Huge avocado trees and citrus growing in London

[UK_Palms]

Spotted a number of Advocado trees around London as well as some citrus.

 

Taste test...

 

A few more...

 

 

Edited January 11, 2022 by UK_Palms

[Xerarch]

Amazing 

[Chester B]

Very cool stuff, what I wouldn't do to be able to grow one.  I recently bought frozen cubed avocado and it does actually freeze pretty well.  It's not quite as good for fresh eating, but as part of a recipe or as guacamole it was decent.  I know there are a couple of cold (or cool) hardy ones out there, maybe I'll give it a go. 

[necturus]

Some fruits look like Mexican avocados which makes sense - most cold tolerant. There were some that size in our area prior to the winter freeze. Now they're frozen to the trunk or roots.

[UK_Palms]

Here are the London citrus trees I have spotted. No doubt there will be a lot more out there lurking. I have no idea what is what? Some look more orange like, others look more lemon like. Some of them could be grapefruit, or hybridised with grapefruit perhaps?

Being right on the street like that you can guarantee the fruit gets stolen, or pulled off prematurely by curious passing pedestrians. Not to mention there are a LOT of parakeets in London now that will feast off them. All of these citrus trees have been there a decade or so. 

 

No idea where these ones are located...

 

This tree inside a park is hard to see on street view, but it is loaded with citrus. Possibly a huge Calamondin? It has definitely been confirmed to be citrus.

 

Here are some more growing in the churchyard at St. Paul's Cathedral in London...

 

Not sure what the hell these trees are..? I thought they were apples at first, but the street views are from September and don't look anything like apples. More like lemons. Possibly grapefruit? Whats all the more surprising is that these are in northwest London, which is one of the colder parts of the city, although still relatively mild overall.

 

There's a nice CIDP on that same road as the citrus above...

 

I have literally only just started looking for citrus and found quite a few pretty quickly, so God knows how many more are lurking out there around the London metropolis. Any help getting I.D.'s on any of these would be appreciated. 

Edited January 12, 2022 by UK_Palms

[Silas_Sancona]

6 minutes ago, UK_Palms said:

Here are the London citrus trees I have spotted. No doubt there will be a lot more out there lurking. I have no idea what is what? Some look more orange like, others look more lemon like. Some of them could be grapefruit, or hybridised with grapefruit perhaps?

Being right on the street like that you can guarantee the fruit gets stolen, or pulled off prematurely by curious passing pedestrians. Not to mention there are a LOT of parakeets in London now that will feast off them. All of these citrus trees have been there a decade or so. 

 

No idea where these ones are located...

 

This tree inside a park is hard to see on street view, but it is loaded with citrus. Possibly a huge Calamondin? It has definitely been confirmed to be citrus.

 

Here are some more growing in the churchyard at St. Paul's Cathedral in London...

 

Not sure what the hell these trees are..? I thought they were apples at first, but they the street views are from September and don't look anything like apples. More like lemons. Possibly grapefruit? Whats all the more surprising is that these are in northwest London, which is one of the colder parts of the city, although still relatively mild overall.

 

There's a nice CIDP on that same road as the citrus above...

 

I have literally only just started looking for citrus and found quite a few pretty quickly, so God knows how many more are lurking out there around the London metropolis. Any help getting I.D.'s on any of these would be appreciated. 

Apple looking things could be Quince..

[UK_Palms]

1 hour ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Apple looking things could be Quince..

It could be that having just looked up what a 'Quince' is on Google.

Any idea what type of citrus is in the first two photos? It kind of looks like a satsuma, but I doubt it is. 

[Silas_Sancona]

1 minute ago, UK_Palms said:

It could be that having just looked up what a 'Quince' is on Google.

Any idea what type of citrus is in the first two photos? It kind of looks like a satsuma, but I doubt it is. 

Would have to see the fruit up close to get a better idea of what variety of Tangerine / Tangelo it might be.. ( " Satsuma " would be one of several varieties )

[amh]

1 hour ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Apple looking things could be Quince..

Most likely and quince will hold their leaves above 20F.

[Chester B]

Those are quince for sure.  Such a great fruit, they are relatively popular in my neck of the woods. Zone 6 and above for quince.

[EJPalm05]

Wow! What variety of avocados and oranges are these?

