Madrid is a hot, huge city. Despite the soaring temperatures, the city has a cool shaded quality due to the prevalence of trees planted around it. Cooling fountains for rinsing off hot hands are regularly placed in open spaces and avenues of tall wide trees in streets or public gardens, with benches beneath are provided, where one can sit and enjoy the absorbing sites of people strolling by and children playing in the play parks. There is a lovely quality of rest and relaxation which the air conditioning effect of trees and the cool colour of green generates. All South African cities could take a tip from Spain and plant more trees!! Spain is one of driest countries and yet they manage to create the impression of an oasis with fervent attention to planting greenery in the cities. Trees are pruned vertically in busy main streets to accommodate buses and no matter how narrow the road, there are trees planted everywhere. Trees used included Planes, Celtis, Syringa, Tipuana, Robinia, Prunus and Orange and shrubs such as Hybiscus syriacus are trained into large standards. All tree varieties are planted provided the species can endure the heat. That is, there was no fuss paid to whether the variety is indigenous to Spain,the focus is on the best tree for the job and not its nationality! There are also fantastic multi-staked stainles-steel planters with mass planted with pelargoniums and petunias.
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