Tag: Street Trees for Living

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Southbrook Road trees start going in

An acer goes in – one of fifteen new trees being planted in Southbrook Road

Contractors have started planting trees in Southbrook Road that were paid for by the residents and match-funded by the Lee Manor Society.

Over the last two days they have planted fifteen trees along the road, including one which took a bit of work because of a stubborn block of concrete in the ground. .

The project was masterminded by Charles Batchelor of the Society, who wrote about it here last year.

Southbrook Road’s trees have been especially hard hit in recent years and many had died or were dying.

Happy tree planters Glenn and Miguel

It costs £395 for each new tree, which also covers the cost of digging up the pavement to accommodate it and the planting. The contractors will also water the trees during dry weather. All the trees will be labelled to show their species and the date of planting.

Residents in Southbrook Road paid £195 each – half the cost – with the balance funded by the Society. It is now investigating the idea of widening the scheme to other roads in the area.

This article has been updated.

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Watering street trees in very hot weather

Many local residents are collaborating with organisations like the Lee Manor Society to plant more street trees. This is helping green our local streets and reduce air pollution. It’s an expensive business putting in new trees so if you’re lucky enough to have a newly planted tree near you, it’s important to help it survive in the current hot weather. So, we are urging you to water these trees every few days with a watering can holding at least 5 litres of water, more if you can manage it.

You may wish to check with your neighbours to see if others are doing this also and agree to share the job. Most street trees are planted with a plastic pipe to pour the water into which goes into down to the tree’s roots. If there is no pipe, then water the area around the tree (not the trunk) as it’s the whole root ball that needs water most.

Top tips:

– The best time to water is in the early morning as this helps to minimise evaporation and gives the tree water to use throughout the day.

– If morning time isn’t possible for you, then water in the evening. Try to avoid watering in the hottest part of the day though.

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Replacing the dead trees in Southbrook Road

By Charles Batchelor

More than a dozen households have responded to the Society’s proposal to match-fund the planting of trees in Southbrook Road. We have set aside funds to spend on the planting and invited residents to provide a similar amount.

The death of several of the aged cherries has left Southbrook Road particularly denuded of tree cover  though the Society plans to roll out the programme to other local streets in future years.

Much of the £395 charge per tree is accounted for by labour costs, digging up the pavement to create a tree pit. Working with Street Trees for Living, the charity managing Lewisham’s street tree programme, we have surveyed potential planting sites.

Some residents have expressed an interest in trees offering either spring blossom or autumn colour. A final decision has yet to be taken on the varieties to be planted but they will comprise a small number of tree types rather than a single variety. This will make the trees less liable to succumb en masse to any of the many viruses that can affect them. Planting will take place in the winter of 2025.