There are 7,500 trees in our Park, and Stephen Middleton from the Friends of Alexandra Park is introducing us to some of his favourites…

Take time to sit and feed the birds or watch the people on the pedalos cruising on the boating lake and right by you could be the abundantly flowering Willow-leaved Pear (Pyrus salicifolia ‘Pendula’), our April Tree of the Month. The tree is on the left hand side of the boating lake when viewed from the cafe.

As the name implies the leaves look more like a willow than most pear trees. The scientific name salicifolia breaks down into ‘salix’ meaning ‘willow’ and ‘folia’, meaning ‘leaves’ (think of the word foliage). This small tree is the weeping form and will only grow to between five metres and 10 metres high.

Take a closer look at the leaves and you can see that they are silvery or woolly. The tree flowers in April or early May producing large numbers of white flowers that cover the tree. Later in the year it produces a few small fruit (pears), which are not great to eat.

The willow-leaved pear originates from a relatively small area in Anatolia and the Caucasus mountains where it grows on mountain slopes and rocky plains. It was originally introduced into this country in the late eighteenth century and is planted for its blossom and leaf colour.

Pears and most fruit trees in this country are in the rose family along with other familiar trees such as the rowan, hawthorn and blackthorn.

If you are on the lookout for something more edible, head along to the Grove area of the park where there are two small orchards and where edible pear trees can be found.

Want to find out more about trees? The Friends of Alexandra Park run several tree walks throughout the year with one coming up on the Saturday 11 May 2024. Check out their website for details.