Freddy’s Blossom Walk trees in Ladywell Fields

Last week nine new trees were planted in Ladywell Fields and another will be planted at New Year. These are all part of Freddy’s Blossom Walk, a five mile walk comprising 100 trees, across Lewisham. They provide a living memorial to Freddy, a young Lewisham man who died tragically in his sleep, and are for the benefit of everyone. Freddy’s family, friends and local residents have raised the money to plant the trees. Twenty-four were planted last winter, forty-seven will be planted this autumn, and the rest will be planted in the winter of 2023/24. You can recognise Freddy’s Blossom Walk by the specially designed labels that include a QR code to access the map and the fundraising page.

We now have a short avenue of six crab apple trees in the middle field, near Dressington Avenue.

There are two almond willows along the river bank.

A further tree, a hornbeam, has been planted in the south field near the Ravensbourne Park entrance.  In addition, a new female Black Poplar tree, grown from a cutting of our existing veteran tree near the Malyons Road entrance, will be planted at New Year.

Tree Keepers needed for Ladywell Fields forest

Ladywell Fields now has a 'tiny forest' of 600 saplings, planted on Tuesday 22nd November. If you haven't seen it yet, head for the western side of the middle field, alongside Dressington Avenue. The trees have been planted with plenty of mulch and now just need to settle in over the winter months. The wooden fence will be there for the first three years to protect them and will then be removed.  

We are looking for local people to volunteer as 'Tree Keepers' whilst the forest establishes. This role involves keeping an eye out for problems (e.g. with fencing), helping with any maintenance required, and participating in community events to record observations as the forest grows in its first three years. You will be supported with the tools, training and resources needed. 

If you want to find out more, go to www.tinyforest.earthwatch.org.uk.  

You can become a Tree Keeper by emailing tinyforest@earthwatch.org.uk

Plant a Forest in Ladywell Fields on 22 November 2022

Lewisham Council and Bloomberg are working with Earthwatch Europe to establish a new Tiny Forest in Ladywell Fields, Lewisham. A Tiny Forest is a dense, fast-growing, native woodland made up of 600 trees planted in a tennis court-sized plot. They are not only an attractive location for wildlife but are great for people to enjoy as well, and can provide a range of benefits in the fight against climate change.

On Tuesday 22nd November from 2.00pm we will be planting the trees that will make up the Tiny Forest. The event is free to attend and open to all ages.

Equipment will be provided on the day but feel free to bring along your own gardening gloves and a spade if you have these. Please also bring any refreshments you will need whilst planting - we find a warming cup of tea is always a good idea!

The event flyer can be seen here.  

To take part, please register in advance on Eventbrite.

A Forest for Ladywell Fields

Ladywell Fields is to host a 'Tiny Forest', in the part of the Park adjacent to Dressington Avenue and Lion Close.  This will bring some of the benefits of woodland right into the heart of Lewisham: connecting people with nature, helping to mitigate the impacts of climate change, as well as providing a nature-rich habitat to support urban wildlife.

Tiny Forests are based on the Mayawaki method, which involves very dense planting.  With the help of volunteers, Earthwatch (a non-profit environmental charity) will plant c.600 trees in a single day, on Tuesday 22 November 2022.

If you'd like to take part, please save the date.  Further details of how you can help will follow soon.

Ladywell Fields Guided Tree Walk, Sunday 21 August, 2.00pm

The Ladywell Fields User Group invites you  to a guided tree walk, suitable for all ages.

Come and learn how to identify common trees, find out how they cope with the current drought, and see some of the more unusual varieties growing in your local park. See this blog page for a sneak preview. No need to bring anything. Children need to be accompanied by an adult.

We will meet at the café in the North Field at 2pm and the event will finish back at the café by 4pm.

Advance registration required. Get your free ticket here. Early registration is recommended as the number of people on the walk is limited to 25.

New Ladywell Fields Tree Trail

Can you tell your Caspian Lime from your Lewisham Elm?  The Tree Trail through the Fields takes you to these and quite a few other wonders of nature.  As the living trees change, so does the Ladywell Fields Tree Walk.  A new and updated guide has just been published on this blog--see it here and follow the directions to track down the most majestic and noteworthy local specimens.  

