The Royal Parks team in Richmond Park produces a monthly diary (September issue below) which is displayed on the Park's public notice boards. If you are a member of the Friends and would like to receive these monthly diaries by email, please send your name and email address to Chris Mason at membership@frp.org.uk
September in Richmond Park
Richmond Park Open Day The Richmond Park Open Day takes place on Sunday 13 September at Holly Lodge. It is open to the public from 11am-4pm, is free to enter but parking is charged at £5 per car. Displays will be put on by all the organisations that work and help the park or fit within the countryside and garden theme.
Come along to find out about the history of the park, the wildlife, see the Shire horses, have a pony ride, enjoy the displays of cars and machinery, traditional woodworking or educational activities. Come by bike and take advantage of free security marking and servicing / minor repairs.
Beverley Brook restoration This watercourse has been heavily modified since the 1920s and the straight, wide and deep channel has been detrimental to wildlife. At the end of September the South East Rivers Trust will undertake work to improve the river for wildlife. They will introduce large woody material (logs), plant native trees and shrubs, fence areas to exclude the deer, change the profile of the banks, create back waters and gravel beds for fish to refuge and spawn. The work will be muddy but will soon re-vegetate in the spring. This work is supported by the Friends of Richmond Park and the Environment Agency.
The London Duathlon Richmond Park roads will be closed to all vehicles on Sunday 20 September for this annual cycling and running event. Pedestrian gates will be open and the park is usually a little quieter on Duathlon day – so if you travel by means other than car, a visit to the park can be particularly relaxing.
Reminder – Deer rut advice for walkers Deer are wild animals and can be unpredictable. Richmond Park is a nature reserve with herds of wild deer roaming freely. Deer can feel threatened by people and dogs even over long distances. This is particularly during the rutting which starts in September and continues through October. We recommend keeping at least 50m from deer and give them the respect they need during the rut.
Traffic Survey You may have noticed cameras and vehicle counter tubes on the Park roads in late August. These were installed for a comprehensive traffic survey which was last conducted 10 years ago. The 'cameras' do not film vehicles but simply count them and can distinguish between cars and cycles.
Speed data is collected with the rubber tubes. The survey will be conducted again in the autumn to collect contrasting term time data as well. The information will be used to better inform the management of the road network in the park and was funded by Transport for London.
Vote Richmond Park for the People's Choice Award The Green Flag award is an annual inspection and recognition for public open spaces that are well managed. This year 1582 parks received the award and now you can vote Richmond Park as your favourite.
The Isabella Plantation in September
The heather garden The summer flowering Ericas and Callunas continue to bloom.
Late flowering trees and shrubs Magnolia grandiflora, situated on the secluded lawn to the south of Thomson's Pond, has a few last buds opening into large, fragrant, cream coloured flowers, while its decorative fruits form.
Look out for Heptacodium miconioides growing below Thompson’s Pond and also the Birthday Mound. it is a vigorous shrub which bears lightly scented clusters of white flowers throughout the summer and early autumn. Clerodendron trichotomum has white and maroon fragrant flowers which are followed by bright blue berries, it can be found growing in the glade behind the toilets.
Autumn fruits Set back from Thomson's Pond, are two stands of Viburnum. Viburnum opulus, the Guelder Rose, bears clusters of glossy red berries at this time of year and differs slightly from the nearby Vibunum sargentii, which has bright red translucent berries. Viburnum betulifolium near the northern entrance to Wilson’s Glade, has pendant bunches of bright red-current-like fruit.
In the wild fringes of the Garden, fruits of native trees and shrubs, such as the Rowan and Spindle; Blackthorn and Hawthorn; Wild Rose, Dogwood and Blackberry, all provide food for wildlife at this time of the year. Euonymus planipes, below Peg’s Pond, displays its red seed capsules, while the purple cones of Abies koreana, nearby in the heather garden, are encrusted with white resin.
Look out for the Euonymus latifolius set back in the lawn to the left of the path leading from the Top Gate towards Acer Glade. This shrub has long slender leaves that turn red or purple in autumn. At the same time abundant pink clusters of ripe reddish pink, 4 lobed fruits appear which open to reveal white and orange seeds.
The bog garden Nandina domestica ‘Fire Power’grows in the Island bed in the lawn area looks particularly stunning, with its broad leaves that colour scarlet at this time of year. Ornamental grasses look very attractive at this time of year; look out for Stipa gigantea in the large bed on the lawn side of the middle pond, with its tall golden panicles that last into winter.
The feathery flower panicles of Deschampsia cespitosa ‘Goldshlier’ catch the wind in the streamside bed above the top pond. The tall purple-brown feathery panicles of the grass Miscanthus sinensis ‘Malepartus’ show in the Garden’s central and island beds.
Ponds and streamsides The last flowering spikes of Purple Loosestrife, Joe Pye Weed and Pickerel Weed provide a late source of nectar for insects.
Wheelchair available A motorised wheelchair, which makes the job of pushing considerably easier, may be loaned for use within the Garden on weekdays between 9am and 3pm. Please ring 0300 061 2200 to book the chair by noon on the day before it is required.
Guided walks
You are invited to join the gardeners for a guided walk of the Isabella Plantation. The next walk will take place on 20 September from 11am-12.30pm.
Walks last about one and a half hours and are free of charge. Meet inside the garden by the gate from Broomfield Hill car park at 11am.