What's the oldest plant you've planted still thriving?

(image: walled garden just after completion 1991)

Having worked in landscaping and horticulture all of my life I've planted thousands and thousands of trees and shrubs around southern England.

Whilst I was paid for my work I still feel a great deal of pride for the work I achieved and the legacy I've left (hopefully) for generations to come.

With the aid of Google maps, I can see some of my work.

My earliest recollection of planting is along the first fairway at Blackmoor Golf Club.

I cringe to think now but we planted conifer, alder and whitebeam on what is predominantly heathland. it was about 1980: so the trees are about 32 years old.

(image: trees planted Blackmoor Golf Club circa 1980)

Indigenous trees around the course include pine, silver birch, mountain ash, oak, willow (usually around the boggy areas) and holly.

Some beech and hawthorn thrived on the the border with the Blackmoor estate where the natural landscape merged with some clay and green sand.

Luckily a conservation plan has seen Blackmoor returned to a condition more like 1912 (when it was opened) rather than 1980. Most, if not all, conifers and alder were removed.

I have marked some of the trees I planted that remain.

(image: trees planted along The Causeway Petersfield circa 1985)

The photo above is four trees which were planted along The Causeway, Petersfield, in about 1985. I think twelve trees were planted in all but using street view on Google maps it seems the rest were either removed or have died.

The trees were planted along the old A3 when traffic was constant so the trees provided a little dampening of the noise. The Petersfield byepass took opened in 1991.

However, not all plants live to see old age.

The top photo is of a walled garden I built near Chiddingfold in 1991. You can clearly see from the aerial photograph taken just after completion about 70 yew trees planted as a half-maze.

The more recent image below is from Google maps (not sure of the date but I'd guess within the last five years) and clearly shows the yew trees are missing.

I know my client moved on so perhaps the new owner didn't like them?

(image: Recent image of walled garden with yew trees missing)

What's the oldest plant you've planted still living? Send me a photo and I'll tack it onto the bottom of the is post phil@landscapejuice.com

Comments

[Ben@Nuevo Living]

Very nice post. I'm tweeting it. Thanks.