Photography commissioned specially for FT Globetrotter captures the season across the capital, from Kew Gardens in the west to Epping Forest in the east, via a grand Victorian cemetery

November 02, 2022 | 05:51am

London leaves: a snapshot of autumn 2022

This article is part of a guide to London from FT Globetrotter

Usually, the first trees we see turning are the ash trees — especially the American ash, which has such wonderful deep purples and reds. The common ash’s leaves turn yellow at the same time, and they look amazing together. Currently we have good conditions: warm days, cooling off at night, which are ideal for autumn colour.

This year, however, because of the summer’s unusually high temperatures, we are seeing a staggered autumn. We aren’t getting the full blaze of colour all at once. Trees are dealing with the seasons individually, as they all have different drought strategies.

Trees around the lake at Kew. The leaves are changing colours at different times due to a ‘staggered autumn’ – the result of this summer’s unusually high temperatures for the UK.

Autumn sunset behind the Water Lily House at Kew. Some trees have gone into early dormancy. They save energy during times of drought . . .

. . . by shedding their leaves.

The Royal Botanic Garden’s monumental dawn redwood, one of the world’s most endangered species of tree.

Autumn colours reflected in the pond beside the Sir Joseph Banks Building.

The gardens feature several species of maple tree

The leaves on Kew’s cotinus tree will soon turn yellow, orange, red and purple

The snowberry, which was discovered in the United States in the early 19th century

A heron soaring across a pond at Kew, which is home to a wide variety of bird life

Epping Forest

This 6,000-acre woodland stretching from east London into Essex has more than 55,000 ancient trees, some of which are believed to date back to Anglo-Saxon times.

Home to hundreds of deer, the forest was once a royal hunting ground. Today it is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and a Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

Managed by the City of London Corporation, the forest is the largest open space in the capital . . .

. . . and contains more ancient trees than any other site in the UK. Its main species are beech, oak, hornbeam and silver birch.

There are more than 1,500 species of fungi in the forest

Nunhead Cemetery

This is one of the grand ‘Magnificent Seven’ cemeteries created across the capital in the 19th century. It’s also a nature reserve.

With its dense foliage, the 50-acre cemetery – part of the 50-mile Green Chain Walk criss-crossing south London’s open spaces and parks – is a great place to see the autumn leaves