On behalf of all at Birmingham Botanical Gardens we wish to thank everyone for their generous support. Our ‘Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees’ project has enabled our Horticultural team to help protect, save and maintain happy, healthier trees at the Gardens. Thank you.

The tree canopy at the Gardens provides unique ecosystem benefits and a green canopy right in the heart of Birmingham. With over 500 magnificent indigenous and non-native trees, our biodiverse ‘urban lung’ helps contribute to vital net zero carbon targets to mitigate climate change by capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and producing oxygen.

Trees are fundamental to the survival of all life on earth, and we’ve been on a mission to help ensure these unique life-forces continue to grow in our landscape now, and for future generations.

With thanks to the support of our Members, visitors and individuals who share our love of all things ‘trees’, our Horticultural team have been working hard to ensure our trees survive and thrive! Your wonderful support has already made a lasting impact. Here’s a glimpse at what we’ve achieved:

Essential Tree Surveying: Our dedicated Tree Data Coordinator and volunteers, have surveyed over 500 trees, capturing vital information on our new iPad to help shape what a climate resilient tree canopy looks like in Birmingham.

Introducing our new ‘Garden Explorer’: Through auditing and geotagging, our extensive collection of trees is now available to view on our new Garden Explorer webpage! Making our collection accessible online not only enhances our visitor experience but serves as a valuable resource for scientific research, helping promote global plant conservation and supporting climate adaptation studies.

Saving our Copper Beech: Our 200-year-old treasure now has measures in place to reduce the compaction and protect it from disease having received a nutrient-rich mulch earlier this year – essential for the care of this huge giant!

Championing our Trees: Working with the Tree Register, we’re thrilled to announce that we have 7 national ‘champion trees’ and 32 locally significant specimens within our canopy, meaning we have some of the largest and tallest trees in Britain and Ireland! Visit our ‘Tours’ section on our Garden Explorer to take a peaceful walk through these magnificent champions.

Thanks to additional funding from The Community Environment Fund by West Midlands Combined Authority our Engagement and Learning Team have partnered with local organisations and community groups to explore local climate change adaption, developing educational resources to teach the next generation how to preserve our city’s valuable tree canopy.

We are immensely grateful to The Community Environment Fund supported by West Midlands Combined Authority for their significant grant. We are also very grateful to Birmingham Tree People, Black Country Woodturners, Civic Square, Fruit and Nut Village, Heart of Birmingham Vocational College, Retrofit Balsall Heath, Stories of Hope and Home and our team of staff and volunteers.

We would like to extend our special thanks to each and every individual who has supported and made a donation towards our tree care project. As an independent charity we rely on the generosity of funders, members and individual supporters who share our commitment to protect our unique heritage site and create a greener, more sustainable planet. Every donation, no matter how much, has made a real difference. Thank you.

‘Botanical Gardens have a responsibility to help conserve the natural world and, the more data we have about how trees perform here in Birmingham, the more we can contribute to efforts to protect trees in a changing climate.’ – Lance Goffort, Head of Horticulture at BBG

This campaign may be over, but there are still plenty of opportunities to donate if you would like to. You can learn more about our current campaigns by clicking here!