Planting three smaller trees is seldom better than planting one semi-mature tree. Semi-mature trees are already performing at their best level of function within the environment. The three smaller trees would require significantly more space to achieve the same function as one semi-mature tree.
The logic of the proposal is sound. The cost of three trees is more than the cost of one semi-mature tree, but planting three trees rather than one will result in more impact and therefore more biodiversity within that garden. The calculation makes sense on a spreadsheet, but not in a garden, and experienced field designers encounter these kinds of proposals regularly. For Semi Mature Trees For Sale, visit https://www.naturefirst.co.uk/semi-mature-trees
Three trees planted at the same time won’t have the same impact as a single semi-mature tree. They will have a fraction of the impact of one semi-mature tree for years and even decades, until they grow into trees.
A semi-mature tree arrives with a canopy that makes a space feel more anchored. Three small trees arrive that are an optimistic intention for a garden that needs structure.
In addition to the aesthetic value of three trees, there are also mathematical reasons why one semi-mature tree is often more successful in establishing than three smaller trees. Each tree has three root systems to contend with, three canopies that must be watered and staked, and three individual trees that must be established in the same plot of land. A single semi-mature tree is often more successful in establishing than three smaller trees.
The calculation of the quantity of a substance is always a persuasive argument for the use of that substance. The spatial reality almost always argues the other way.
One tree that will eventually do the job is almost always worth more than three trees that will not do the job in the same timeline.
