106. Hillier’s Walnut

A rare and beautiful tree is the legacy of a botanical dynasty in a Winchester housing estate.

Sandwiched between Winchester University’s West Down campus and the Prison, a twentieth-century housing estate occupies the former site of the famous Hillier plant nursery (the Sir Harold Hillier Gardens near Romsey are also part of this legacy). Dozens of exceptional trees still grow around the estate. Typical of the rarities is the exquisite cut-leaf walnut on Greenhill Close. 

Species details

Cut-leaf walnut
Juglans regia ‘Laciniata’

Where to find it 

Greenhill Close, Winchester SO22 5DZ
///starch.families.lordship | 51.06405, -1.331252

Cut-leaf walnut notes

In common with many tree species, dozens of walnut cultivars that have been developed over the centuries. Most are fruit upgrades – heavy croppers, easily cracked nuts, those that fruit well in cooler climates and so on. But there are one or two that are ornamental and that’s where ‘Laciniata’ comes in with its delightful incised leaves which give an overall feathery appearance. I have no idea why it is so rare – cut-leaf walnuts should be planted in parks and gardens everywhere in my opinion!

The incised leaves and ripening fruits of a cut-leaf walnut

More walnuts

102. Benwell Walnut