Helping communities blossom

We're working with partners to give communities more access to nature through the creation of green spaces and circles of blossom trees.
We hope these natural places will give people space for hope and reflection as we move forward from the pandemic and the chance to celebrate the beauty of spring year after year.
During the next five years, we'll be helping to plant circles of blossom trees in cities across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
We know that nature has been hugely comforting to many of you during the pandemic. Last year, the sight of spring blossom, beautiful but fleeting, brought pleasure and reassurance, reminding us that the rhythm of the natural world continued even though all other aspects of our lives had changed.
But we also know that too few people can connect to nature near where they live. The project will create beautiful spaces for communities to come together and experience the natural world. What's more, every tree planted will help us meet our commitment to plant 20 million trees during the next decade, which is part of our work to tackle the climate crisis.
Blossom projects at our places
Along with helping cities to blossom, over the next few months 46 new blossom projects will be getting underway at National Trust places across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, supported by players of People’s Postcode Lottery, CJ Wildlife and the National Trust.
With the first blossom circles being created in east London – an area that has seen some of the worst impacts of the pandemic – earlier this year, further blossom-inspired spaces will be following in London's footsteps. A new blossom garden has been announced for Coventry as a City of Culture legacy, and Newcastle, Nottingham and Plymouth, have confirmed their location and design ideas, funded in part by players of the People’s Postcode Lottery.
The majority of the new blossom gardens will be planted this autumn and will open in spring 2022.
Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, London
The first of the Blossom Gardens was opened at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London on 24 May 2021. It features a total of 33 trees, including cherry, plum, hawthorn and crab apple, representing the city's 32 boroughs and the City of London.
The garden was opened in a ceremony by the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who was joined by Hilary McGrady, Director-General of the National Trust, and representatives from key worker communities such as the NHS, Transport for London and other frontline roles.
Local communities have been involved in the creation of the site, which commemorates the lives lost from coronavirus and honours the key workers. The London Blossom Garden has been created in partnership with the Mayor of London with support from Bloomberg, working with Rosetta Arts and landscape architects The Edible Bus Stop and Davies White Landscape Architects.
" Our vision is for nature, beauty and history for everyone. Our simple ambition with this project is to bring all of these elements together in the creation of green, nature-rich havens in the very heart of urban areas that are also beautiful and inspiring spaces people can use. "