Petts Wood, a springtime flower carpet

Petts Wood, between Orpington and Chislehurst, takes its name from the Pett family. These well-known shipbuilders leased the woodland for its timber. The first time the name is mentioned as Petts Wood is 1577. Most of the woodland was cut down and developed, first for agriculture and in the 1920s for housing. The suburb of Petts Wood is situated next to what remains of this ancient woodland. Public donations raised the money to buy the remaining 36 hectares of woodland in 1927 and donate it to the National Trust, who still manage it. In 1957 it was expanded with the addition of neighbouring Hawkwood Estate and Edlmann Wood (together 100 hectares). The woodland is dominated by oak with birch, rowan, alder, ash, hornbeam and sweet chestnut growing amongst them.

Petts Wood is known as a so-called bluebell wood. These are ancient woodlands with a strong spring aspect when, as the leaves of the trees are emerging, the woodland floor bursts into flower. This springtime vegetation is dominated by cryptophytes like wood anemone (Anemone nemerosa), lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria) and bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta). Along streams and on the woodland edge other plants that don't disappear after flowering can be found.

The common bluebell carpets the woodland floor in parts of Petts Wood. Bluebells dominate like this in places where there is thick summer canopy that suppresses perennial groundcover underneath the trees.

The wood anemone (left) also grows in places with a dense summer canopy, but prefers to grow underneath trees that create more dappled shade like ash and rowan. The spotted leaves of Arum maculatum appear in early spring to make the most of the light. The flower is a purple spadix that is partially enclosed by a leaf-like spathe. The wood anemone also comes in a pink form (shown on the right).

Lesser celandine reproduced with small bulbils and is only above ground during the spring months. The sweet violet (Viola odorata) grows in semi shady places along streams and paths. The bloom had no discernible smell so perhaps it is a wood violet (Viola riviniana) or a hybrid. The cowslip (Primula veris) flowers in moist soil in grassy clearings or along streams.