Liverpool Hope University’s team of gardeners have planted 17 new paper birch trees as part of the Queen's Green Canopy (QGC) planting initiative.
The nationwide project has been created to mark Her Majesty's Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
Across the region, charity community group The Mersey Forest will support the planting of more than 2,000 new trees over two seasons, aided by a £906,131 grant, across its woodlands in St Helens, Sefton, Liverpool, Wirral, Cheshire East and Maghull.
And Hope has joined the programme, planting eye-catching Betula papyrifera trees at the Hope Park campus.
The young trees now sit on the green in front of the Social Sciences building.
(Pictured, left to right: Michael Bowler, Apprentice Gardener, Jordan Cavanagh, Gardener, Martin Grayshon, Head of Grounds and Gardens, James McCarthy, Gardener, Roy Condon, Gardener)
Martin Grayshon, Head of Grounds and Gardens at Hope, says it’ll take around five to ten years for the trees to double in size, depending on seasonal variations in the weather.
But when they begin to grow, the paper birches will present a spectacular black and white colourscape for everyone at the University to enjoy.
He adds: “The new paper birch trees are actually just part of a large-scaled tree planting initiative here at Hope which began around 18 months ago.
“We’ve added lime, hornbeam, oak and pine trees to the campus, and we’ll continue to make the grounds as environmentally friendly and sustainable as possible.”
You can read more about the Queen’s Green Canopy here.