Planting update
18 March 2024Thanks to the latest Urban Tree Challenge Fund, up to 60 trees have been planted along verges and on public amenity areas over the past six months. These include large, longer-lived trees such as oak, lime and new disease resistant varieties of elm which will provide valuable resources for invertebrates, birds and pollinators.
Native oak and lime have been planted where space permits on verges with the aim of joining up open spaces and wooded areas. These are interspersed with more ornamental species such as a redbud native to the eastern Mediterranean, fragrant osmanthus, Chinese privet, heptacodium and magnolia.
Some of the stately horse chestnuts in the Village and at Low Cross Wood Lane have been lost due to extreme weather conditions, so a number of ornamental flowering and drought tolerant species have been selected as succession planting and to increase resilience to future expected growth conditions.
Elsewhere, in the grounds of residential estates, planting will replace trees where these have had to be removed for safety including following recent storm damage. This is part of our commitment to retain and enhance both amenity and biodiversity.
Huge thanks to GLA ReWild London. Its grant has provided new hedging and other planting across the Estate. Erosion control works and wildflower seeding has been completed at Rockhill and new hedge and woodland whip planting is proposed with the London Wildlife Trust at selected sites next season, including Peckarmans Wood and the community Orchard. This will also help replenish the canopy of Dulwich Wood where natural regeneration is poor or absent following the loss of large oaks.
As Spring gathers momentum, we can look forward to celebrating tree blossom, an ancient Japanese practice known as Hanami.
