Historic Mulberry trees in Chiswick

The Royal Horticultural Society is campaigning to trace our historic mulberry trees. Some of London’s oldest trees will be coming under the spotlight thanks to a new campaign supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The initiative, run by The Conservation Foundation’s Morus Londinium will unravel the intriguing stories of London’s mulberry tree heritage. According to Old Chiswick Protection Society there are a good number of mulberry trees of great age (or their remnants) in the gardens of old Chiswick Some of London’s most noteworthy and ancient mulberries are already on the Morus Londinium database, at moruslondinium.org, which includes a map of where they are located. There are several marked in the Chiswick area including one at Hogarth’s House, which is probably a survivor from the orchard on the site in the 1670s. The project was prompted by the fact that mulberries rarely feature in tree surveys – mainly, it is thought, because most are in private gardens, and therefore more difficult to find. The oldest mulberry, planted in London in 1548, still flourishes in Syon Park. The Mulberry Map - find your local mulberry and contribute to the survey. Learn the signs - how to spot a mulberry.