Sunday, April 1, 2012

Characteristic Pines

The characteristic pines of Madrid are like something out of a fairy tale or Doctor Suess book. As the pine ages the trunk warps and bends to wonderful affect en masse. I believe they are umbrella pines. Please someone comment if it is a different species. Pictured left is a large very mature stand in Casa de Campo (the largest park in Madrid. It used to be the royal hunting grounds until opened to the public in the 1940s)
Pictured left is a new planting of the same pine in the Madrid Rio project. Future generations will enjoy walking through the magical shady allees of twisted pines. I like the bright red tree stakes that are used throughout the park. The new trees are watered with rings of drip irrigation until established. Then they are watered with a series of triangulated perforated pipes underground to encourage lateral root growth and reduce evaporation, as Madrid has a very arid climate.

1 comment: