If you walk down Northumberland Avenue in central London on a hot summer’s day, you’ll be basking in the shade of London plane trees (Platanus hispanica) planted in 1876. As well as improving the appearance of this historical street, these trees help with storm water attenuation, store carbon, improve air quality, provide shade for humans and offer habitats for wildlife.
The Victorians who planted these beautiful specimens did so very well, with plenty of space for their developing root systems not to be compacted. They did not expect to benefit from them personally, instead thinking ahead to what they’d bring to the street in centuries to come. As well as planting trees, the Victorians are responsible for many of our biggest London parks, providing essential green lungs to a city they were fast developing.