Tree of the Year 2025: Glasgow’s 'Argyle Street Ash' wins popular vote - and takes prestigious UK title

• Glasgow’s Argyle Street Ash has won the Woodland Trust’s 2025 Tree of the Year contest in a public vote
• This marks the second year in a row that a Scottish ‘wildcard’ nomination has won the competition
• Much-loved historic trees from London, Wiltshire, North Wales and Leicestershire made up the rest of this year’s top five

A verdant ash which cuts a striking figure on one of Glasgow’s busiest streets has cemented its place in history – as well as in the hearts of its local fans.

The ‘Argyle Street Ash’ has been crowned the Woodland Trust’s 2025 Tree of the Year, the conservation charity announced on Thursday evening (September 25). This year’s theme was ‘rooted in culture’, with the public able to vote for one of ten hand-picked finalists up until last week, each with a unique place in film, music, literature, or history.

“Trees really matter to people, and this is clear from the response we’ve seen to The Argyle Street Ash,” The Woodland Trust’s head of campaigning, Adam Cormack, said. “Trees inspire us to write stories and create art, whilst connecting us to cultural legacies and a sense of place.

“We encourage people to notice and enjoy the trees around them, and learn more about how they benefit us – from boosting biodiversity and wellbeing, to mitigating the effects of climate change,” he continued.

This is Scotland’s second publicly-nominated tree in a row to win Tree of the Year, after Lochaber’s Skipinnish Oak claimed the title in 2024 – although the retiring champion is found deep in planted conifer forest, rather than the heart of a city. The Argyle Street Ash will now go on to represent the UK in the European Tree of the Year competition early next year.

Here’s exactly why this year’s winning tree is so special, and which of the other spectacular offerings from across the UK came close to beating it out:

‘Quite the most graceful ash I have seen’

Thought to be around 175 years old and standing 75 feet tall, this urban giant stands alone on one of the busiest streets in Glasgow. The scrappy ash has survived Victorian industry, the Clydeside Blitz, redevelopment, and ash dieback disease – and is much loved by its community.

Just like its 2024 predecessor, the ‘lone tree of Finnieston’ was this year’s public wildcard, put forward by local David Treanor. It now counts politicians and musicians among its admirers, with Paul Sweeney MSP and Stuart Murdoch of Belle and Sebastian both backing it for UK Tree of the Year 2025.

In terms of its cultural and historical merit, the tree was described by James Cowan in his 1935 book on Glasgow’s local lore and city charms, From Glasgow’s Treasure Chest. He describes it as “quite the most graceful ash I have seen” – a quote that now hangs framed in the pub opposite the tree, where Gaelic live music still thrives.

The other trees which made the top five

The Argyle Street Ash narrowly beat out the King of Limbs in Wiltshire, an ancient and gnarled oak that served as the namesake for the 2011 Radiohead album. Close behind them came The Lonely Tree on the edge of the Llyn Padarn lake in North Wales - which may soon be a Netflix star.

The Lady Jane Grey Oak in Leicester’s Bradgate Park was next, a centuries-old tree said to once have had its top branches cut after the Nine Days Queen’s execution. Rounding out the top 5 was a majestic cedar with low-sweeping boughs, where The Beatles were famously photographed in 1966, at London’s Chiswick House.

Here are this year’s top 5 trees in full:

1. Argyle Street Ash, Glasgow
2. King of Limbs, Savernake Forest, Wiltshire
3. Lonely Tree, Llyn Padarn, Llanberis
4. The Lady Jane Grey Oak, Bradgate Park, Leicester
5. The Beatles' cedar tree, Chiswick House and Gardens, London

Want to give nature a helping hand at home? Here are four flowers in bloom right now you can add to your garden to support wildlife – and here’s everything you need to know about the September ‘super food’ to add to your bird feeder.