This award-winning tree is shaped like an 'N' for a very sweet reason
A Beech tree, grafted into the shape of an 'N' more than a century ago as a symbol of one man's love for his young sweetheart, has been crowned England's Tree of the Year 2018 by The Woodland Trust.
'Nellie's Tree' was the work of Leeds man Vic Stead. He would walk along the old colliery railway line to his home in Garforth after visiting his lover, 'Nellie', in the nearby village of Aberford.
On one of his many walks, he decided to impress the woman he would go on to marry by grafting three Beech saplings into the shape of an 'N'. It's now the setting for many proposals, and is affectionately known as the 'Love Tree' by locals.
Enchanting trees in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have also been crowned regional winners and shortlisted for the overall UK Tree of the Year 2018 award.
Scotland
They include 'Netty’s Tree' on the island of Eriskay in the Outer Hebrides. Planted by Scottish poet, priest and land rights activist Father Allan McDonald over 100-years-ago, this Spruce was, until recently, the only tree on the windswept island.
Netty MacDonald lived on the croft nearby. She would encourage the local children to climb and play on the tree because their laughter reminded her of her own kids who had grown-up and moved away. Her daughter now lives in Netty's former home. The tradition continues today.
Wales
Wales' winner has a link to royalty. Pwllpriddog Oak stands in a hedgerow near Rhandirmwyn in Carmarthenshire and, at eight-metres-wide, it's hard to miss.
Local lore estimates the tree to be between 600 and 700-years-old. It is reputed to have been the hiding place of a king; the local pub is known as the Royal Oak, after all.
The grand Oak is now completely hollow. Choirs and bands often perform inside, while ducks from the local farm also roost in its branches.
Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland, a giant Redwood took the top spot. Castlewellan's multi-stemmed giant sequoia stands within the castle's magical walled garden in County Down.
It's a sight to behold thanks to the 19 trunks that make up this one majestic tree, grown from seed in 1856.
Renowned Victorian plant collector William Lobb brought the supersize sapling to Castlewellan from the Sierra Nevada mountain range in California to impress the castle's tree-loving owners.
The winning tree in each country is eligible for a Tree Care award of £1,000. The public now has until 24th October to vote for their favourite UK tree. The UK Tree of the Year 2018 award winner will go on to represent Great Britain in the European Tree of the Year competition.
('You Might Also Like',)
