Dunedin’s George Street retail quarter started with a single bakery in the 1920s. Proving we all think better when stomachs are full with fine pastries (it’s okay to experiment by eating a croissant and seeing what ideas come to you), visitors to the bakery soon decided setting up shops nearby might work. So they did…and it did.
And that’s how George Street grew. Only over time the fractured nature of urban development resulted in a less tasteful retail centre.
Recognising this, Dunedin City Council developed the ‘Totally Gorgeous’ project, a $100 million plus once-in-a-generation infrastructure development plan to re-establish the beauty and appeal of Dunedin’s retail centre.
So did they get the recipe right? Is George Street once again cooking and filling both the metaphorical and literal stomachs of visitors? We think it is and you can read all about it clicking on the photo on the left.
Photos: ZELKOVA serrata - Japanese Elm from Harrisons Heritage Collection, in a 1000L container, 6m, 15+ years old, same as supplied above shown in both Autumn colour and Summer foliage.
Whilst we are on this nostalgic bend and dipping into history, a few years before that first George Street shop opened, Richmond Harrison started the company you now know as Easy Big Trees.
The name Harrison lives on with the Harrison’s Heritage Collection. You’ll also see it on more than a few email signatures. Which sort of leads us to the tree detailed below (we know - it’s a very tenuous segway but you can blame the croissant consumed when composing these words).
The Japanese Elm is a favourite Harrisons Heritage Tree (they are all favourites but some are more favoured than others - to borrow a little from George Orwell) and this example is liked for the wonderful canopy shape that stands it apart…
This graceful tree has a spreading habit, with a strong branching formation. The leaves change from medium green in Summer, through to red, purple and orange in Autumn. That orange, against a blue sky, has some real magic to it and can brighten any courtyard.
- Hardy deciduous
- Suitable for shade and specimen planting
- Can grow up to 8x6m