June 2024 Meeting and Talk: Hever Castle and Gardens

A successful meeting was held in June with a packed audience and we were lucky to be given an engaging and informative talk by Neil Miller, Head Gardener at Hever Castle. In 2002 Neil started as a junior gardener at Hever following 10 years as an Insurance Broker and within 4 years was Head Gardener. Quite an achievement!

Famously Hever Castle was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, and Henry VIII frequently visited her there. At that time the surrounding land was marsh and bog land. Though there were many changes of ownership in the following centuries, it was not until 1903, when William Waldorf Astor bought the estate, that serious restoration and renovation took place and the design for the gardens was drawn up. Alongside the castle, a Tudor style Village was also built so that invited guests had rooms to stay.

Eye-watering amounts of money were spent with a 2000 men workforce brought over from Ireland. The extravagance and imagination of Astor resulted in a complete transformation of the surrounding land. Tree-lined walks, rhododendron paths and formal garden rooms alongside a new lake and island were laid out. A maze was created from a thousand yew trees and a giant chess set and topiary walk also ‘grown.’

The substantial Italian Garden was created to display the collection of statuary, terracotta storage jars and stone urns accumulated by Astor on his travels through Italy particularly from the city of Pompeii. The Loggia forms a beautiful viewpoint over the lake and Trevi style fountain. Various water features are set around this area resulting in the statuary getting covered in algae. At one time the WI were invited to clean the statuary mainly using warm water and toothbrushes. Thankfully for them a Conservation company now carry out the cleaning and repair.

Another important room is the Rose Garden. There are now over 4000 Hybrid Tea roses, floribundas, ramblers and climbers planted densely and according to cultivar for maximum impact. The gorgeous red floribunda and disease resistant Hever Castle Rose, which was first introduced at Chelsea Flower Show in 2011 by Dame Judi Dench, is a prominent addition.

Various other intriguing garden rooms, walks and features were described. Many of these can be found on the Hever Castle and Gardens website.

Since 1982 Hever Castle and the estate have been owned by the Guthrie Family. From being a lavish family home, the Castle and gardens were opened to the public and the Tudor Village has become the Astor and Ann Boleyn Wing used as a luxurious bed and breakfast. The gardens are now reaching their maturity though still evolving under Neil Miller’s management along with his team of gardeners and volunteers.

In keeping with the Hever style as an Edwardian pleasure ground and its extravagance of scale, 7000 bedding plants are planted in June and a further 7000 in September. Swathes of bulbs also feature strongly, again the numbers are astronomical in the tens of thousands and are planted through meadows, orchards and in woodland areas. Hever is now well known for its snowdrop, daffodil and tulip displays. Prairie style planting has been created in Diana’s Walk and shady woodland walks with a dense array of plants have been bought back to life and enhanced.

Neil reported that his favourite times of year were the third week in April when the tulips are beginning to flourish and now (June) when the roses are blooming. His passionate description of these magnificent gardens was infectious and I’m sure many of us will be visiting or revisiting Hever soon. And who knows? – maybe booking a bed and breakfast room in the Astor Wing with exclusive access to the gardens after hours.

Thanks to all who helped make the June meeting run smoothly. Members brought in a good range of home grown plants for sale and a fantastic £87 was raised. As usual, there were a number of gorgeous exhibits on the Show Table and, after much deliberation and soul searching by our President Nicolas, Best on the Show Table was awarded to Debbie.

Sharon
Photos by Kathy who visited Hever Castle recently