A green oasis in the heart of London with meadows, wetland and a rose garden

Meadowland
Morden Hall Park sits on the flood plain of the River Wandle and consists of three main types of habitats: meadowland, marshland and woodland. The meadowland is a remnant of old countryside showing traces of the 'ridge and furrow' method of ploughing, which was abandoned in late medieval times. The grass has never been ploughed or sprayed with artificial fertilisers but allowed to grow - grazed originally by deer and then dairy cattle until the 1970s. In summer the meadows provide a mixture of natural grasses and wild flowers. Conservation of these meadows is carried out by the Trust using a traditional system of annual hay cutting which enables the plants to seed. Areas of long grass, particularly along the hedgerows, are deliberately left to provide shelter for nesting birds like the warbler and small mammals like the short-tailed vole.

Marshland
An area of marshland lies to the north of the park, where periodic flooding of the River Wandle has occurred in the past. Today, the water level is controlled electronically by the Environment Agency but the marshes and river's edge still provide wetland habitats for marsh flowers, like yellow iris and marsh marigold. Herons and kingfishers are regularly seen along the river.

Woodland
Many of the trees in the park were planted in the 19th and 20th-centuries by the Hatfeild family. There is an ornamental avenue of lime and horse-chestnut trees and a mulberry tree said to have been planted by Huguenots in the 18th-century.

Elsewhere in the park there are native trees such as oak, beech, ash, birch and some fine riverside willows and alders. It is important there are trees of different ages forming a patchwork of habitats in order to encourage different species of birds. Because of this visitors may see older trees, away from footpaths, which have been allowed to die naturally. These are ideal for woodpeckers and owls. The Trust sometimes clears trees to create glades for wildlife but replanting is carried out where shade and protection are needed.