Renewing Willesden with diverse new planting

Laurie Kay, gardening volunteer, shares with us about the plants that the team have planted that complement the historic settings of the site.

The gardening volunteers at Willesden were fortunate to be able to plant hundreds of plants and some trees prior to the second lockdown, subsequently transforming areas of barren earth into a green oasis and planting alongside graves dating from the early 20th century.

Is there a connection between these plants and the Jews interred at Willesden? If you wander around the cemetery you will see Jewish people from across the globe who rest in Willesden, from Tasmania to Toronto, alongside plants from South Africa to Spain.

There is a correlation between the diaspora and the plants that can be seen all around. As you look into the cemetery through the Claire Voie on Pound Lane you will see the newly planted tree lined avenue of Cypress trees native to central Europe, directing your line of sight into the past.

Around the Lebus and Grumbar family plot we have planted many species including Cistus ladanifer, an evergreen shrub native to the western Mediterranean region and Campanula rotundifolia, an herbaceous plant that occurs from the north Mediterranean to the arctic.

With plants native to many countries, alongside people who lived across the world, please visit Willesden and view 150 years of history alongside the trees and plants that hopefully will be here for many years to come bringing growth and renewal to a corner of London that is a true reflection of life.