Thornbury Road near Oakley Close: Big Lime epicormic growth
Occasionally, one encounters the odd bit of hate for the OSG Ward street trees. Shedding leaves, pollen, seeds, sap and basal (or epicormic from the Greek) growth, for example.
Thornbury Road c1911
Many specimens, thriving on our roadsides, remain healthy, however. Lots are longer term than many of us, they’ve shed leaves and sap since before we lost half our street sweepers or left our smaller motors in similar sized garages. Trees stayed within the confines of the pits in which they were planted, and their roots would spread less.
However, we’ve got an aging population of, on the most part, well looked after street trees, sometimes appearing to get in the way, a bit dishevelled.
Thornbury Road near Oakley Close: Big Lime after epicormic removal
Early this month, pre-empting a resident’s request, I enquired of Hounslow Highways via FixMyStreet when to expect attention to the basal growth of the around 30 Lime trees on Osterley Avenue and Thornbury Road from Jersey to London Roads. There are a further 138 of them elsewhere in the Ward; around 1,500 street Limes, in total, across the borough.
Thornbury Road Shops c1937
During the growing season, they undergo epicormic removal twice. Timing of each visit depends on the climate and growth of the epicormic for that particular year. The 2025 first removal is now almost complete with the second expected late August, early September, depending on the regrowth.
Osterley Avenue Lime: Epicomic gone and roots to gully works planned
Coincidentally, programmed work in Osterley and Spring Grove started the day after enquiring on 5 June.
TL 28.6.2025
Tony Louki's Report Back 