"Free The Trees!" - St Asaph Road SE4

Who'd have thought that a few hours spent with a bolt-cutter, secateurs, saws and a gaggle of hardy Street Trees for Living committee members on St Asaph's Road SE4 would be so much fun! 

Man with a mission!

For years, the trees along this busy Brockley thoroughfare have had to contend with pavement parking and (for those left languishing in their protective wire cages), being used as litter bins by thoughtless passers-by. 

Well, that all changed last Saturday when we went to town removing all the cages and stakes from the trees along St Asaph Road between the railway bridge and St Norbert Road. Some of the trees had suckered terribly, particularly a reasonably mature ornamental purple plum: 

TLC for the purple plum

Sadly, many of these trees have suffered by being left in cages for too long. Several have suffered bark damage and are likely to fall foul of fungal or bacterial disease:

We removed more than a sack full of assorted vintage litter during the work, including beer cans, crisp and sweet wrappers, the brands of which most of us haven't seen in years!

Anyway, the work is done and we are very happy with the results. It was lovely chatting to the various pedestrians and residents who came out to see what we were doing. We've decided to blitz some more of our neglected local streets in the coming weeks - so keep an eye out for the tree enthusiasts with the bolt cutters!!