We hope that you’re all in good health, coping well with the lockdown and enjoying this glorious spring. As you can appreciate, our activity outdoors has had to be cut back sharply because of the pandemic. Here’s an update on what’s been going on.
Volunteering and training
Just before the lockdown came into place, Southwark Council’s tree section recommended that we stop organising any volunteer working groups and follow the government guidelines for social distancing. So we’re not planning any Tree Watch jobs for the foreseeable future. The training session that the council was organising for May will also not go ahead until the current measures have been lifted.
Planting
Depending on how the coronavirus emergency progresses, all tree planting has been suspended by Southwark until the 2020/21 planting season, which runs from November 2020 to March 2021.
None of the saplings that were timetabled for Herne Hill by the end of March this year were planted, so the following trees should all now be held over to the coming winter.
114 and 115 Casino Avenue: two aspens (Populus tremula), one either side of the junction with Red Post Hill
6 Elfindale Road: cherry (Prunus Sunset Boulevard)
Elfindale Road, between Herne Hill and no. 2: cherry (Prunus Sunset Boulevard)
Elmwood Road (locations to be confirmed): two silver birches (Betula pendula)
Hollingbourne Road, at the corner of Warmington Road: Himalayan birch (Betula jacquemontii)
25 Hollingbourne Road: Yoshino cherry (Prunus x yedoensis)
Holmdene Avenue, at the corner of Half Moon Lane: tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera)
38/40 Holmdene Avenue: Japanese pagoda tree (Sophora).
Don’t forget we also have lots of new trees in the pipeline from our successful Cleaner Greener Safer bids.
Pruning planes
We managed to squeeze in one planned work session before the lockdown controls took effect: pruning the unruly and unsightly basal growths on the big London planes along Ardbeg Road.
Paul, Jeff and Oliver Munn from Hollingbourne Road had a very productive morning, carefully removing suckers and epicormic shoots with loppers, pruning saws, secateurs and knives and making sure to minimise the size of the cuts to aid healing and keep infection at bay.
We posted notices on the trees the previous day telling residents what was happening and asking them not to come near, and on the day itself we worked well apart on separate trees. Here's the same tree as in the first photo after pruning:
Watering
Once the weather gets hotter and drier, street trees that have been planted in the last year or two could soon become parched. If you spot any trees in distress please report them on the council’s website.
If you still want to water a newly planted tree near where you live you must do it safely and strictly observe the government instructions on leaving the house, social distancing and permitted forms of outdoor exercise. Here are some young trees that you might look out for if you’re out on a walk:
BECKWITH ROAD
No. 2 (Wesley Court): London plane (Platanus x acerifolia)
No. 12: London plane (Platanus x acerifolia)
CASINO AVENUE
No. 7: Broad-leaved cockspur thorn (Crataegus prunifolia)
No. 17: London plane (Platanus x acerifolia)
No. 43: Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
No. 55/57: Cherry
No. 57: Red-leaved plum/cherry
CARVER ROAD
Between no. 1 and Half Moon Lane: Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
No. 15: Birch
DANECROFT ROAD
No. 10: Birch
ELFINDALE ROAD
No. 2: Cherry (Prunus avium)
No. 26: Birch (Betula pubescens)
No. 81/83: Birch
ELMWOOD RD
Between no. 1 and Red Post Hill: Birch
No. 7/9: Birch
Side of no. 20 Wyneham Rd: Birch
No. 54: Birch
No. 58: Birch
FRANKFURT ROAD
No. 3/5: Birch (Betula jacquemontii)
No. 8/10: Birch (Betula jacquemontii)
HALF MOON LANE
No. 70 Half Moon Lane/43 Village Way: Persian silk tree (Albizia julibrissin)
HERNE HILL
No. 79A: London plane (Platanus x acerifolia)
HOLLINGBOURNE ROAD
No. 25/27: Cherry (Prunus avium plena)
No. 45/47: Cherry
No. 52/54: Birch
HOLMDENE AVENUE
No. 49/51: Sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
No. 57/59: Sweet gum (Liquidambar styraciflua)
RUSKIN WALK
No. 36: Birch
No. 44-46: Cherry (Prunus avium plena)
SUNRAY AVE
No. 16/18: Ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba)
Nos. 49-71 (garden square opposite junction with Casino Avenue): Five young trees including 2 oaks, one lime, others unidentified.
Lost trees
Just outside our postcode boundary, the council recently felled two of the three dead apple trees on Greendale, on the grass verge near the alleyway leading to Bessemer Grange School. One of the remaining pair is healthy.
Historic trees
The newly published ‘Great Trees of London Map’ lists 47 ancient, enormous or rare trees and we’re lucky to live very close to four of them.
First, there’s the giant English oak (Quercus robur) in Brockwell Park, on the grassy hillside between Brockwell Hall and the park gate on Norwood Road, which could be 700 years old.
Second, there’s a tremendous tulip tree (Liriodendron tulipifera) in Lucas Gardens on Vestry Road in Camberwell, where you can also find a handsome copper beech, an old mulberry and a huge ash.
Third, there’s a great big London plane (Platanus x acerifolia) outside the library on Windrush Square in Brixton, where Lambeth council also put in a short avenue of pollarded planes near the number 37 bus stop.
And finally - a whole street rather than a single tree - there are the magnificent Yoshino cherries (Prunus x yedoensis) on Winterbrook Road, now coming into leaf after another stunning display of blossom.
The map was created by Paul Wood, who writes books on street trees, leads guided walks and posts on Twitter as @TheStreetTree. Have a look at his feed if you can: he’s very informative and welcomes questions.
Sharing email addresses
You may want to get in touch with other Tree Watch volunteers on your street at some point, perhaps to organise activities once the lockdown is over. The GDPR data protection rules prevent us from giving out any personal data unless you individually grant us explicit permission.
If you’re comfortable with us sharing your name, email, street and house number with other members of the group who request them please email us, putting ‘GDPR’ in the subject line.
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