A safari resort should look different from an ordinary holiday park. Visitors expect planting that evokes distant continents. The challenge for Beekse Bergen Safari Resort in Hilvarenbeek was to find trees that sustain that image while still withstanding a Brabant winter.

The park is set in an existing woodland of Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris). These were retained, with the new planting introduced among them. Together with the designer, species were selected for their large leaf forms, striking flowers or silhouettes reminiscent of warmer climates. In response to this brief, we supplied trees that have proven winter hardy in the Netherlands for many years.

Supplied species included Albizia julibrissin, with feathery foliage and pink powder-puff flowers; Cercis canadensis and Catalpa bignonioides with their heart-shaped leaves; and Gleditsia triacanthos 'Sunburst' with its fine, golden-yellow foliage. Cladrastis kentukea and Amelanchier lamarckii complement the lower layer with spring flowering. Robinia pseudoacacia and the cultivar 'Bessoniana' provide an airy canopy in the upper layer.