There are two mulberry trees in the Close, which may be relics of an 18th century plantation of two thousand mulberry trees and a silkworm nursery and manufactory for raw silk established around 1718 in Chelsea Park, between Fulham Rd and King’s Rd – which may have been an initiative of Huguenot weavers in Spitalfields, but it was unsuccessful. There are still some other old mulberry trees in Chelsea, and one is or was in Mulberry Walk. On adjoining Milman’s Street, there was a mulberry tree, said to have been planted by Queen Elizabeth 1. There was a further failed attempt by James I to import mulberry trees to start silk manufacturing.

 

A plan of 1832 shows a row of 13 elms, now replaced by the plane trees. At one time vines covered the East wall. The Burial Ground is enclosed by a privet hedge and below the plane trees to the South, West and East there is tall herb and grey sedge, and bluebells in spring. The Burial Ground comprises regularly mown acid grassland dominated by red fescue with clumps of mouse-eared hawkweed, occasional heath bedstraw and frequent sheep’s sorrel. There are four fig trees in the centre of the Burial Ground. The walls support much pellitory, ivy leaved toadflax, male and harts tongue fern. The Close is also home to increasingly rare sparrows, swifts, and robins.