Scottish Tree Festival

Scotland is celebrating the beauty and majesty of its trees with its first-ever Scottish Tree Festival, taking place in forests, woodlands, gardens and parks across the nation until December.

The festival peaks during National Tree Week, at the end of November, with groups taking part including the Forestry Commission Scotland, the National Trust for Scotland, Historic Environment Scotland and the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh as well as a host of garden owners and nurseries.

Among the amazing trees you can see at over 70 events taking place during the Festival are the ancient holly at Castle Fraser, Scotland’s nominee for Tree of the Year in 2017 and thought to be as old as the castle itself. On the Isle of Skye you can join in with the Treefest at Armadale Castle, following a tree trail around the garden through trees nurtured from seed since Victorian times.  At Cluny House Gardens in Perthshire, enjoy stunning autumn colour from the garden’s 23 remarkable and champion trees including two giant sequoias with massive girths. And finally, there’s the Scottish Tree Festival at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, home to some of the finest trees in Scotland including Benmore’s avenue of 150-year-old giant redwoods and Dawyck’s Douglas firs, planted in 1835 from original seed sent home by Victorian plant hunter David Douglas.

You can create your own Tree Festival in your back yard this autumn, as it’s the ideal time for planting right now. There’s a tree for every garden no matter how large or small, and you’ll find a fantastic range here at the garden centre in Pickering, whether you’re after specimen trees for expansive gardens or compact Japanese maples for containers. Our expert staff will be on hand to help you choose the one to suit your needs, so pop in this week and we’ll be happy to advise.