Grounds for optimism with new planting programme
A new conservation approach is being adopted for the grounds of our hospital. Many new trees have been planted along with shrubs and a new wildflower area in response to our changing climate.
We have one of the greenest hospital grounds in the country. However, we are an urban site with some of our original trees planted in 2001 beginning to struggle owing to the heat, soil impaction and water runoff.
Well cared for trees help to cool the inpatient ward side of the hospital, help lower carbon emissions, and provide cleaner air.
New wildflower matting has also been installed near to the hospital’s new ward block. Mulching is taking place as well as the pausing of pruning to preserve the trees on the hospital estate and help our tree stock in having lower tree canopies, shading their own roots from water evaporation.
Emma Jarvis, Environmental Arts Manager, said colleagues, patients and visitors can expect to see less mowing and a more natural landscape to promote conservation.
“We cannot consider ourselves as a greenfield site anymore, this is an urban environment, and sadly the life expectancy of a tree is reduced in an urban setting. We have paused the pruning of our trees and carried out mulching, but sadly we expect some of them will fail over the coming years. We are putting multi-stemmed varieties in place and trees that will be better suited to our environment at NNUH.
“We are used to things being well manicured, but we need to look at conservation and preservation. Nature isn’t neat and tidy, and we need to let nature be nature.”
Find out more about our NNUH Green Plan.