Earlier this year, our team planted a new generation of street trees in Hunstanton as part of a winter planting programme.
Planting is only the beginning
The care provided during the months and years that follow is critical to giving young trees the best possible chance of establishing successfully.
Throughout the summer, our team has been making weekly watering visits, particularly during periods of warm and dry weather. Newly planted trees have relatively small root systems and cannot yet draw sufficient moisture from the surrounding soil, making regular and thorough watering essential during their first few growing seasons.
We fitted the trees with watering bags, which release water slowly around the base of each tree. This allows the water to soak gradually into the rooting area, reducing surface runoff and directing moisture to where it is needed most. It also provides a more effective and controlled method of watering than applying a large volume of water quickly to the soil surface.
We are pleased to report that the programme is progressing extremely well. There have been no tree losses to date, with all the trees establishing successfully and showing healthy growth.
Our weekly visits also provide an opportunity to inspect each tree and check its stakes, ties and guards. Any minor problems can then be identified and corrected before they affect the tree’s development or become more costly to resolve.
Too often, aftercare is treated as secondary to the initial planting operation. On some commercial schemes, the emphasis can become focused on achieving planting numbers to satisfying planning, biodiversity net gain or contractual requirements. However, planting a tree only delivers lasting landscape and environmental benefits if that tree survives and establishes successfully.
At Plantscape, we do not regard planting as complete once the trees are in the ground or the work has been signed off. We take care to select and plant trees correctly, followed by the watering, monitoring and maintenance needed to help them become successfully established within the landscape.
Effective aftercare protects the investment made in new planting, reduces the need for replacement trees and helps ensure that the intended environmental, visual and community benefits are achieved.
We look forward to watching these young trees continue to grow and become a lasting feature of Hunstanton’s landscape for many years to come.