Glasgow’s ‘Argyle Street Ash’ wins Tree of the Year 2025 as wildcard entry

The tree, which stands tall on one of the Scottish city’s busiest roads, was named the winner of the Woodland Trust’s competition on Thursday after several weeks of public voting.

Earlier this year, a panel of experts selected nine trees of differing ages and species for the shortlist, while the public were allowed to choose a 10th as a wildcard.

Those nominated included an oak that may have inspired Virginia Woolf and a lime representing peace in Northern Ireland, a nod to this year’s theme of “rooted in culture”.

But it was the Argyle Street Ash that pulled in the most votes after being put forward by David Treanor – an arborist from Glasgow who has been managing the tree in recent years.

Mr Treanor pointed to its reference in the 1951 book by journalist James Cowan, From Glasgow’s Treasure Chest, in which he describes the Argyle Street tree as “quite the most graceful ash I have seen”.

This quote hangs framed in the pub opposite the tree, which hosts Gaelic live music events.

As the winner of the competition, the ash will now progress to represent the UK in the European Tree of the Year finals in early 2026.

The Glasgow tree narrowly beat the “King of Limbs” oak that inspired a Radiohead album, and the photographic “Lonely Tree”, which sits on the edge of the Llyn Padarn lake in North Wales.

The ancient “Lady Jane Grey Oak” in Leicester’s Bradgate Park, and a majestic cedar with low-sweeping boughs where The Beatles were photographed at London’s Chiswick House, completed the top five in the rankings.

The Woodland Trust said the “rooted in culture” theme was chosen to celebrate how trees shape the cultural landscape in literature, music, poetry and art.

Adam Cormack, head of campaigning at the charity, said: “Trees really matter to people, and this is clear from the response we’ve seen to the Argyle Street Ash.

“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.”

Worthy winner

Laura Chow, head of charities at People’s Postcode Lottery, which supported the competition, said: “These trees, rooted in culture, show how valued they are by their communities, and the significant importance they have in our wider cultural history.

“What a worthy winner the Argyle Street Ash is.”

Writing in The Scotsman when the Argyle Street Ash was shortlisted, Mr Treanor said: “It’s time we began to reframe our urban trees — not just as risks or infrastructure challenges, but as vital presences in our collective landscape.

“They offer shade, beauty and calm. They improve our mental health. And in the case of this ash, they offer us something else entirely: a new story, one that cuts through the noise of loss with the clarity of endurance.

“We don’t often talk about hope when it comes to trees, especially not diseased ones. But perhaps we should.

“Because if one ash tree on Argyle Street can hold its ground, maybe others can too — if only we choose to let them.”