From the BBC:
The city council has a three-year plan to plant 20,000 fruit canes, fruit and nut trees and fruit bushes in all 135 of the Manchester parks.
I'm a little cynical about the timing of the announcement (I do tend to be cynical about this sort of press release...) but this is a great idea and I'm very glad the Council are adopting it. If they expect people will eat the fruit I hope they're going to be careful with sprays.
Now I'm hoping the Council will start encouraging city centre permaculture...
Link: BBC NEWS | England | Manchester | Fruits trees plan for city parks
On trees: During a hustings-style event before the council elections last year, the Labour, LibDem and Conservative candidates* all enthused about trees. Green issues cover the whole spectrum of council activities, particularly 'dull' areas like planning policies, waste disposal, property management, etc, but trees seem to offer an easy 'green' gesture. Most people like trees. Sadly this enthusiasm doesn't always translate into real action - playing fields and trees in Manchester have suffered greatly in recent years.
And cherry trees: Manchester has a surprising number of cherry trees, and other blossoming trees. Many otherwise drab urban streets in Manchester are transformed for a few weeks in spring. I passed a few streets in South Manchester last weekend that looked absolutely beautiful. I've been meaning to try to find out if planting cherry trees was once a fashionable thing in this area, or if it was part of a deliberate policy. Whatever the cause, the effect is lovely.
* I wasn't invited.
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