St Ann’s Hospital in Poole was completed just before the First World War with 56 beds. Designed by the famous “Arts and Crafts” architect, Robert Weir Schultz, backs onto the beach at Canford Cliffs and was the seaside branch of the Holloway Sanitorium, caring for people with psychiatric illness.

In 2013 a new wing was constructed, giving needed extra space, and the car park was laid out in a geometric fashion with Scots Pines (Pinus Sylvestris) planted within this geometric pattern. The tree pits were all joined together to maximise rooting volume, and to give the trees the best chance of long-term survival. Like much of this area, the soil is very sandy, and struggles to retain moisture, so a high-quality topsoil was used within the GreenBlue Urban StrataCells to ensure that the trees established well in this exposed situation. As you can see from the photo, some of the trees re noticeable growing towards the leeward direction – they are not actually leaning but growing at an angle due to the windy conditions.

Recognising the benefits that trees bring to reduce stress levels, lower blood pressure and improve mental health, GreenBlue Urban tree planting products were specified as a long-term solution to ensure that these benefits were felt by visitors and patients for decades to come.