Trees dying in Masterton town square

Most trees in the square are dead or struggling to survive. PHOTOS/LYNDA FERINGA

Only six of 42 trees planted in Masterton's town square are expected to survive, the rest dying through lack of proper care and water, landscape designer Lyn Eglinton said this week.

Mrs Eglinton said many of the trees now dead or dying were second-time plantings anyway, replacing the original trees planted when the square was first constructed in 2013.

She said when she had inspected the trees last week she found them to be " in an awful state".

"I've never seen anything so bad, it was appalling."

Adding insult to injury the base of the trees had been surrounded by "horrible matting" and then expensive granular fertiliser had been sprinkled on it. "Not much use fertilising dead trees," she said.

Mrs Eglinton said as a result of what she saw she met with Masterton District Council chief executive Pim Borren, community facilities manager Andrea Jackson and communications manager Sam Rossiter-Stead in the square on Monday.

"Pim Borren looked closely at the trees and he was pretty horrified with what he saw."

She said the outcome of the meeting was good though.

"There will be a state-of-the-art irrigation going in so each tree will be watered using a timer system every night or whenever it is deemed necessary."

Mrs Eglinton said the replacement platanus orientalalis, or plane trees, had been planted in September, the wrong time of year.

"It is far too late but even then they may have survived if they had proper care and watering.

"As it is they are under terrible stress, with miserable little leaves poking out.

"The trees are desperately trying to live, and I am hoping at least six of them can," she said.

Mrs Eglinton worked closely with David Borman in the construction and design of the town square and said many of the original trees had been donated by families.