After the exquisite scent of lady’s bedstraw comes the very different but equally wonderful smell of the Linden tree (Tilia or Lime tree). The park has many of these, and they are at their flowering peak right now.
Walk along the various paths in the park and you will likely experience the scent. Indeed, you can detect this pretty much anywhere in London at the moment, since these are common trees. Another noteworthy presence in the (almost dry) ponds is a nice outcrop of the broadleaf cattail (I think), which is maturing nicely after being planted about four years ago. Hopefully it will continue to spread and add character to the ponds.
You’re not incorrect in calling them broadleaf cattail, though that is very much an American name. In the UK it’s more normally called Greater Reedmace or sometimes Bulrush.
The latter name is unfortunate as the name also more correctly refers to sedges in the genus Scirpus. The confusion arose with the painting of Moses in the bulrushes.
All refer to Typha latifolia.
We discovered genuine “bulrushes” in the adjacent pond. Photo below (and added to gallery above). So we have both in the pond area!
Nice! I don’t have think it was planted, may have come from seed. We will have to distribute some flag Iris seed from nearby ponds into that pond.
Richard, we put down flag iris into Costons brook last year, and I am pleased to say that it is really thriving. But this was not from seed but from rhizomes, also borrowed from elsewhere.