Trees for Healthcare bundles 2025-2026
For the 25/26 planting season NHS Forest will again be supplying fully funded tree bundles to NHS sites throughout England, Wales and Scotland. The bundles contain a mix of different species that have been designed to provide a variety of benefits, such as attracting wildlife or providing spring colour. Ranging in size from 30 to 120 trees, applicants may request a maximum of two bundles of any type subject to stock availability.
The trees in our bundles are cell grown seedlings which, while initially small, will with care and maintenance rapidly establish and develop into a beautiful asset for your healthcare site. Young trees can be vulnerable to damage from browsing by animals, so we’ll supply a 60cm biodegradable tree spiral and bamboo cane for each tree; spirals should withstand rabbits and other small mammals, though more substantial protection may be required if there is a significant deer presence on site. And to assist with weed suppression while the trees establish, we’ll also include mulch mats and anchoring pegs with non-hedging bundles too.
The tree shelters in our bundles are 100% plastic free! Find more information about NHS Forest’s approach to plastics.
Small bundles (30 trees; 3 species)
Birds and Berries is a small wildlife focused bundle that will develop into a valuable source of food and shelter for birdlife as the trees establish. A mix of bird cherry, dog rose and elder, these fruiting species are ideal for gardens or can be used to create a mini nature reserve.
Ecosystem service focus: biodiversity and aesthetics
Sensory Spaces contains non-prickly, non-toxic and visually stimulating species suitable for use a sensory garden. Field maple, goat willow and silver birch are perfect trees to create a tranquil and relaxing outdoor environment that can be enjoyed by patients and staff.
Ecosystem service focus: recreation and relaxation
Urban Oasis is ideal for built up areas with limited space for planting, or to supplement areas with existing tree cover. Each bundle contains crab apple, hazel and rowan, smaller trees that will tolerate compact soils and thrive in urban settings, both planted together or dispersed.
Ecosystem service focus: air quality and pollution mitigation
Want to know more about planting in small spaces? Read our two-part blog.
Medium bundles (60 trees; 5 species)
Hedgerow Habitat bundles contain a mix of shrubby species: blackthorn, dogwood, field maple, hawthorn and hazel. They are perfect for creating or gapping up hedgerows, for screening, or to boost ecological connectivity. Each bundle can be used to plant c. 10 m of double row hedging.
Ecosystem service focus: screening / shelter
Shelter and Shade bundles are intended to be used to create bands of trees for shelter, acoustic and visual screening, or to mitigate against soil erosion. A mix of alder, field maple, goat willow, hawthorn and silver birch, the trees could also be spaced to create cool, shaded areas at larger sites.
Ecosystem service focus: shade / air temperature / shelter
Wellbeing and Calm bundles can be used to create green spaces that support mental and physical health. Each bundle contains crab apple, elder, rowan, silver birch and wild cherry, mid-sized trees selected for their visual qualities and intended as a focus point in natural therapeutic environments.
Ecosystem service focus: mental health and wellbeing
Large bundles (120 trees; 6 species)
Blossom and Colour is the most visually focused bundle, characterised by blossom, berries and autumnal leaves. A mix of bird cherry, blackthorn, crab apple, hawthorn, rowan and wild cherry, the trees can be used singularly to add colour to open spaces or planted as a diverse native copse.
Ecosystem service focus: aesthetics
Foraging Feast bundles will appeal to those with a taste for wild food. Featuring a selection of native fruit and nut species this combination of blackthorn, crab apple, dog rose, elder, hazel and silver birch is perfect for forest gardens and other productive spaces.
Ecosystem service focus: wild foods
Wildlife Wonderland bundles are ideal to establish or expand green spaces to benefit environmental and community health. Alder, dogwood, field maple, goat willow, hawthorn and wild cherry can support a high level of biodiversity when used to create verdant habitat for birds and animals.
Ecosystem service focus: wildlife habitat
Our tree species
Our tree bundles are made up of native trees and shrubs, all grown in the UK from domestic seed. The mixes have been selected to deliver specific thematic outcomes that will benefit patients, staff, and wildlife, and comprising generalist species that should thrive in most locations.
Trees have distinct characteristics, and a number of factors will determine whether a species is suitable for a given location. The following is intended as a brief introduction to the trees used in our bundles, but please get in touch if you are unsure about whether a particular tree or mix will be appropriate for your site.
Worried about space? Read our two-part blog about planting in small spaces.
