A safari resort should look different from an ordinary holiday park. Visitors expect planting that evokes distant continents. The challenge for Beekse Bergen Safari Resort in Hilvarenbeek was to provide trees that maintain this image while withstanding a Brabant winter.

The park is situated in the middle of an existing woodland area with Scots pines (Pinus sylvestris). These were retained, and the new planting was positioned among them. The selection of species with large leaf forms, striking flowers or a silhouette reminiscent of warmer climates was made in collaboration with the designer. Based on these requirements, we supplied trees that have been proven hardy in the Netherlands for many years.

The trees supplied included Albizia julibrissin, with feathery foliage and pink powder-puff flowers; Cercis canadensis and Catalpa bignonioides with their heart-shaped leaves; and Gleditsia triacanthos 'Sunburst' with fine, golden-yellow foliage. Cladrastis kentukea and Amelanchier lamarckii complement the lower layer with spring flowering. Robinia pseudoacacia and the cultivar 'Bessoniana' provide the airy canopy in the upper layer.