Edited January 12, 2022 by EJ NJ
spelled wrong

[UK_Palms]

21 hours ago, necturus said:

Some fruits look like Mexican avocados which makes sense - most cold tolerant. There were some that size in our area prior to the winter freeze. Now they're frozen to the trunk or roots.

From what I hear, it is virtually impossible to get the Mexican type in Europe, especially here in the UK. These London ones are supposedly regular Guatemalan avocados, due to the bumpy skin/flesh that can be seen, however I can't say for sure. A guy from the RHS (Royal Horticulture Society) explained this recently.

Even the tougher Mexican variety only appears to be hardy down to -5C / 22F though. I remember hearing about lots of avocados being killed back along the French and Italian Med from -6C / 20F a few years ago. So it makes you wonder just how cold these parts of central London are getting due to the UHI and potential microclimates. They must be milder than first thought.

 

Perhaps some microclimates are existing within other microclimates? The official Met Office temperature recordings are done right out in the open, in exposed locations - St. James Park, Heathrow, Northolt, Kew Gardens, Hampstead, Bushy Park etc. Those places haven't really ever dropped below -6C / 20F since 1987, which was the worst winter on record, but still only about -8C / 15-16F back then during 87' in these exposed 'official' locations. 

I suspect at street level in certain locations, where it is more built up, better protected from cold winds and close to buildings maximising UHI effect, it may not have dropped below -4C / 24F since 1987. It's definitely going to be better protected than those exposed Met stations that are well out in the open, far away from buildings. Potentially a difference of 2C / 5F during the coldest winter nights and especially during radiation freezes, compared to actual Met stations out in the open. 

[gurugu]

Spectacular!

That´s a seed grown avocado, not a grafted one. There are quite a few around here. They start setting fruit when they are about 12 years old. They do set big fruits, at least here.

It seems Bacon or Zutano variety, according to the size of the bone. They are said to be a little bit hardier.

I have had a grafted Hass variety one for over 25 years and it is much shorter, usually grafted ones are.

So the place the tall one is planted in, must be a 9b zone, at least, and it is not sheltered by some eave from a house. If not, it could be a warmer place, like the second one by a house wall. It is also true that it has more place to grow better than the other, so that´s why it will set more fruits.

Keep on sending more surprises from UK. I enjoy this better than when some coconut tree is discovered in Southern California or the sorroundings. We are talking of 14º/16º more northernly latitudes.

I do know about araucaria excelsa being grown outdoors in London. Do you know where?

[UK_Palms]

18 hours ago, EJ NJ said:

Wow! What variety of avocados and oranges are these?

I have heard that they are Guatemalan avocados, but I can't say for sure. As for the oranges, I don't really know what is what really. There is some evidence of actual Valencia oranges being grown, but others look like tangerines. 

There appears to be a fruiting lemon tree growing next to the big CIDP in Egerton Terrace, London. Can anyone confirm whether this is citrus limon? @Silas_Sancona @gurugu

[Silas_Sancona]

7 minutes ago, UK_Palms said:

I have heard that they are Guatemalan avocados, but I can't say for sure. As for the oranges, I don't really know what is what really. There is some evidence of actual Valencia oranges being grown, but others look like tangerines. 

There appears to be a fruiting lemon tree growing next to the big CIDP in Egerton Terrace, London. Can anyone confirm whether this is citrus limon? @Silas_Sancona @gurugu

Looks like a Lemon to me.. Could be one of the larger -fruited varieties, vs. something like " Meyer "  or  " Eureka " ( ..Pretty much the " standard " lemons you see sold at most grocery stores ) though.

[UK_Palms]

I have only just started looking for 'araucaria excelsa' or Norfolk Island Pine after you mentioned it to me, and surprise surprise, it didn't take long to spot a couple, assuming these are Norfolk Island Pines? In which case there would be a lot more lurking out there in London, since I have only just started looking. @gurugu

 

Another...

 

Another in Hackney, northeast London by the looks of things...

No idea where that lemon tree that is as tall as a house is located...?

Another small Norfolk Island Pine in a pot...

 

Guessing this is a baby one...

 

Wollemi Pine or something else...?

 

Talking of pines...

 

These are the best bananas I have seen in London probably. I doubt they have ever been protected there by the owner. 

 

The London cacti haven't even had a mention yet...

 

I took these photos at Kew Gardens in September 2020...

Edited January 13, 2022 by UK_Palms

[gurugu]

On second thoughts, that avocado could be a Hass variety, because this is one of the very few self pollinating ones. Most others are dicogamic. Mine is hass and self pollinates. What doesn´t fit is the size of the bone.

