When it comes to landscaping, one Irish town is California dreamin’. Birr, Ireland is making plans to grow what could be the world’s densest grove of giant sequoias and coast redwood trees—as many as 3,000—on the grounds of the town’s historic Birr Castle.
A small grove of nine redwoods was planted at the castle in the 1860s, proving that the trees can survive in Birr’s cold winters. Another 20 acres of the castle grounds have been set aside for cultivating thousands more of the trees. The estate’s owner, Brendan Parsons, also known as Lord Rosse, claims that giant redwoods once thrived in Ireland—millennia ago.
And he wants to bring the endangered tree species back to Birr.
Parsons is inviting anyone to sponsor a tree for €500 (about $540) in honor of a loved one who has lived abroad. “There’s a long tradition at Birr of planting trees to mark birthdays and other anniversaries,” said Parsons. For anyone with the cash, sponsoring one of the trees is a way to put down some really big roots.
Via: Giants Grove, Inhabitat, Irish Times
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