Hengelo’s market square was transformed in 2023 from a bare, stony plaza into a green meeting place that serves as an inspiration for modern urban development. For this project, we supplied a large number of trees with a stem girth of 30–35 cm, complemented by various multi-stem trees up to 300/400 cm in height. All trees were equipped with an advanced water buffer system.

Each tree was planted in a generously sized pit of 30 m² with an innovative 15 cm thick stone wool water buffer. This Rockflow stone wool can absorb up to 96% of its volume in water, providing each tree with a six-week water supply, even during dry summers. The capillary break, created by a gravel layer at the bottom of the pit, prevents excess water around the roots.

The tree species for this project were selected with a focus on climate resilience and biodiversity. Our deliveries included Tilia cordata 'Greenspire', Robinia pseudoacacia 'Semperflorens', and Koelreuteria paniculata, as well as several multi-stemmed specimens such as Cornus kousa, ‘China Girl’, Malus toringo, and Amelanchier lamarckii.

The project was awarded the title ‘Most Inspiring City Centre Project in the Netherlands 2023’ and demonstrates that the right trees, planted in the right way, can make a significant difference to the quality of urban life.