The Isabella Plantation Habitat & Health of Plants Survey February 2012 Isabella Plantation Habitat and Health of Plants Survey February 2012 The Royal Parks Rangers Lodge Hyde Park London W2 2UH Tel: 020 7298 2000 Fax: 020 7402 3298 [email protected] i CONTENTS 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 1 Purpose of the Plan............................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 HABITAT AND SPECIES................................................................ 4 Ecology and Wildlife.............................................................................................................................. 4 Habitat........................................................................................................................................................ 7 Trees and Shrubs – Isabella Plantation Woodland........................................................................ 7 Veteran Trees.......................................................................................................................................... 9 Threats to Woodlands and Trees................................................................................................... 12 Lawn and Grassland Habitat............................................................................................................. 14 The Plantation‟s Ponds and Streams................................................................................................ 17 Ponds..................................................................................................................................................... 18 Streams.................................................................................................................................................. 21 The Bog Garden.................................................................................................................................. 24 Conservation Area.............................................................................................................................. 24 Species................................................................................................................................................... 25 3.0 THE PLANT COLLECTION......................................................... 31 Isabella Plant Collection including the Wilson 50 National Collection.................................. 31 Rhododendrons................................................................................................................................... 31 Deciduous Azaleas.............................................................................................................................. 31 Evergreen Azaleas............................................................................................................................... 32 National Collection of Kurume Azaleas “The Wilson 50”......................................................... 32 Camellias............................................................................................................................................... 34 Magnolias............................................................................................................................................... 35 Ornamental Trees and Shrubs......................................................................................................... 36 Labelling, Cataloguing and Recording of the Collections............................................................ 36 Maintenance and Propagation of the Plant Collection................................................................ 38 Expanding the Plant Collection....................................................................................................... 40 Threat to the Plant Collection......................................................................................................... 44 Invasive Species.................................................................................................................................... 44 Pests and Diseases of the Plant Collection.................................................................................... 46 Potential Disease Problems 51 4.0 FUTURE MANAGEMENT – OBJECTIVES AND ACTIONS... 54 Biodiversity........................................................................................................................................... 54 Trees....................................................................................................................................................... 56 Management of Veteran Trees and Dead Wood......................................................................... 57 Lawn and Grassland Habitat.......................................................................................................... 58 Management of Ponds and Streams....................................................................................................... 59 Management of the Plant Collection................................................................................................. 60 Invasive Species........................................................................................................................................ 61 Pests and Diseases............................................................................................................................... 62 Specific Garden Area Policy............................................................................................................. 63 ii FIGURES Figure 1.1 Map of Richmond Park with Isabella Plantation Ringed in Red................ 2 Figure 1.2 Map of Isabella Plantation...................................................................................... 3 Figure 2.1 Photo Sheet 1- Isabella Plantation General.......................................................... 6 Figure 2.2 Isabella Plantation Ponds and Streams................................................................. 16 Figure 2.3 Photo Sheet 2 - Isabella Plantation General....................................................... 30 Figure 3.1 Photo Sheet 3 - Isabella Plantation Plant Collection.................................... 43 Figure3.2 Photo Sheet 4 - Isabella Plantation Plant Health and Habitat Management............................................................................................................................... 53 APPENDICES Appendix 1 – GiGl Records for Species Recorded Within Isabella Plantation – 2000 Onwards Appendix 2- Isabella Plantation Garden Species Records Appendix 3 - Isabella Plantation Canopy Thinning Map and Rated Work Specification 2011 Appendix 4 – Map Showing Distribution of Trees Infected With Acute Oak Decline within Isabella Plantation 2011 Appendix 5 - Map Showing Distribution of Veteran Trees Within Isabella Plantation 2011 Appendix 6 – Plant Collection Lists For Isabella Plantation Appendix 7 – Map showing distribution and control of Rhododendron ponticum within Isabella Plantation and Areas Severely Infected With Scale Insect and Sooty Mould Appendix 8 - Relevant Supporting Documents Appendix 9 - Bibliography iii GLOSSARY AOD – Acute Oak Decline BAP – Biodiversity Action Plan DEFRA – Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs GiGL – Greenspace Information for Greater London ICS – International Camellia Society IPAP – Isabella Plantation Access Project NCCPG - National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens OPM – Oak Processionary Moth PACE- Partnership and Community Engagement Officer PSYM - National Pond Monitoring Networks Predictive System for Multimetrics RPWG – Richmond Park Wildlife Group SSSI – Site of Special Scientific Interest TFoRP – The Friends of Richmond Park TROBI - The Tree Register of the British Isles ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The author would like to thank the following people: The Isabella Plantation Garden Team- Garry Scarffe, Dick Farr, Damien Black, Nigel Smallwood, and Ergun Ahmed. Simon Richards – Richmond and Bushy Park Manager, Claudia Watts – GiGL, Dr Nigel Reeve and Samantha Wilkinson- TRP Community Ecology Unit, Jane Braham – former Assistant Park Manager – Richmond Park, Ruth Holmes and Emily Alleyway – TRP Park Services Unit, Rajinder Kalsi. iv v 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 The Isabella Plantation is a 17.5 hectare ornamental woodland garden set within a Victorian woodland enclosure planted in the 1830s.Work began on the gardens in the late 1940‟s and they were first opened to the public in 1953. The Plantation is set in the heart of Richmond Park (one of the eight Royal Parks) and is included as part of the Park‟s designation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. The garden is also registered with the Soil Association as an organic garden and as such is managed without use of chemical pesticides and herbicides. It contains internationally important plant collections including a National Collection of Wilson 50 Kurume Azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, magnolias and many other rare and unusual trees and shrubs. The area also includes a number of veteran trees and comprises a mosaic of clearings, a network of interconnecting ponds and streams and a conservation area. Access to Isabella Plantation is free all year round and is a popular international and local visitor attraction drawing in excess of 300,000 visitors a year. Purpose of the Plan 1.2 To provide a general overview of