Every month we feature two blogs written by volunteers; one describes an object in the Palace and one a feature from the Garden. There is no set format so you are free to experiment with research, prose, poetry or anything new! It is a space for you to learn more about the Palace and share it with the volunteer community.
Many thanks to Vicky Garrard, collections volunteer, who dived straight back into volunteering after being in the States for the last seven months!
Arizona is not just BIG CACTUS ! Saguarro (pronounced Soowarrow) thrive in the southern part of the state and grow up to an elevation of 4,000 feet.
A planned five week trip to Northern Arizona in March 2020 lasted seven months. This was spent at a height of 4,500 feet in the evergreen juniper, pinon pine, scrub oak ecozone. So this means predominantly grey green trees and shrubs throughout the whole year.
Left to right: Pinon, juniper, scrub oak
Returning to SW London in early October was a real shock and delight. The range of colours and shapes of trees, and leaves, seems astonishing. Especially so in the grounds of Fulham Palace where its unique history means that the range of trees, both native and from elsewhere, is particularly wide.
Looking towards the children’s nursery from the front drive
A section of the Compton Beds looking towards the church
There are many trees and shrubs in the grounds of Fulham Palace with origins in North America. Two of the tallest evergreen trees, on the edges of the back lawn, are native to the Western US.
The Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganticum, tree tag 5114 ) is close to the wall adjacent to the allotments. The Giant Sequoia is native to California and naturally occurs in the range 4,600 to 7,000 feet.
The Giant Sequoia
The Western Yellow Pine (Pinus ponderosa, tree tag 5350 ) is close to the old Holm Oak. This pine is native to the mountainous regions of the Western US and is known as Ponderosa Pine in Arizona. The largest stand of pure Ponderosa Pines is in Northern Arizona at a height of 6,500 to 8,000 feet.
The Ponderosa Pine
I have been pondering as to why both the Giant Sequoia and the Ponderosa Pine are doing so well close to the River Thames, just above sea level, when naturally they grow at such high elevations……..?