Trees at Heath Park, Cardiff

Heath Park has trees that originate from the time when it was a private estate in the 19th and early 20th centuries - these include the Pinus radiata and Sequoiadendron giganteum. Having acquired the Heath Estate in 1937 the Cardiff Council carried out new planting immediately after the 1939-45 war, and again in the 1970s when a land reclamation grant was obtained to develop the areas vacated by the Training College.

A large wooded area remains in the central part of the park. In the years of drought 1975/76 more than 200 birch trees were lost in the west part of the woodland. This was replanted with a mixture of oak, ash and birch trees - though none of the birches actually established - and a shrub layer including native viburnums. There are also occasional exotic trees throughout the woods, including for example, a Juglans nigra and two Ginkgo bilobas east of the pond.

In the late 1970s a row of Acer platanoides (Norway maple) was planted to create a screen along the boundary with the University Hospital.

Extensive new woodland planting was carried out between 2000 and 2005 by the Council's Arboricultural Officer, Malcolm Frazer, to create a broad area of several acres to screen the hospital from the playing fields. This woodland contains an interesting mix of trees and shrubs including oaks, birches, pines, rowans, wild apples and pears and cherry plums. In late 2018 the most northerly section of the pitch and putt golf course became a new woodland, with the planting of a large number of small saplings representing a variety of tree species.

Notable trees, arranged in alphabetical order, in Heath Park are:

Name Common Name Origin Status Location   OS Grid Tag Place Event Waypoint
Acer rubrum Red maple East North America   Western boundary ST 17392 79770   Heath Park   316
Acer saccharinum Silver maple East North America   North western boundary ST 17387 80071   Heath Park   277
Ailanthus altissima Tree of heaven North China Wales Champion 2015 Western boundary ST 17386 79810   Heath Park   282
Betula nigra River birch Central & eastern USA   Approach road to main car park ST 17843 79617   Heath Park   279
Cedrus atlantica Glauca Group Blue cedar Atlas Mountains Glamorgan Champion 2015 East side of the pond ST 17650 79839   Heath Park   162
Crataegus persimilis 'Prunifolia' Cherry leaved hawthorn East North America Glamorgan Champion 2015 Opp. 42-43 George V Drive West ST 17381 79892   Heath Park   278
Crataegus x lavallei Hybrid cockspur thorn Garden origin   South end of western perimeter path ST 17363 79591   Heath Park   538
Malus x zumi 'Golden Hornet' Crab apple 'Golden Hornet' Garden origin   Between the two WW2 huts near entrance ST 17883 79626   Heath Park   540
Nothofagus obliqua Roble beech South Andes   Western boundary ST 17375 79986   Heath Park   266
Parrotia persica Persian ironwood Northern Iran, Caucaus   Opposite huts at main entrance ST 17880 79601   Heath Park   280
Pinus radiata Monterey pine California   East of the pond ST 17689 79849   Heath Park   164
Pinus nigra austriaca Austrian pine Austria, Italy, Balkans   Right of entrance to main car park ST 17765 79641   Heath Park   269
Pinus sylvestris Scots pine Europe to N.E. Asia   Left of entrance to main car park ST 17759 79631   Heath Park   268
Prunus 'Kanzan' Cherry 'Kanzan' Garden origin   Main entrance drive ST 17785 79625   Heath Park   187
Prunus padus 'Watereri' Waterer's bird cherry Europe   East of the pond ST 17707 79852   Heath Park   177
Quercus cerris Turkey oak S. Europe & Asia Minor   SE of Heathwood Lane car park ST 17739 80032   Heath Park   264
Quercus robur #1 Common oak Europe   East edge of main car park ST 17765 79649   Heath Park   270
Quercus robur #2 Common oak Europe   Field west of tennis courts ST 17547 79785   Heath Park   281
Quercus x hispanica 'Lucombeana' Lucombe oak Garden origin   Lawn Area, opposite College House ST 17792 79660   Heath Park   248
Sequoiadendron giganteum Wellingtonia California   East side of the pond ST 17655 79845   Heath Park   163
Tilia tomentosa 'Petiolaris' Weeping silver lime Garden origin?   Model railway approach road ST 17850 79854   Heath Park   262

The history of Heath Park