Bringing Blooms Back to Birmingham
Being in nature is really good for you. Even just seeing nature during your morning commute will brighten your day. This is the experience that is being recreated in Birmingham, England.
Once, according to the BBC, the area around Birmingham was filled with orchards, giving the city the nickname “a city ringed by blossoms.” However, by the 1900’s industrialization had begun to take hold, and the orchards were destroyed to make room for buildings and factories.
According to the National Trust, Birmingham has lost 85 percent of its trees since the beginning of the 20th century.
But on January 17, 2023 that began to change. According to the website Secret Birmingham, a number 11 bus left its station loaded with trees instead of people. All along its 27-mile route, the bus dropped off fruit trees and other ornamental trees to residents, schools, and community groups who then planted them. All in all, about 600 trees have been distributed.
More than just beauty
Lucy Reid, who is leading the Birmingham project told Positive News about the additional benefits of flowering trees, other than the beauty and pleasure they bring people: “Blossom is not only beautiful, it’s also vital for the wellbeing of the environment. It is great for pollinators, such as bees, which help trees produce fruit, and the trees also help to clean the air by absorbing carbon and producing oxygen.”
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This is not the first time The National Trust has helped Birmingham blossom, according to Be Birmingham. The Trust created “blossoms pop-ups” as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival. In the framework of the project, blossoming tree installations were set up in various iconic Birmingham locations such as St. Philip’s Cathedral Square. These same trees, which were planted in planters are now also some of the trees planted along the number 11 route.
Planting blossoming trees around the UK
The National Trust has also initiated blossoming tree projects in other UK cities, reported Positive News. In 2021, it created the London Blossom Garden, commemorating those who lost their lives to the Coronavirus crisis. Likewise, the Trust is planting fruit trees in Plymouth, Newcastle, and Nottingham.
The Trust is dedicated to bringing nature back to England. Its work is vital for the conservation of the country’s wildlands and climate. However, their Blossoming Birmingham project shows that conserving a country’s natural resources not only benefits nature but brings joy and beauty to humanity as well.