Alder (Alnus glutinosa)
Size: 20 metres at maturity
Closely associated with wetland environments, this water tolerant tree has leathery, heart-shaped leaves and catkins which appear between in early spring; the female catkins eventually turn into a cone containing seed.
Bird cherry (Prunus padus)
Size: 10 – 15 metres at maturity
Also known as hackberry, bird cherry has grey-brown bark and oval leaves with fine, chiselled serrations. Fragrant white flowers emerge in the spring, developing into the red-black cherries that are a favourite of its namesake birdlife.
Blackthorn (Prunus spinosa)
Size: 6 – 7 metres at maturity
A dense shrubby tree with toothed leaves and creamy-coloured flowers and blossoms in bloom from around March. The flowers develop into blue-black fruits called sloes which can be used to flavour gin.
Crab apple (Malus sylvestris)
Size: 7 – 9 metres at maturity
Britain’s native wild apple, this compact often gnarled tree has toothed oval leaves and sweetly scented blossoms. The fruit is often used to make jelly, or is an excellent source of food for wildlife, especially birds.
Dog rose (Rosa canina)
Size: 1 – 3 metres at maturity
A small climbing shrub often found in hedgerows and on scrubland, dog rose has small, toothed ‘leaflets’ arrayed in pairs along its stems and characteristic oval-shaped rose hips that blossom into large pink or white flowers.
Dogwood (Cornus sanguinea)
Size: 10 metres at maturity
A small broadleaf shrub with oval leaves and creamy white flowers that bloom into spring before developing as small black ‘dogberries’. Dogwood is noted for autumn colour, its leaves turning crimson before they fall.
Elder (Sambucus nigra)
Size: +10 metres at maturity
A mid-sized tree with grey-brown bark and feathery toothed leaves. Fragrant creamy flowers emerge from May and develop into small purple berries. Both flowers and berries are edible when cooked.
Field maple (Acer campestre)
Size: 15 – 20 metres at maturity
A long-lived slender tree with characteristic round lobed leaves. Clusters of small, yellow-green cup-shaped flowers emerge in the spring, developing into large, winged fruits (sometimes known as ‘helicopters’).
Goat willow (Salix caprea)
Size: 6 – 10 metres at maturity
A small, scrub-forming tree with oval leaves and soft pawlike catkins, goat willow is commonly found in damp areas, woodlands and hedgerows. Salicin, the precursor to aspirin, is derived from (and named for) willow bark.
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
Size: 15 metres at maturity
A dense thorny shrub with toothed leaves, white flowers and red fruits known as ‘haws’. Often associated with hedging, hawthorn can also develop as a small tree in its own right and will support a wide range of wildlife.
Hazel (Corylus avellana)
Size: + 10 metres at maturity
Commonly coppiced for timber, hazel is a mid-sized tree with yellow catkins and small bud-like flowers; when pollinated it will develop oval fruits and ultimately edible hazelnuts enjoyed by humans and small mammals alike.
Rowan (Sorbus aucuparia)
Size: 8 – 15 metres at maturity
The NHS Forest team’s favourite tree, rowan is small and hardy with distinctive serrated leaflets and clusters of white flowers that develop into attractive bright red berries, a rich source of autumnal food for wild birds.
Silver birch (Betula pendula)
Size: 20 – 30 metres at maturity
A mid-sized, pale white tree with small triangular leaves and catkins similar to its cousin, downy birch. Mature trees have light, open canopies, making silver birch ideal as a garden tree or part of a mixed native woodland.
Wild cherry (Prunus avium)
Size: 18 – 25 metres at maturity
A popular ornamental tree, wild cherry has shiny reddish-brown bark and toothed oval leaves. But it is the white blossoms and red fruits that are the true stars of the show, both aesthetically and for insects and birdlife.
How many trees do I need?
Thirty trees can be used to create a small copse covering about 200 m². As a rule of thumb, planting with between 2.5 and 3-metre spacings works well for assemblages of trees as this leaves enough space for establishment and access for maintenance, while not putting the trees in competition with each other for water and light.
For small clusters of trees it is possible to increase the density up to 2 metre spacing, or as low as 5 metres for a more ‘open’ tree space. While it is possible to plant them individually, the trees as supplied are less than 1 metre tall as supplied and can look a bit lost planted over large areas. Thought should be given to how you will demarcate single trees until they are large enough to be obvious as intentional planting to grounds maintenance staff – particularly in areas of grass.
For hedging, 5 plants per metre works well to create a double staggered row hedge (optimal for wildlife), leaving at least 40 cm between rows.
Check out NHS Forest’s more detailed guide to planting densities spacings and layouts.