The Battersea Society Coronation Year Tree
By Clare Graham, Chair, Open Spaces Committee
We've just marked the end of 2023 by adding a beautiful new liquidambar tree to Falcon Park, courtesy of Enable Parks and its Tree Team.
Our New Tree For 2023
Our new tree, near the northern end of Falcon Park.
It was good to come together with some of the Society's members on Monday 11 December to plant a tree in Falcon Park at the end of Charles III's Coronation Year. This was something our committee had first approached Enable Parks about back in March; we'd thought initially of adding a new tree to a local open space around the date of the Coronation itself, on 6 May. Enable was happy to help out, but it also pointed out that May is not actually the best time to plant a tree. It has a regular annual tree planting programme, which we had just missed; would we like to wait until the next one started up in November? At that point its Tree Team would be able to offer us a choice of trees and of planting spots free of charge, and even throw in some kind of modest ceremonial event. We were delighted to accept; autumn is after all much the best time of year to plant a tree, giving it time to settle in and get its root system established before it starts into growth again in the spring.
Meanwhile, we had the choice of three empty spots where new trees were needed, two in Shillington Park and one next door in Falcon Park. We plumped for the last, as most prominent, and so you will now find our tree here, a few metres south of the foot and cycle path between Cabul Road and Latchmere Passage, just where the two footpaths heading towards the artificial pitch merge. When it came to tree varieties, I asked if a native pink May (hawthorn) might be available, remembering a fine one sadly lost nearby when the artificial pitch was installed a few years ago. Unfortunately, hawthorns often now struggle to survive locally, thanks to climate change. Instead we were offered two possible deciduous species, both highly decorative and much more likely to establish well: a Japanese flowering cherry, or a North American sweet gum. We went for the latter, Liquidambar Worplesdon; it's already a handsome specimen, with its distinctive pyramidal shape already evident. Currently its branches are bare, but next year it should develop large green leaves, five-pointed like a maple's, turning glorious yellows and oranges and reds when autumn comes.
The Planting Ceremony
Helping plant the tree.
Planting day had to be arranged at rather short notice, after Enable's trees had been delivered by Barcham's in mid-November but before Christmas, and to fit in with the planting contractors' availability. On the day eighteen of us made it, which felt pretty good for a chilly Monday afternoon in December! Fortunately we were lucky with the weather—a dry interval in a wet week, with glimpses of sunshine. When I arrived a few minutes beforehand, the tree was already in place. Just the top of its pit had been left empty, waiting to be filled in from the neat tray of loose earth beside it, with three well-polished spades standing ready. So we only needed to drape it with a pro tem Society banner, ahead of our brief ceremony at 14.00—just a short speech from myself, pointing out that the UK has a longstanding tradition of planting trees to mark royal visits, coronations and other special occasions, and now of course a king long known for his deep and abiding personal love of trees. I wound up with a short quotation of his, that 'planting a tree is a statement of hope and faith in the future'—something with which we all felt able to agree, even those of us who loudly declared themselves republican in their sympathies! Finally I added a first spadeful of earth to the tree pit and invited anyone else who wanted to, to help fill in the rest.
Chat, Questions And Answers
Questions for the Tree Team.
Modest as the occasion was, I think we all found it pleasing—a good, positive, forward-looking activity for the end of the year. What was also very pleasing was to have three members of the Tree Team present—Anthony Jones, our local tree officer for Battersea, and his colleagues Liam Hutton and Catie Ferguson. Afterwards all of them were happy to answer members' questions about their work as we stood around and chatted, before dispersing again at 14.45. So too of course were members of OSC—and don't forget that we're always here to answer your questions if we can, and would welcome your help too. Should you be interested in joining our committee, or just keeping an eye on your local open space for us, do please get in touch.
Our banner - just for the occasion.