The new city quarter at the East Side Gallery, where for a long time there was only the Mercedes-Benz Arena, is growing rapidly. In just under two years of construction, offices, hotels, restaurants and bars, a cinema and also an event hall have been built here. What until recently was a construction wasteland is now instead in full bloom, aided by 32 magnificent London Planes from Lorberg—the only trees inhabiting the square. And in this densely built-up urban quarter, making it happen was a real logistical challenge.
The first urban challenge: minimal space
The tree nursery Lorberg supplied 32 London Planes for the Mercedes square. The trees are between nine and 12 meters high, and around 30 years old. Their trunk circumference is around 60-120 centimeters. Transporting these plants requires a number of large machines including trucks and cranes. However, it's no secret that space in the city is extremely limited. The more plants at the destination, the smaller it feels.
For this reason, a location for each individual tree was determined in advance at the tree nursery and each tree was marked accordingly. And when it came to delivering and planting the Planes, this specified sequence had to be strictly adhered to.
The second urban challenge: Small planting holes
Usually planting holes are about one and a half times the size of the root ball. In this project, by the Berlin landscape architects 'Topotek 1', however, there was no such leeway. A challenge—such as can occur with plantings in the city: the trees need to be planted with pretty much centimetre precision.
Lorberg's solution: slings were worked into the root ball in preparation. In this way the Planes could be lifted upright into the hole.
Great growth guaranteed—the SpringRing system
But the preparation of the plants began much earlier: at the beginning of the year, the London Planes were placed in a special plant container—the SpringRing. This air-permeable container allows the roots to spread out like fans, forming a dense network of fibrous roots. Thus they are perfectly prepared for rooting at the new location: the roots stretch out quickly and immediately supply the plants with nutrients while also helping to ensure stability. Even in the harsh urban climate, excellent growth results are achieved. Lorberg offers an extensive range of trees in the SpringRing. In order to realise the projects of architects and landscape planners, almost any plant can be placed in a SpringRing.
