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13th February 2007 Joint parks initiative sees mistletoe flourish on both sides of the river As part of its strong commitment to conservation and biodiversity, The Royal Parks are supporting a local scheme to encourage new growths of mistletoe in Marble Hill Park in Richmond In a special partnership between by The Royal Parks and English Heritage, which runs Marble Hill Park, selected trees in Marble Hill Park will be seeded with mistletoe taken from Bushy Park trees. The seeding aims to capitalise on the successful introduction of mistletoe into Marble Hill Park in 2006 as part of the Richmond Biodiversity Action Plan on Mistletoe. The seeds that will be used come from Bushy Park, which is acknowledged as one of the best sites for mistletoe in the south of England. In a further link between the two Parks, Tom Hayward, Assistant Warden for Marble Hill Park who will carry out the seeding, began his horticultural career as a gardening volunteer in Bushy Park's Woodland Gardens after studying Conservation at university. The experience Tom gained as a Bushy Park volunteer helped him gain his first paid job in his chosen career as Ranger for Marble Hill Park which is owned and managed by English Heritage. Speaking about the seeding, Kath Green, Head Ranger at Marble Hill Park said: "Following the successful trial to introduce mistletoe from Bushy Park last year as part of our joint commitment to increasing local biodiversity, we decided to repeat it again this year. I'm delighted that the seeding technique Tom developed here at Marble Hill will be beneficial to the wider Mistletoe Species Action Plan for London." The species of Mistletoe (from the Old English mistelt�n) being seeded is the English type, whose Latin name Viscum Album refers to the sticky white, seed-bearing berries. A parasitical plant spread by birds that eat its seeds, Mistletoe provides both a home and food for many species of bird and insect. Mark Bridger, Head Gardener at Bushy Park said: "Bushy Park is a prime site for mistletoe in southern England so we were very happy to work with our opposite numbers at Marble Hill Park, as part of the reinstatement of mistletoe across London. Mistletoe shows us clearly how one living thing depends on so many others." Media contact: Bruce Sparrow, Tel: 07970 660132 E-mail: bsparrow@royalparks.gsi.gov.uk Editor's notes: 1. The Royal Parks is an executive agency of the DCMS. The parks are Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, St James's Park and Green Park, The Regent's Park with Primrose Hill, Richmond Park, Bushy Park and Greenwich Park. 2. English Heritage exists to protect and promote England's spectacular historic environment and ensure that its past is researched and understood. 3. Marble Hill is the last complete survivor of the elegant villas and gardens which bordered the Thames between Richmond and Hampton Court in the 18th century. It was begun in 1724 for the remarkable Henrietta Howard, mistress of King George II when he was Prince of Wales, and friend of some of the cleverest men in England. A lovely Palladian villa still set in 66 acres of riverside parkland, Marble Hill was intended as an Arcadian retreat from crowded 18th-century London. 4. With an area of 445 hectares (1,099 acres). Bushy Park is the second largest of the Royal Parks. Lying to the north of Hampton Court Palace, the park, has a distinctly rural character and is home to around 320 free-roaming deer. The flat site on which Bushy Park lies has been settled for at least 4,000 years. There is clear evidence of the medieval field boundaries, with the finest example just south of the Waterhouse Woodland Gardens, where there are traces of the largest and most complete medieval field system in Middlesex. back to top |
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