Signs of a new project for Perivale park (or more accurately the surrounding streets) have appeared. Called “Trees for Streets“, it encourages local residents to go out and water trees planted in Ealing streets (there is one for parks as well).
Over the years we have observed many trees planted in the Perivale park area and local green spaces. The most recent was the Walnut tree planted in June 2022 as part of the late Queen’s Jubilee celebrations. That tree it transpired never did not attract its own watering champion – not even the Mayor of Ealing who planted it was able to arrange this. A year later it produced few leaves and around June 2024 it had been removed by the council as being well and truly dead (but only after requests had been sent to them).
We were promised a replacement of that Walnut tree in July 2024 by the Tree Officer (planting) in Ealing, and hope that some time in 2025 it will appear. As apparently will the Pear Tree orchard promised for the new Pear Tree park (to rectify the observation that the name for the park did not accurately reflect the trees found there!). We can only hope that all the trees planted in the future in the park do attract their own watering champions so that they last into maturity.
I note that when the orchard area in the park was planted in 2019, it DID have a watering champion. During the first two years, which it turned out were very hot and dry ones, their champion would water them sometimes twice a week. All 34 trees are still alive five years later. Lets hope the trees planted in Ealing streets are similarly lucky!