For sure all those are Araucaria excelsa. This is more tender than Angustifolia, and Bidwilli, so there must be some of these out there.

The tree in 11 Tyron Cres is, pretty sure, a Grevillea Robusta. Though the bark is a little bit different, or so it looks, but the leaves are very similar. So another subtropical tree for the basket. Last year I had to chop down mine after 24 years. The timber is very valuable. Here it sets flowers even close to the coast, and in some places they also set seeds.

Those musas in Musgrave cres could be Acuminata Colla or Balbisiana, or something else. Any expert?

Definitely there are subtropical spots in London, at least in terms of minimum temperatures, not so in maximums. Pretty much the same as here. If avocados, citrus, araucaria excelsas, etc. can be grown, then we are talking of subtropical climate, no doubt.

Do you know of any avocados, etc. on the south coast of the UK?

[UK_Palms]

This is probably even more bizarre than all the palms and exotic plants. London is experiencing a MASSIVE parakeet invasion like you wouldn't believe. Like millions of these parakeets in parks and neighbourhoods that are breeding out of control. After pigeons they are the second most common bird now in London.

@gurugu Do you have these parakeets in northern Spain? They are invasive in many areas, although the London population has exploded now. There are even Macaws flying about too... 

 

These parakeets are native to India and central Africa but they have completely taken over London now. The video below shows them in their native range in India, but check out the Arabic guy who has replied to the BBC video showing himself being completely swarmed by parakeets in London. 

 

In London the birds attack you for food and the squirrels even run up your leg...

 

The parakeets aren't just in the parks though as you will see, they have clearly taken over residential areas of London as well. They are literally taking over...

 

They seem to dominate the bird feeders in London gardens not letting other birds feed...

 

As Ian Malcolm said in Jurassic Park, "life will find a way"...

 

Try to count this lot...

 

The noise they make is crazy, although it may be due to the sheer number of them. A worker at Kew Gardens told me last year there was 10,000 in Kew alone.

 

They even attack the squirrels since they are so numerous in London now...

 

They're getting people in with Eagles / Hawks to deal with the invasion in residential areas...

 

The native birds seem to be helping out too...

 

It seems there are actual Macaws flying about wild in London as well. They are obviously escaped pets but they have survived and started breeding in the London parks supposedly.

 

 

 

A few other species around London...

 

Edited January 14, 2022 by UK_Palms

[gurugu]

Did you check out if the tree in 11 Tyron Cress is a Grevillea robusta? If so, that is a true subtropical tree {9b zone} , more than Rademachera. 

[UK_Palms]

2 hours ago, gurugu said:

Did you check out if the tree in 11 Tyron Cress is a Grevillea robusta? If so, that is a true subtropical tree {9b zone} , more than Rademachera. 

Yes, I’m pretty sure the one in Tyron Crescent is Grevillea Robusta. Especially since I have also now had confirmation of an even bigger specimen growing in Rotherhithe, London. Check out this one! Wow! It’s located outside the old police station on Lower Road, Rotherhithe. The first pictures are just after the brutal 2018 winter, when it took a bit of damage. It looks much better now!

Unfortunately the area is now a building site as the old police station has been knocked down and apartment blocks are due to be built, however there is a TPO (Tree Protection Order) in place for this Grenvillea preventing it from being cut down I think…

I’m at work right now and on my phone, so I can’t check it properly on Google Street view, however it does appear to have flowered or coned going by the recent images…

Hopefully the building developers don’t damage it, or cut it down, since it is probably the biggest Grenvillea Robusta in London. I suspect there are some more lurking out there which we don’t know about… 

Edited January 31, 2022 by UK_Palms

[UK_Palms]

@gurugu Now I am at home and not at work, I'm able to look at that big Grevillea Robusta on street view better. Here it is way back in 2008, which is the earliest street view goes back...

 

Clearly it survived December 2010, the coldest month on record for Heathrow and St. James Park. It also survived the February 2018 freeze, taking some damage. Maybe Grevillea Robusta is hardier than first thought, or London is just much milder than people realise? Probably a combination of both factors. No idea when it was planted? Any idea how old it may be?

Here is the most recent street view image from July 2021 with the police station demolished. They have done well to save the tree to be fair...

 

This is a fantastic picture of it I have found off the 'Trees of Bermondsey' Twitter account.

