Join us in exploring the trees Chichester people love ...
... and discover some of the trees we used to have, and miss
Do you have a favourite tree or trees? We find many people do. They come with stories, we connect them with things we do (or did) and they feel like old friends, constant in the landscape, sometimes visibly ageing just like us.
And, when we lose them, mostly we grieve - we miss them in the space they leave, the character they brought and the things they did for us. Occasionally some of us may feel relief (certain trees may not feel like everyone's friend). If we don't expect to lose them, it feels especially hard.
So these pages aim to celebrate the trees we love, whilst we still have them, and the trees we've lost, so that we appreciate our changing landscape and our role in shaping that landscape, the tree benefits and loves, of the future. We'll try too to highlight trees we know are at risk and appreciate your help both in identifying these and, if appropriate, taking action to try to save them.
As ever, life is busy and adding content might be slow, but we'd love you to send us content that we can add here. Do tell us about your favourite trees now, and the ones you miss, and we will try to build up this picture of Chichester's trees for everyone to enjoy. For now, please email us (later we may include a form, when a format for displaying the information becomes clear).
These pages are WORK IN PROGRESS, starting 22nd September 2022.
COMING SOON:
- find out how Chichester's most iconic trees, the cathedral limes (the row of lime trees in West Street) may be under threat (again!) and the 150-year history that has brought us the asset we enjoy today;
- marvel at Chichester's giant redwoods, still youngsters at 100-ish years old, and the risk to 2 trees in Rew Lane, Summersdale;
- reflect on the car parks, streets and plazas losing trees and what that means for how we use/enjoy those spaces and how we plan for the future.
Where can you find ...?
In alphabetical order, a random list of different tree types and some of the places you can see them in Chichester. Let us know if you'd like a particular tree to be featured.
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U/V - W/X - Y/Z
- Flowering cherry (prunus)
- Gleditsia (honey locust)
- Koelreuteria paniculata (Golden Rain Tree)
- Oak - Red Oak
- Phillyrea
- Robinia (faslse acacia)
- Willow (salix)
- Wollemi pine
- Wych elm 'Camperdown'
A
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B
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C
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D
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E
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F
Flowering cherry (prunus)
The Royal Horticultural Society has a whole article on Flowering Cherries for Small Gardens.
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G
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H
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I
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J
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K
Koelreuteria paniculata (Golden Rain Tree)
This species comes from China and Korea and was first introduced to Britain in 1763. It has distinctive compound leaves, alternate, each with a terminal leaflet and 3-7 opposite pairs of leaflets along the stalk. Leaflets are serrated and pinkish-red on emergence. Profuse small yellow flowers develop in late spring, going on to form lantern shaped fruits that turn red in the autumn, when its green leaves turn a rich yellow.
The tree in New Park car park is Lindy's favourite tree.
Find another in Jubilee Park at TT20 in our Chichester City Centre Tree Trail. (That tree has reached its mature height of 7-12m. At some point it has fallen - you will see the base of the trunk grown horizontal to, and resting on, the ground. Look for seedlings in nearby rough ground and beds.)
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L
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M
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N
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O
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P
Phillyrea
See
here how Pulborough-based Architectural Plants describe this tree.
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Q
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R
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S
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T
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U/V
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W/X
Willow (salix)
Learn how to distinguish white, grey, weeping and goat willow with the help of resources from Tree Guide UK.
Wollemi pine
Rediscovered in 1994 in New South Wales, Australia, the Wollemi pine triggered a
global conservation effort.
Find it in Bishop's Palace Garden, where it features as
TT7 in our Chichester City Centre Tree Trail (BPG149). There is another at the University of Chichester's Bishop Otter campus (private access).
Threatened Tree Information Sheet available to download from Botanic Gardens Conservation International website.
Wych Elm 'Camperdown' (Ulmus glabra Camperdownii)
There is only one example we know of this tree in Chichester, which has suffered loss of branches and dropped its leaves prematurely in 2023. Tree and land are in the management of Chichester District Council.
Further reading:
Camperdown Elm - Barcham Trees
Camperdown Elm Plant: Care and Growing Guide (thespruce.com)
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Y/Z
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