Copse planting of ornamental specimen trees in a garden in Thame : The planting plan was carefully designed by Matt and agreed with the client. We selected Betula pendula ‘Laciniata’ standards and  Betula albosinensis ‘Fascination’ multistems to create a small copse in a corner of the garden surrounded by larger mature trees. 

The team carried out the work over a couple of days and the new trees look great in their new setting.   The ‘cut-leaf’ birch is a really interesting tree.  It has a similar size and form to the well know Silver Birch but a more narrow crown shape with the shoots hanging and slightly twisted which gives the tree a very graceful, weeping effect.  We planted these large specimens amongst smaller multi-stemned Chinese Red Birch to create a woodland glade effect. The Red-Birch have a white bark similar to many of the Betula family but it peels to show a lovely warm pinky red colour beneath.  We like to use multi stems with trees like this, simply because they maximise the visual appeal of the bark feature. They also create a more structured look to the planting.

We use a loader to lift these larger trees into place and give them a mix of clean top soil, mushroom compost and a specialist feed that contains mycorrhizal fungi as well as nutrients and trace elements.  This gives them the very best start to ensure they will establish and thrive in their new setting. They will make a lasting feature for many decades yet to come.