Trees of Nine Elms

The Trees of Nine Elms 

Any story about the trees of Nine Elms must surely start with the elms. There are nine elms today (pictured above) opposite the US Embassy on Nine Elms Lane,  on the Thames riverside.

How they came to be there, is testimony to the work of the Conservation Foundation and others, who realised the importance of keeping the natural connection to the site’s name and replaced trees lost to Dutch Elm Disease in the 1970’s. As trees have been lost they have been replaced - the 8th and ninth trees were added in 2019 by Wandsworth Council and the local community.

On Wednesday 19th May at 1pm The Urban Tree Festival is delighted to present, in its TreeRings series, a webinar about these special trees - click here to book

The nine elms at Nine Elms are now recognised as a significant part of London’s living elm tree heritage . Here is the Conservation Foundation’s map of this heritage including other trees you can see across London

But the ‘tree story’ of Nine Elms today doesn’t end with the elms.

To celebrate the Urban Tree Festival this year, Wandsworth Council asked locals to tell us about their favourite trees in Nine Elms. We were delighted with the response.

We were told about:

The work of Urban Canopy, who have planted a new forest garden including: specimens of mulberry, pear, cherry, hazel’s and ‘Toona’ (the beef and onion plant) on Savona Estate

The American style tree and ‘prairie’ grass planting scheme around the US embassy including the swamp cypresses, at home in the water in-front of the main building

The majestic London plane at Riverlight providing cool shade by the St Michael riverboat

40 trees, planted in 1979, now about 50 years old, including  Horse chestnuts, Maples, Tree of Heaven  and willow, in the lush hidden oasis that is the Thessaly Road playspace

To celebrate the Urban Tree Festival 2021, in partnership with Wandsworth Council, we have created an online TiCL map and App guide to these and more of your favourite trees in Nine Elms which you can download here

Contributor

Simon Edwards, TiCL Media Ltd