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London is well known for being a very green city. 47% of London is green space and it has over 8.4 million trees, which is almost one for every Londoner! We have the Victorians to thank for many of the trees that line our streets today and we can learn many lessons from the way they planted trees all those years ago.

The Victorian tree legacy

During the Industrial Revolution, urban conditions were often polluted and air quality suffered. The Victorians recognised the need for healthier environments and showed great foresight by planting hundreds of trees to help counteract this.

They were careful to create optimum growing conditions by planting into an innovative tree pit design which reduced soil compaction, giving roots space to grow and allowing trees to thrive. Gratings were installed to allow in rainfall and air and these were supported so as not to crush the tree roots. The Victorians were also very good at selecting resilient tree species that could cope in an urban environment – one such example is the much-loved plane tree.

The London plane tree

The London plane tree (Platanus x hispanica) is actually a hybrid of the American sycamore and the Oriental plane tree. The tree gained popularity due to its ability to thrive in urban environments, withstanding pollution and poor soil. It has distinctive bark which peels away to reveal a patchwork of colours. This was handy when bark became choked with soot in the Industrial Age! City planners also valued it for its large hand-shaped leaves and beautiful shady canopy.

A London plane tree

Green is the plane-tree in the square,
The other trees are brown;
They droop and pine for country air;
The plane tree loves the town.
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– Amy Levy

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Did you know?

Taking lessons from the victorians

In recent times, even though they are a much-loved part of the urban landscape, London’s trees have not fared so well. Trees planted in cramped spaces with poor quality, compacted soil will not thrive. And widespread use of impermeable concrete restricts trees’ access to water and nutrients. It can also create an ‘urban heat island’ in parts of the city, which increases heat stress – on trees and humans! Ironically, it is trees that help to mitigate this urban heat island effect, and we need to look after the ones we have, and continue to plant more. Fortunately, town planners are now returning to Victorian methods of tree planting – using permeable materials and proper planning and preparation!

Proper planning is required for trees to thrive

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Oxygen, light, space, and drainage!

When we incorporate trees into an interior design project at Vantage, we give serious consideration to the right tree in the right place, and we create the right conditions for that tree to thrive. This includes adequate light, space to grow and the right growing medium. One method of maintaining healthy indoor trees is using LECA (Lightweight Expanded Clay Aggregate). LECA consists of small clay balls that provide excellent aeration and drainage, reducing the risk of overwatering and root rot, and allowing oxygen flow to the tree’s roots. You could say that we’re taking a leaf out of the Victorians’ book!

Our favourite trees

Trees add something special to a design scheme by bringing a touch of nature indoors, and creating a calm, oasis-like environment. As humans, we are naturally drawn to trees and being near them can impart an enormous sense of wellbeing. And of course, as well as looking spectacular, they help to improve air quality.

These are some of our favourite trees used in office schemes:

Next time you wander down a shady tree-lined street on a hot summer’s day, offer up a silent vote of thanks to the Victorian engineers who made sure that trees were planted properly, such that we can enjoy them today.

We invest the same amount of planning and care when we install our trees, because it’s important that they flourish in their new environment. With proper care from our skilled plant maintenance team, a tree will enhance your space for years to come.

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If you’d like to know more about creating this sort of experience with planting, get in touch and we can show you what we have already done for others!