Woodland Garden Advice

I'd be inclined to think of birch too. Silver birch are native to Ireland and they make lovely trees but they don't cast a heavy shadow. They're also very good for supporting biodiversity.

I'd put in a hazel or two and a willow while I was at it. You can hack away at them if they get too big and the wood is very useful for different little jobs.

There are few pleasures that will match the satisfaction of swinging gently in a hammock strung between two birches you planted yourself.

you have good list there, I would add hawthorn, alder and elder. Avoid blackthorn as that can be bit invasive and better suited for farm hedgerows. For hedge do double or triple row 3-5 plants per sqm, woodland 1 tree per 5-7sqm. Go with small bare root saplings, they are cheap and easy to establish. Also consider to sow native wildflowers, will give you great display and boost biodiversity :) Good luck

Here is suitable native mix for orchard, perfect for woodland and light shade https://www.growitbio.com/product-page/irish-native-wildflowers-orchard-mix

Leaving sward will get you lots of grass which important habitat in their own right but not really a wildflower meadow

Agreed, they're great for wet ground but can be dominant in mixed planting. Birch, holly , hawthorn, rowan, hazel and guelder would all be suitable.

I'd suggest leaving out the Yew, you are in a pretty built up area and Yew is very toxic. I know its not something local kids are likely to graze on and you don't have livestock, but still. I like to see silver birches in little groves with a bit of space round them, but that's just me.

Something to consider is that while variety is nice, a copse of a single type of tree is very effective.

I have areas where, in the early stages of planting, I put in a hodgepodge of different trees. I regret doing that because the places where I grouped a single species together are much more pleasing. I'm not a fan of alder at all but I have an area that's mostly alder and it's one of the nicest parts.

I have birches that have really come on in the last two years and every time I pass through them I think that in another year or two it will be heavenly.

I've planted about seven acres and it hasn't all been successful but one of the things I've learned is that grouping trees together works best.

When you see pictures of beautiful woodland it's usually mostly single-species with one or two other trees.

I'd probably have mostly birch with maybe three or four rowan at one end. Once they get established I'd encourage ferns and bluebells on the forest floor.

Good advice above, personally I'd use 7 to 9 birch as the mainstay and then intersperse single species of the rest, bar crab apple which I'd plant elsewhere as a single tree too.

Wouldn't be keen on elder personally, as it's likely to seed and take over due to it's speed of growth.

OP, do you know what I'd do in your position? I'd look around for a patch of woodland I like the look of in your area and I'd copy it! Make note of the mix of trees, how they're spaced etc.

I wish I had done that earlier in the process here!

Can I put a dampener on this. The neighbour’s house seems to right up to the fence so you need to keep roots away from that too. Give it the same distance as from your house to avoid problems with their foundations and drains.

You might be better doing a group of the same tree as far away as you can from the houses. Use native shrubs to fill in the rest, or add some small fruit trees which you can share with wildlife.

Apologies if I’ve misread the map.