I admit to being a complete sucker for allées. You've probably walked under their sheltering canopy of leaves and branches in a public park, on someone's grounds, or on a college campus. These "tree avenues," as the British call them, bring a graceful, often groomed sense of nature to everyday life.
I recently wrote a blog post about southern France's Canal du Midi, parts of which are shaded in the allée style. Today, I was again reminded of the subject while I was reading an August BBC story about the National Trust conducting an allée survey in the United Kingdom. I had incorrectly supposed that the UK's tree avenues would have been well known and thoroughly documented. Not so. The article also points out some unsuspected virtues of allées, including their role as useful habitats for bats. Who knew?
To my knowledge, no one has conducted a similar survey in the United States. However, I know a few places in suburban New Jersey where tree avenues are found. For instance, there's an allée formed by linden trees in a township adjoining the community where my wife and I live. Every so often, we ignore the snotty "private drive" sign and drive along the allée. It's a short, lovely stretch and I never get tired of enjoying the view.
You're welcome to contribute locations and photos of allées here. Perhaps a tree avenue survey can be formed here. Why not?
I'll start, but not with a photo. It's a Gustav Klimt painting called Allee im Park von Schloss Kammer.
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