THE COUNCIL has hit upon a controversial move to replace trees chopped down by the regeneration work and housebuilding across the borough: they are all to be swapped for bonsai trees.
Documents leaked to The Wokingham Paper show that the thinking is that hundreds of the miniature trees could be planted in the space that 10 trees would take.
And research shows that the tiny branches soak up just as much pollution as the normal sized version, making the council even keener to install the bonsai versions in their place.
The secret plan, hatched days after trees were chopped down in Winnersh to help create the new relief road, aims to plant as many trees as possible, but experts warn it can take five years to create a tree mature enough to be planted in the big outdoors.
And there are even plans to create small tree houses in the branches of the trees to create special ‘bug hotels’ similar to the one created at the Gipsy Lane Community Garden.
In all, 1,000 trees will be planted in the first wave, concentrating on areas such as Bell Foundry Lane and Mill Lane.
A pilot scheme has already taken place in Shinfield, where bonsai trees have been planted in the area intended to be a SANG – Special Area of Natural Beauty – on land off Cutbush Lane. Although local residents have expressed concerns that the area floods, as our exclusive picture shows, the tree doesn’t look out of place surrounded by water.
Bonsai is the ancient art of growing ornamental, artificially dwarfed varieties of trees and shrubs in pots. It has many fans across the globe and there’s even a Berkshire Bonsai society that meets on the second Wednesday of the month in Barkham Village Hall. It was formed in 1993 and is the go-to for all things bonsai.
At its meeting on Wednesday, April 10, their tree of the month will be deciduous.
Wokingham District Council has yet to formally announce the proposals, but they are expected to do so before noon today. A special press conference will be held where a local MP is expected to plant the first tree.
It’s not been announced which one, but last year Sir John Redwood planted a tree in Dinton Pastures.
He told The Wokingham Paper: “I love trees – they are beautiful things.
“Here in Dinton Pastures, the trees will make a small contribution to a beautiful tree-lined landscape.”
A spokesperson for the council’s Greener and Green team told The Wokingham Paper: “Everyone misses the trees that have been chopped down, so replacing them with bonsai makes perfect sense.
“They are small, easy to trip over and look just like the real thing. Best of all, cats can pretend to be giants and recreate that episode of The Goodies where a kitten knocks out the Post Office Tower.
“With luck, the planting exercise will be completed just before they start work on the 15,000 homes in Grazeley.”
President of the Worldwide Bonsai Growers Association, Eepuriru Fuuru, welcomed the plans.
She said: “Bonsai is the fastest growing horticultural sport in the world. The beautiful trees are exactly like the real thing, just in miniature.
“We think Wokingham residents will welcome the sight of these beautiful new trees and embrace them in years to come.”
“We have never been to Wokingham, but hear that England is a green and pleasant land. We wish the council every success in their growing scheme.”
But opposition councillors think the idea is a bit far-fetched.
One, who didn’t want to named, said: “This is bonkers. A bonsai tree can cost up to £700 each. This is another example of the ruling party spending council tax payers money. What’s to stop the trees from being stolen by gnomes or leprechauns?”
