Princesshay is a great place for shoppers and for trees too. There are over 70 shops and currently 66 trees - so that's nearly 1 tree per shop which is pretty good going! Most of the trees are fairly young as Princesshay opened on the 20th of September 2007. The few mature trees that can be found are just around the corner from the Post Office. There once stood a fantastic Copper Beech tree just around the corner from Nandos, but sadly this had to be felled due to a severe fungal infection. The tree was felled on the 19th - 21st of October 2011 and an interesting article can be found here. The choice of trees is very interesting as its about a 50/50 split of native and non-native trees. The ones that are insect pollinated would certainly get a boost from the bee's that are managed on the rooftops as part of the Princesshay Bee Project. I have bought some of their honey and it's very nice. There are tours during the summer which also include the bees on the rooftops as well as the inner workings of how Princesshay functions which is very interesting.
Princesshay is bigger than you think and to fully explore the shops and grounds can easily take a few hours. With the help of the folk at the Princesshay I have made a map which outlines the boundary of the trees and shrubs. Please note that anything outside of the red lines would fall within the Exeter City Council's remit. For example - some of the trees on Paris street are managed by Princesshay and some are Exeter City Council.
Below are some photos of Princesshay I took during the end of March 2017. As well as the trees and shrubs there are quite a few flower beds which helps add a bit of colour. The next time you go to Princesshay have a closer look around and see if you can spot some of the more unusual trees , such as the Indian Bean tree.
