Rotary in Harpenden, known in the town for staging major community events like Classics on the Common and the Harpenden Quiz of Quizzes, and for running several activities for the benefit of young people, in 2023 expanded our activities in an effort to improve the living environment for residents of Harpenden and surrounding villages.
We began by paying for a high-quality wooden bench in Sun Lane to give residents toiling up what is a steep hill a chance to rest. And we have paid for another high-quality bench, this time in Batford, which is appreciated by both residents and visitors.
The following year we took a further step, working closely with Harpenden Town Council, to replace a number of trees which are suffering from diseases like Dutch Elm disease or Honey Fungus, or are dying from old age.
The first tree we paid for is a Lobel Elm which is resistant to Dutch Elm disease. Planted by the Town Council on Harpenden Common, it is a vigorous grower, likely to reach 20 metres; after two years it is already making its presence felt.
The second tree is a Ginko Biblio, planted on Leyton Green to replace a mature Norway Maple which had succumbed to the killer disease, Honey Fungus. It’s a small, disease resistant, tree, with dense branches that produce fan-shaped green leaves, turning a deep rich golden yellow and then bronze in the autumn. A real stunner!
The third tree we have paid to have planted is a Picea pungens ‘Blue Diamond’ which, as its name suggests, has distinctive silvery-blue needles on a medium-sized, evergreen pyramidal tree. It is situated on Bowers Parade opposite the library. The Town Council plans to incorporate the tree into its Christmas displays.
Another mature Norway Maple that fell victim to Honey Fungus has recently been replaced by an Indian Bean Tree (Catalpa bignonioides ‘Aurea’), which is disease resistant. Growing up to 10 metres, this deciduous tree is another stunner. Large golden-yellow leaves turn pale yellow-green in summer when they compete with bell-shaped flowers with orange and purple markings, borne in conical clusters. We were very pleased to pay for this tree to be planted, which is near Pizza Express.
Harpenden Town Council will let us know when another tree on The Common, or in the High Street, is in danger of dying.
All four trees are accompanied by a plaque stating: ‘This tree was donated by Rotary in Harpenden’.
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