With celebrations underway to mark the tercentenary of Capability Brown's birth, the National Trust is planting hundreds of trees in his honour across the very landscapes that he designed

Capability changed the look of gardens in the 18th Century as he designed country estates and mansions. This involved moving hills and making flowing lakes and serpentine rivers that create a dramatic new landscape setting. 

His work also led to digging up formal gardens, draining marshland to create new lakes and streams and, in one instance, moving an entire village out of sight.

One of the key tree plantings took place at Croome in Worcestershire, which was one of Brown's most significant landscapes, where Dame Helen Ghosh, National Trust Director-General, planted a cedar of Lebanon, a tree well associated with Brown as he used it in so many of his landscapes.

Garden and Park Manager at Croome, Katherine Alker, said: 'Over the last decade, and together with a great team of volunteers, we have worked tirelessly to replant the parkland at Croome, as Brown would have intended it.'

'This has included replanting more than 10,000 trees to Brown’s original design, often using GPS technology to be sure that new trees are lined up with those shown on the 18th-century plans of the park and are planted with pinpoint accuracy.

'During 2016 around 500 trees will be replanted as this work to reinstate Brown’s original design continues.'

Visit the National Trust's website to find out more.

Images courtesy of James Dobson and the National Trust