A grove of Japanese elms

The owls’ hunting ground

You can’t miss the Ready Money drinking fountain on the Broadwalk - with its 10 tonnes of Sicilian marble and four tonnes of red Aberdeen granite - and there is a great story behind the monument itself. But here we’re more interested in its near neighbours; a magnificent group of Japanese elms planted 30 years ago as the gift of a Japanese organisation.

A large deciduous tree, the Japanese elm grows to 35 metres. The long leaves have a coarse upper surface and produce lovely red and yellow colour in autumn, while the hermaphrodite, wind-pollinated flowers flourish from March to May.

Japanese elm can thrive in many different kinds of soil, including heavy clay, and it likes open locations. Ulmus davidiana var. Japonica is a'Mitsui Centennial' cultivar and is a known hardy variety bred for a greater resistance to Dutch Elm Disease.

The Japanese elm is also a great wildlife tree. In Hampshire its been seen to support important colonies of white-letter hairstreak butterflies, while here in Regent’s Park we’ve let grass and wildflowers grow beneath our Japanese elms, making this little grove a rich hunting ground for owls.