Alberganesplanadi Park is a beloved and important part of Leppävaara
The planning process of the renovation of Espoo’s own Sakura Park, the Alberganesplanadi Park in Leppävaara, has begun. Despite their young age, the trees in the park are in poor condition and at the end of their life cycle. Many trees in the park have fallen on their own and several have also had to be cut down. The trees are in such bad condition due a fungus called artist’s bracket, which causes the roots of an infected tree to rot.
Blossoming park delights
Park users’ views regarding the future of the park were surveyed during a park walk and at a remote event. In their feedback, park users requested that the Sakura Park, which is one of its kind in Espoo, is preserved. Although the blossoming season is brief and the trees are thought to look bleak in wintertime, local residents and visitors find the blossoming trees very appealing.
In their minds, the park’s cherry blossoms are pink. In reality, the Alberganesplanadi Park cherry blossoms are white. In resident events, many took to the idea that the colour range of the blossoming trees would be extended. As an alternative to the current Pin cherry, North Japanese hill cherry was often mentioned in comments as a beautiful variety, thanks to the glorious autumn colours of its foliage. The importance of the visual appeal of plants and the autumn colour of trees in particular, was stressed in many comments. Both the method of planting the trees in groups according to their colours and the so-called colour gradient planting received support.
Some residents requested that the variety of trees should be expanded to also include other blossoming trees, such as apple trees, rowans and bird cherries. Some requested for conifers as well as shrubberies and perennials. Another popular request was to have flower bulbs planted in the park area, either among perennials or on the grass.
Both sunlight and shadow were requested
Some residents prefer the current style of planting because of its urban nature, but one of the commentators said they find the park’s geometric look boring and “resembling a garden centre”.
From the perspective of sitting down to spend time in the park, having both sunny patches and shadowy areas covered by trees was considered important. The respondents did not have a strong opinion about whether the number of the trees should be increased or decreased. For them, the main point is that the park will continue to have areas where you can sit in the sun and take cover in shade.
From now on
Local residents’ emotional bond with the park and the trees was highlighted in their feedback. Some of them had been involved in planting the trees twenty years ago. Many found it difficult to understand why the trees, which are seemingly in good condition, need to be cut down.
During the planning process, the possibility to divide the park’s construction work in stages will be reviewed. However, replacing the trees one-by-one will not be possible.
The planning process will be continued with several species of small, blossoming trees, despite the fact that large, broad crowned and non-blossoming species were also suggested. The geometrical style of row planting will also be maintained.
The plan is to plant ground cover plants at the bottom of the trees so that deteriorating fungi will not be able to infest the new trees when the grass is cut. Planting a meadow, which was an individual request, is not considered to be a viable option due to the park’s central location.
Residents also requested the opportunity to be involved in the park’s renovation work, for example, in tree planting and dedicating trees to individuals. In the coming spring, the plan is to build a pergola in the park. The renewal of the trees will start at the earliest in 2023 and the existing trees will not be cut down before then, unless otherwise required by safety reasons.
More information is available on our project website (in Finnish).