 

Here's the source of that photo, located on the bottom right. Unless that is yet another separate Grevillea Robusta growing in London? There could well be a few of them lurking out there. Usually if there is one, there is more. I haven't really put much research into finding them. We have confirmation on 2 mature London specimens now, so there will surely be others out there...

 

Imagine if the property developers / construction workers cut this big one down! 

Edited January 31, 2022 by UK_Palms

[UK_Palms]

On second thoughts, I'm not sure if that last picture is of the big Grevillea tree now. The leaves don't look right, although the bark does. It may be a photo of a different tree?

[gurugu]

39 minutes ago, UK_Palms said:

On second thoughts, I'm not sure if that last picture is of the big Grevillea tree now. The leaves don't look right, although the bark does. It may be a photo of a different tree?

I agree. That tree most surely isn´t a grevillea.

The grevillea at the police station of July 2021, I would say it is about 25 years old , because mine was that high and with that girth, though the picture is not very clear. It would be a pity if it were chopped down.

Do you know of any Melia azederach over there?

This one is about.  the same age , but shorter, maybe because it has been pruned.

https://www.google.com/maps/@43.4396484,-3.4573975,3a,19.5y,63.39h,98.1t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sBmtycXpFUYW7mjfwS8pt3A!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DBmtycXpFUYW7mjfwS8pt3A%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D9.873891%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i13312!8i6656

This one is the oldest , tallest and fattest in the surroundings. I guess it can be over 50 years old.

 

[UK_Palms]

@gurugu That thing is huge! It must be twice the size of the London Grevillea Robusta. 

Here's an Melia azederach in London that is located on St. Leonards Terrace in Chelsea. The Google street view doesn't work for it and isn't covered properly. It needs updating.

 

This is the best street view shot you are going to be able to get until Google updates the map. That whole section of road is missing. 

Edited January 31, 2022 by UK_Palms

[Chester B]

There was a population of Monk parakeets in Yacolt, Washington which is just north of Portland.  Apparently they have died out though.  No Macaws, the only feral population I know of is in Florida, but they have been under a lot of pressure being caught for the Pet trade.

[UK_Palms]

On 1/31/2022 at 10:22 PM, Chester B said:

There was a population of Monk parakeets in Yacolt, Washington which is just north of Portland.  Apparently they have died out though.  No Macaws, the only feral population I know of is in Florida, but they have been under a lot of pressure being caught for the Pet trade.

There isn't a 'population' in London, there is a colonisation on an industrial scale going on. I reckon there is over 1 million parakeets in London alone. The parks and gardens/yards are full of them like you wouldn't believe. When I visited Kew Gardens in September 2020 I must have saw thousands of them flying around, and constantly, non-stop. The only bird more numerous than the parakeets is the pigeons. One of the gardeners at Kew said there are approximately 10,000 parakeets around Kew/Richmond alone now. Entire trees covered in them, even on busy streets. Some of the pictures that have come out over the past week or so...

 

A backyard London fox and about 15 parakeets...

 

Are the parakeets now London's star attraction? I can't believe how tame they are. I doubt you can hand feed parrots/parakeets in the wild like this anywhere else? At least not as easily. So if anyone visits London any time soon, they would be crazy not to go to Kensington Park, Hyde Park or St James park in central London to feed them.

Hard to believe this is London...

 

 

Sadly I have seen some videos circulating of people in London back yards shooting a lot of them. One guy baits them and filled up 3-4 bin/trash bags full of dead parakeets quite recently, claiming he shot several hundred of them in one sitting. Some of the borough councils in London are also employing pest control guys with birds of prey to hunt them and scare them away from their nesting areas, to disrupt breeding. I have posted a Twitter video of this previously. While they are certainly invasive, I don't want them culled or eradicated.

Edited February 2, 2022 by UK_Palms

[Chester B]

Yeah that's something else.  Those ringneck parakeets are beautiful birds for sure.  The only exotic looking birds found in my yard are the Anna and Rufous Hummingbirds of which the Anna's are year round residents.  The Anna's tend to be very friendly birds too, always curious what you're doing.

 

We don't have all that many bird species our here in the west compared to the east coast.  Probably our most exotic birds in the Portland area are the White pelicans. 

Edited February 2, 2022 by Chester B

[EJPalm05]

When I was in London I remember seeing flocks of parakeets flying over us! We thought we were seeing things!