…In the Tradition of The Sacred Grove

Plant a Leafy 'Cathedral of Trees'

When you plant a group of similar trees together, you are following in the time-honored tradition of the ‘sacred grove’. Here, under a sheltering, leafy canopy of trees with their branches enmeshed, you feel protected and relaxed. The atmosphere can be so extraordinary that many ancient cultures considered groupings of same species trees, found growing naturally in a forest, to be special and even untouchable. This is because pre-industrial societies saw trees as being inhabited by unseen beings and groups of these trees together were their ‘neighborhoods’. Many of us increasingly are thinking that way today.

Hindu teachings assert that formless spirits, known as devas, live within trees. The devas do not manifest in earthly bodies but live in the fibers of the trunks and larger branches of the trees and feed from the leaves. They communicate through the tree itself. Following this belief, India has sacred, native forests called Devavanas, where the cutting of trees, or even harming a branch, is forbidden.

The ancient Greeks believed invisible female deities, the dryads, lived within specific trees, such as oaks. When you entered a grove of oak trees it was understood that you were crossing into the dryads’ domain. They were considered to be shy creatures except around the goddess Artemis, who was known to be a friend to most tree nymphs. A sacred grove, indeed.

Sacred grove, perhaps? Nothing can replace the true grandeur of a natural forest. This photo is from National Park Service.

Groves were especially revered by the Celts of ancient Europe. They believed that Nemetona, goddess of the grove, resided in the hushed atmosphere of forest glades, called nemetons. These woodland settings were seen as being awash with the enchanted energies of trees. Nemetona could be found in a needle-covered pine forest, beneath a group of towering beech trees or in a sun-dappled birch grove.  

The Celts attributed the charged atmosphere of certain woodlands to shunnache, the life energy of trees. Interestingly, this ancient notion is similar to the invisible energy fields of modern physics. And, as the film, Avatar, illustrated, trees may be made up of energizing light fibers that permeate the area around it. Perhaps this force field or shunnache is what uplifts us when we are in an undisturbed forest.

In early spring, when leaves start to unfurl, you can almost feel the energy emanating from the trees.

Plant a ‘Cathedral of Trees’

You can create your own grove by planting several trees together in a group. This grove, in time, will become like a leafy “cathedral of trees” that cools the air when it's hot and helps keep the surroundings warmer when it's cold. It provides a protected habitat for birds and small mammals and offers wind and drought protection as well.

For a home, a ‘grove’ might consist of only three to five trees planted together. For a public building or large landscape there may be 9 or more trees. The proper spacing of the trees depends on the tree’s mature size - most trees need to have about 15 feet between them but check on the mature width of the tree. You can plant groups of trees in three general layouts: as a grid, a natural grove or a mounded tree grove.

A Grid Arrangement Tree Grove

A grid arrangement is an ordered layout made up of parallel rows of trees, spaced equidistantly. The straight lines of trees work well with a contemporary home or a public outdoor space in an urban environment. The trees may be planted directly in the ground, within raised planters or surrounded by paving, loose gravel or low-growing plants.

The honey locust grove at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Burlington, VT. Designed by Dan Kiley. - Photo by Judson Lamphere, 2012

Dan Kiley, a 20th century landscape architect, became famous for his geometric “bosques,” as he called them. In Burlington, Vermont, Kiley planted a grid of uniformly spaced 123 thornless honey locust trees around the modern Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The precise arrangement of the trees provided a visual rhythm to the surroundings and an enticing, shady atmosphere to all who enter. I think the variety may have been the hardy ‘Shademaster’ honey locust (Gleditsia tricanthos inermis ‘Shademaster’) because Kiley used it in other landscapes. He was also responsible for the original grove of London plane trees (Platanus x acerifolia) in Lincoln Center in New York city.

Dan Kiley’s plan for the Miller House in Indianapolis. Notice the overlapping canopies of the uniformly spaced trees. Tree ‘bosques’ were one of Kiley’s signature design features. Source - ‘Documenting Modern Living’ from the Indianapolis Museum of Art.

Similarly, the landscape architecture firm, Peter Walker and Partners designed a grid of over 400 swamp white oaks (Quercus bicolor) at the 911 memorial in New York. The oaks are placed equidistantly and act as sentinels, their steadfastness silently displays a message of life and rebirth. This grove planting might be the most iconic urban tree planting in the United States.

The swamp white oaks surround the ‘voids’ at 911 memorial in NYC. Peter Walker and Partners designed this site. Photo by Squared Design Lab

Natural Grove

As its name suggests, this type of grove planting follows nature’s example and is the opposite of the grid. Here, trees of various sizes are planted together as they might normally occur–spaced irregularly on sheltered hillsides or within the heart of a forest. For example, a cluster of the native white flowering dogwoods (Cornus florida) on a hillside is captivating and looks as if it happened naturally. Similarly, a grouping of larch trees (Larix decidua), the native deciduous conifer, makes an alluring destination. You can wind a path through the trees for a sheltered corridor.  

Native larch trees are one of the few conifers to lose their needles in winter. Here, they take on a burnished glow in autumn at the Steinhardt Garden in Mt Kisco, NY. Larches grow naturally in groves.

A Mounded Tree Grove

This type of grove is my favorite layout for trees in a landscape. It recreates the natural tendency of certain trees to grow together on a mound, such as shown in the photo below of a Richard Serra sculpture and nearby trees at Storm King Art Center in New Windsor, N.Y. This technique requires that you create a low mound and plant a group of trees in an irregular, staggered pattern (the spacing depends on the tree species) atop it. The mound should be at least 24 inches high at its apex, if not more. The trees highlight the topography. For added interest, you can set large rocks within the mound or along its edge. Wide, low-growing trees such as the native witchhazel (Hamamelis spp.) or Japanese maple (Acer palmatum) are striking in a group situated on a mound.

A Richard Serra sculpture juts out from a hill. My eye goes immediately to the trees planted together nearby. Without those trees this art piece would not be as compelling. This is at Storm King Art Center. Photo - Jan Johnsen

Trees for Grove Plantings