Hundreds of new trees have been planted at the Caerhays Estate at Gorran, near St Austell, as part of the Queen’s Green Canopy project, a unique tree planting scheme set up to mark Her Majesty’s reign.

Lucinda Rimmington, marketing manager at Caerhays, said: “We are very proud to be a part of the Queen’s Green Canopy initiative, having successfully planted around 200 malus trees in the Old Kitchen Garden as a special gift to the late Queen Elizabeth II. This is a part of history and is a ‘living legacy’ for the next generation.”

The Old Kitchen Garden, where the 200 new malus trees have been planted, was a previously an unused area of the estate. Malus (small apple) trees provide blossoms in late spring and colourful fruit in the autumn. 

“We chose to plant malus trees because they flower a little later in the season and there was a lovely synergy with the location of the planting,” said Lucinda.

“The award-winning gardens at Caerhays feature lots of incredible spring flowers including our National Magnolia Collection, so we opted for a genus that would continue to add colour as the season continues.”

The Queen’s Green Canopy began in May 2021 to honour Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.  

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and the then Prince of Wales planted the first tree in the grounds of Windsor Castle in March 2021 to signify the start of the scheme. 

The objective is to increase and protect native tree cover as a special gift for the Queen. More thanone million trees have been planted across the UK under the scheme.

Caerhays is home to a 140-acre woodland garden that is English Heritage Listed Grade II*. The gardens also feature many rhododendrons, camellias and trees which are nationally classed as champion trees on the Tree Register.