Our Gardens in August: Blooms and Maintenance

August Highlights

Herbaceous Borders: such as the George Carter Walk, Blue and Yellow Border, and Jubilee Walk

Apples and Pears: can be found in the Orchard, Flag Garden, Coronation Walk and along the walls of the Nut Garden.

Garden Work & Challenges This August

And Repeat!

August is a maintenance-heavy month in the Garden, affectionately known as "movie month", as the hard work in production has been completed, and now the big show takes centre stage whilst our team begin work for the next premiere! In August, this means a cycle of hoe, weed, water, edge, mow and repeat - likely very similar to what you're doing in your gardens at home.

From One Extreme To Another

The heatwave of 2022 highlighted a number of vulnerabilities within the Gardens, with many of the plants simply not designed to withstand such consistently high temperatures. This year however the pendulum appears to have swung quite far in the other direction. In 2022, the hottest day on record was the 19th July, where temperatures in the Garden peaked at 40 degrees. This year when we measured that same spot it was recorded at just 19c, and sopping wet. Such a drastic change makes planning for the summer months difficult, not only in whether or not to bring in the wet-weather gear, but also in deciding when to mow, what to plant, and how best to protect it.

The George Carter Walk

We're happy to mention that the replanting of George Carter Walk is now very nearly finished. Regular visitors to the Gardens may have noticed the new variety of height, form, texture and colour which makes this a particularly beautiful regeneration project. Our Head Gardener, Tony Wiseman, has a keen interest in our herbaceous borders (including the Jubilee Walk and Blue and Yellow Border), where the majority of the new planting choices and their position are of his design.