street isn’t a woodland.

Some non-native species can be particularly good at coping with heat, drought and difficult urban conditions.

The important question isn’t simply:

“Is this tree British?”

It is:

“Is this the right tree for this particular place?”

And increasingly:

“Will it still be the right tree 50 years from now?”

The best trees for different urban situations

The future of Britain’s urban forests

Britain’s towns and cities are going to need more trees.

But simply planting more trees isn’t enough.

We need the right trees, in the right places, with enough space to grow.

We need diversity so that one pest or disease doesn’t wipe out an entire generation.

We need trees that can cope with hotter, drier summers and more canopy in neighbourhoods that currently have very little greenery.

And we need to think about trees when designing streets, rather than trying to squeeze them into whatever space is left over.

For cyclists and pedestrians, this could make an enormous difference.

Imagine a future where cycling across a British city means moving through a sequence of green streets – mature trees overhead, planting alongside the cycle route, birds in the branches and somewhere shady to stop for a coffee.

That doesn’t sound like a small improvement to cycling infrastructure.

It sounds like a better city.

Final thoughts: plant trees for the people who come after us

The funny thing about planting a tree is that it is one of the few things we do in cities where the full benefit might not be seen for decades.

A council plants a tiny tree.

Someone cycles past it with a backpack.

A child walks underneath it on the way to school.

Twenty years later, that child might be cycling underneath the same tree with their own children, what an amazing thought.

The tree has become part of the neighbourhood.

That, perhaps, is what makes urban trees so special.

The best city trees aren’t simply decorations.

They are long-term pieces of infrastructure – providing shade, habitat, beauty, cooling and character while quietly making the everyday journey through a city a little more enjoyable.

And as someone who spends a lot of time thinking about bicycles and how people move around cities, I’d argue that trees deserve a much bigger place in the conversation about creating better cycling cities.

Because sometimes the difference between a journey you have to make and a journey you actually enjoy is simply a row of trees along the way.

#happycycling

——————

Some boring keywords to help this post get found! 🕶️

best trees for UK cities, best urban trees UK, trees planted by councils, urban trees UK, best trees for city streets, UK street trees, council tree planting, urban forestry UK

trees for cycling routes, trees and cycling, London street trees, climate resilient trees UK, trees for biodiversity, urban tree planting, city trees, best trees for London

———-

Ever wondered why your local council chose that particular tree? 🌳 From London’s famous plane trees to rowan, oak, lime and crab apple, choosing an urban tree is surprisingly complicated. We look at the best trees for UK cities – and why the humble street tree could also play a much bigger role in making our cities better places to cycle and walk. 🚲🌳

hashtags:

#UrbanTrees #CityTrees #UKCycling #CyclingUK #CyclingCities #UrbanCycling #LondonCycling #TreePlanting #UrbanForestry #GreenerCities #CityPlanning #SustainableCities #CyclingInfrastructure #BikeFriendlyCities #Goodordering