Tree planting season ends as parks get ready for summer

Now the teams responsible for the borough’s parks and open spaces will turn their attention to maintaining spaces throughout the spring and summer – including taking part in No Mow May.

During the winter species include London plane, cherry, lime, pear, crab apple, rowan, oak, hazel, whitebeam, maple, hornbeam and birch were planted. The ‘winter works’ programme also included work such as coppicing and the planting of bulbs, shrubs and hedges.

This summer Wandsworth will again be taking part in No Mow May, which this year is being extended to 100 housing estates. Grass cutting will be suspended for at least a month to allow wildflowers to bloom, providing food for pollinators. The council is also encouraging people to take part at home by leaving their own mower in the shed during May.

The council, working with its contractor Enable, looks after around 62,000 trees in parks, commons and open spaces. Around 15,000 already grow in streets and on housing estates, plus many more growing in private gardens.

Wandsworth has recently published its new Tree Policy setting out how it will plant, manage and look after the borough’s trees, as well as its Biodiversity Strategy to ensure habitats and species can survive and prosper.

Sadly, Storm Eunice damaged the prominent Hybrid Strawberry tree in Battersea Park. Planted in the 1860s, it is one of the Great Trees of London and was the largest of it's type in Britain.

As it's such an important tree, we are working hard to save whatever is possible🌱 pic.twitter.com/bR8dHkRsSB

— Enable Parks Wandsworth (@EnableParks) February 23, 2022

Enable’s tree experts recently led the response to Storm Eunice, which saw a number of trees damaged. They acted quickly to minimise damage, including work to save as much as possible of a rare 160-year old Strawberry tree in Battersea Park. New saplings will be planted next season in place of those lost during the storm.

The council and Enable also look after one of the highest numbers of council-owned parks and green spaces in inner London covering more than 300 hectares.

And as part of its ongoing public realm improvement works, Wandsworth has spent half a million pounds over the past few months improving parks, commons and open spaces, including painting 8,200 metres of railings and re-laying more than a thousand metres of pathways.

Cabinet member for community services and open spaces Cllr Steffi Sutters said: “We have come to the end of another winter planting season, but the work certainly doesn’t end there.

“We’re continuing our participation in No Mow May, investing hundreds of thousands of pounds in improving our parks and open spaces, and working hard to ensure we are doing all we can to protect our precious wildlife and habitats. I look forward to seeing everyone enjoy our parks this summer.”