Community Orchard volunteering sessions Saturday 30th April, 10.30am - 12.30pm

The plum tree blossom has nearly finished in the orchard. Once the fruit has set, we can do some pruning on these trees. For those who wish, there is also the task of weeding the mulch circles around the smaller trees. We will therefore have another volunteer session on Saturday 30th April, 10.30am - 12.30pm. Rendezvous in the orchard, at the southern end of Ladywell Fields, near the Bournville Road entrance. Under 16s only with close supervision. Please bring your own gloves and (sharp) secateurs if you have them, but some will also be available to borrow. Please email email ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk if interested, so we can gauge numbers and let you know if we have to cancel due to wet weather.

Community Orchard volunteering sessions Friday 25th February and Saturday 12th March, 10.30am - 12.30pm

There is still quite a lot to do in the orchard so we are holding two volunteer sessions in the next few weeks. On Friday we shall be finishing the winter pruning. On Saturday 12th March we will be weeding, mulching and checking guards and posts. Please come along to help and maybe learn something new about caring for trees. 

Rendezvous at the south end of Ladywell Fields, near the Bournville Road entrance. Boots and old clothes recommended. Under 16s only with close supervision. Please bring your own stout gloves. Please email ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk if you are interested, so we can gauge numbers and let you know if we have to cancel due to wet weather. 

Rare native black poplar trees planted

You may have noticed some tree planting in Ladywell Fields this January. Twenty new trees are being planted, following a successful application by Lewisham Council to the Treescapes Fund. This grant is supporting planting across five Lewisham parks, and in Ladywell Fields we have taken the opportunity to focus on poplar trees.

 Young female black poplar whip behind protective cage  

Ladywell Fields has numbers of mature black poplar trees growing along the riverside, some of which are reaching the end of their natural lives. As a water loving species which lives about 200 years, some are likely to pre-date the establishment of the park and so form a living connection to its former identify as water meadows. In particular there is a row of four male black poplar trees, which DNA analysis has confirmed to be Populus Nigra Betulifolia, the native black poplar. In recent years several other black poplar trees have fallen in storms or had to be felled. These were previously amongst the tallest trees in the park and the female native black poplars are some of the rarest trees in Britain. We are therefore really pleased that the Treescapes Fund has enabled us to plant seven new female and seven new male native black poplar trees along the river.

If you look for new tree cages near the river, you will see that the black poplar trees are still small. It proved very hard to find anyone who could supply them and these young whips were kindly donated by Kew who have been growing them from mature trees in Sussex. We are grateful that they could spare these fourteen for us. They will need some care for the first couple of years but are fast growing and should soon establish.

In addition to the black poplars, we have planted a few other water-loving trees which have until now been absent from Ladywell Fields. There are two white poplars (populus alba) and two aspen (populus tremula). Ladywell Fields has a lot of naturalised crack willow and some golden willow. We have now added a bay willow (salix pentandra) and hope to be able to include more examples of the salix family over time. Finally there is a new hornbeam near the athletics track. 

All these trees have a watering contract for the first two years. In addition volunteers are asked to help keep the tree pits weed free and mulched as this gives the new trees the best start. Please get in touch if you would like to help. ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk

Community Orchard volunteer session, Saturday 29th January and February 2022, 10.30am - 12.30pm

There is quite a lot to do in the orchard at this time of year so we are holding two volunteer sessions in the next few weeks. We'll be doing winter jobs: pruning, weeding, mulching and checking guards and posts. Please come along to help and maybe learn something new about caring for trees. Rendezvous at the south end of Ladywell Fields, near the Bournville Road entrance. Boots and old clothes recommended. Under 16s only with close supervision. Please bring your own gloves and (sharp) secateurs if you have them, but some will also be available to borrow. Please email ladywellfields@yahoo.co.uk if interested, so we can gauge numbers and let you know if we have to cancel due to wet weather.

For those interested, there is also the opportunity to do some orchard maintenance on Fridays. Please get in touch if you are interested.