Free Garden Trees in Edinburgh

Free Trees is a scheme which allows local residents to pick up a free tree for their garden in Edinburgh. The scheme is part of the Million Tree City initiative which aims to have a million trees in Edinburgh by 2030. Edinburgh and Lothians Greenspace Trust have partnered up with City of Edinburgh Council and The Woodland Trust to help to deliver the free tree giveaway. Its aim is to encourage residents to plant 55,000 trees in their gardens by 2030.

The scheme initially involved distributing 1,000 trees from February to March 2023. We then distributed a further 9,000 trees  from November 2023 to March 2024. Edinburgh residents were able to come along to our tree collection events across the city where they could pick up their free tree along with guidance on how to plant and maintain their new tree.

All trees were native to Scotland and included wild cherry, bird cherry, rowan, hazel, silver birch, downy birch and alder.

Thank you to everyone who has planted a tree in their garden! Please do get in touch with us at treetime@elgt.org.uk with any updates on your trees and photos. 

Residents are encouraged to record where the trees are being planted on Treezilla.

For information on how to plant and care for your new tree, click here!

The scheme was launched by Cllr Val Walker, Culture and Communities Convener at the Inch Nursery and promoted by the Edinburgh Evening News in February 2023. See a video here to find out more.

Cllr Val Walker launching the Free Tree initiative at Inch Nursery in February 2023.

Our team giving away trees at St Johns RC Primary School in November 2023.

Thank you to everyone who has sent in photos of the trees they have planted!