Reflecting On A Season of Urban Tree Planting

1 April 2026 2 minute read

Manorway Green 061225 Saoirse Clohessy 20
Group of volunteers at Manorway Green community tree planting day

As we welcome April, we wrap up yet another wonderful planting season — another year of planting trees and engaging with volunteers across the country.

We also ended the season celebrating a huge charity milestone of planting our 2 millionth urban tree!

Greening London

Across our London planting projects, we planted over 5,000* trees (whips and standards) with help from enthusiastic and passionate urban communities, schools, and volunteers! We also planted bulbs and perennials on our estate projects to bloom in years to come.

This planting will introduce new species, provide more seasonal colour, improve biodiversity, and help mitigate pollution — bringing the many benefits of trees to the locals, wildlife, and the environment!

*Our final planting numbers will be confirmed later in the year with the release of our next Annual Report.

Millwall Park 310126 Saoirse Clohessy 47
Volunteers planting standards in Millwall Park, Tower Hamlets

Volunteer Reflections

Was a very worthwhile event that helped me to feel useful and helped with my isolation & depression.

Volunteer, Padstow House Community Planting Event

Great to feel so connected with nature and getting my hands dirty. Feels like this is the most real work I've done in years!

Volunteer, Sipson Meadow Community Planting Event

Getting to plant a tree, help nature and get social is very fulfilling. I think events like these should continue to happen and our green space should be protected.

Volunteer, Millwall Park Community Planting Event

Padstow House 021125 Ahmed Kamara 82
Volunteers planting a tree together with a Volunteer Planting Supervisor at Padstow House, Tower Hamlets

We wrapped up our planting season with a special planting day that included de-paving at Island Gardens in Tower Hamlets. With the help of 28 wonderful volunteers, we planted 3 new trees and thousands of bulbs and perennials on the estate.

The de-paved areas were previously unused by residents and were transformed to increase tree canopy cover, provide shade and cooling in the summer, slow the flow of rainwater, enhance the area's biodiversity, and improve its appearance.   

Island Gardens 210326 Beforeand After
Before and after of de-paving and planting at Island Gardens, Tower Hamlets

Growing a greener Hartlepool

Our urban greening projects take place across the UK, often in areas where trees are lacking and urgently needed. This year, we celebrated our first planting season in Hartlepool since launching the multi-partner Tree Equity for Hartlepool project.

We planted trees at two sites, Bishop Cuthbert and Phoenix Centre, with the help of the local community, including school students, residents, volunteers, project partners and funders.

Thank you!

We can't thank our supporters enough for all their help and hard work. To all of our volunteers, funders, and partners, thank you for helping us make our work possible!

We couldn't have got these trees in the ground without your help and passion to make a green impact 💚

A special thanks to Postcode Lottery players for their continued support. 

Sipson Rec 291125 Ahmed Kamara 56
A group photo of volunteers at the Sipson Recreation Ground community planting day

How to get involved

  • Stay informed

    Stay informed

    Subscribe to our monthly newsletter, Tree Times, and stay in the loop with our latest news, events, and fundraising opportunities.

  • Donate

    Donate

    Your support will help to plant and protect urban trees across the UK, for greener, healthier, happier towns and cities.

  • Trees for Streets

    Trees for Streets

    Our street tree sponsorship scheme enables residents and businesses to green their communities, bringing the benefits of trees to where they live.

Donate to Trees for Cities and together we can help cities grow into greener, cleaner and healthier places for people to live and work worldwide.

Donate