Old Pond Garden Diary Update (April-December 2025)

As we come up to Christmas and the end of 2025, this is a great time to look back at how the ‘Old Pond Garden’ (OPG) project has fared this year.

Of course, it’s not just the ‘Old Pond Garden’ project any longer, as volunteer work now covers the whole estate, but we are still fond of the OPG tag. Since April, the Garden Volunteer scheme has been run by Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust (RGHT), however considering 80% of volunteers are also CABAHS members, it’s fair to say we are still very interested and still very involved.

Sharon has taken on the crucial role of Volunteer Lead for RGHT and works with Head Gardener Jason to make sure everything runs smoothly. She posts lovely updates on the garden team’s WhatsApp after every session, keeping us all on track, and sends a report off to RGHT every month.

Here are some highlights picked from Sharon’s reports of the past few months, I make no apology that this is a rather long post – we have done a lot!

APRIL 2025

No. of sessions: 9
Average no. of attendees per session: 18
Volunteer hours worked: 326 + Bunnies in the Beds prep

The garden volunteers kept going despite the unusually high temperatures towards the end of the month. The above hours count does not include time spent on the Easter “Bunnies in the Beds” event : designing the trail, knitting bees, sourcing jokes and painting the BunnyHead!

Other work: the ‘Front of House’ trough was weeded, watered and tidied. Mounds in The Glade and the whole of the right hand side of the Long Garden was cleared. New plants went in to the Peace Garden, some from divisions of plants in the OPG and some bought in – eg Teucrium, Eleagnus, Anaphalis. Lots of self-seeders were spotted, potted, and made ready for sale in May.

MAY 2025

No. of sessions: 8
Average no. of attendees per session: 17
Volunteer hours worked: 272 + plant sale preparation and selling hours

Watering became a much needed focus during a particularly dry May. However this was directed at new and young plants, specific plants that are not drought tolerant, and the hundreds of potted up plants that were waiting to be sold at the May Plant Sale. A large proportion of plants in the gardens received no extra watering and have still managed to thrive.

Lots of new plants went in this month: Rosa glauca, Tithonia, Hydrangea ‘Lime Rickey’ and Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ to name a few. Prep started in the Long Garden ready for some new plantings of Veronicastrum. Work stopped on cutting back the ivy, as the nesting season had started, but the bases were cut through so that clearance would be easier later in the year.

We were very excited to find stag beetle larvae and relocated them to the woodpile. Nepeta in the front beds were given a Chelsea Chop and tidied up. Steve & co tackled the very shaggy beech hedges in the Long Garden, making an incredible difference to the backdrop, as more planting started in the long beds.

We installed a new Volunteer Noticeboard and signage about ‘What’s in Flower‘ in the cafe, to encourage more visitors. The ‘Green Room’ became incredibly busy with work for the May Plant Sale. This event is the main funding source for the garden, so although it takes lots of volunteer effort, it’s so worth it. 272 volunteer hours were worked this month but that doesn’t take into account the extra work and attendance put on for the Plant Sale. 24 garden volunteers and CABAHS members helped out on the day and others came in to water the potted plants, label and price them.

JUNE 2025

No. of sessions: 7
Average no. of attendees per session: 18
Volunteer hours worked: 264

Although one session was rained off, the rest remained dry, hot and at times windy. Weeding and watering continued to be a focus across all the garden areas along with cutting back spent stems of Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’, Penstemon ‘Garnet’, Iris and Brunnera. Other jobs at each session included litter picking, potting up of divided plants, seedlings and gifted plants for the Horn Fair. Shrubs overhanging Canberra Road have begun to be cut back and more will be done in July. We bought 10 pairs of new secateurs with some of our Plant Sales money, and they are much appreciated!

JULY 2025

No. of sessions: 10
Average no. of attendees per session: 16
Volunteer hours worked: 322

The high temperatures at the beginning of the month were brutal and at one session we only managed 50 minutes of work before calling it a day. Even Casper the cat did not join us, although he came along to a later session to get a drink from the watering cans. The plants were drooping, curling up and generally suffering but with dedicated watering have recovered. Certain plants, like the Perovskia around the Portage statue, thrived in the dry heat and we were even able to harvest some delicious figs from our fig tree.

AUGUST 2025

No. of sessions: 10
Average no. of attendees per session: 16
Volunteer hours worked: 246

The hot and dry weather continued into August so much time again was spent queuing at the water butts and carrying watering cans to and fro. Our step count did well! We were all relieved when rain finally came at the end of the month. Planting of newly bought plants ramped up but was not as quick as we hoped due to the soil being particularly hard, dry and stony. It took much longer to dig the holes than usual. Ageratina, Echinacea and the wonderfully named Pycnanthemum (wild mountain mint) are just a few of the plants that were added. We established a successful way of planting: Jason marked out an area for each block of plants, put bamboo stakes in for each individual placement so that volunteers can then do the digging and watering for each one.

Careful dead heading of Penstemons, Tithonia and other plants also completed to encourage continuous flowering. Canberra Road was completely cleared of protruding shrubs. The yew hedge in front of the House was given a trim, top and sides, making for a much enhanced view.

Joe, our dedicated litter picker, attended most sessions and filled at least one large bag of rubbish each session, it made such a difference.

SEPTEMBER 2025

No. of sessions: 8
Average no. of attendees per session: 18
Volunteer hours worked: 284

We enjoyed the colours, seed heads and combinations of planting that Jason has designed. The right hand side of the Long Garden is now really taking shape and we are receiving some lovely comments from the public.

A small but incredibly dedicated core of volunteers managed all the potting and preparation for Horn Fair, keeping pots watered, tidied and sorted. They were befriended by a very confident robin who feasted on insects and worms found in the potted plants! Jason gave us all a plant identification quiz during one of our tea breaks. This was great fun and informative- but whether we’ll remember them is another matter. When you have names such as Bistorta amplexicaulis ‘Firetail’ from the Polygonaceae (Buckwheat) family, it can be a bit of a stretch!

OCTOBER 2025

No. of sessions: 8
Average no. of attendees per session: 19
Volunteer hours worked: 300 + Horn Fair and Halloween Trail preparation and attendance

We had some gorgeous days in the gardens this month and the autumn colours really came into their own. Various members of the public passing through often ask if the volunteers stop over the next couple of months as it gets colder and darker, to which they are given a resounding “No” as we start a busy time preparing for next year.

In addition to the volunteer hours shown above, around 22 volunteers helped out at the Horn Fair, setting up and selling plants or organising the Ghostly Garden Trail. Another 6 volunteers stayed all day on 30 October for the two Halloween half-term sessions to set up and manage the trail. A number of hours were also spent either over a coffee or at home, making ghosts, researching gardeners from 100 years ago and improving our stock of Halloween jokes.

Numerous new plants have now gone into the right hand side of the Long Garden. The border is beginning to bulk up and it is difficult to be patient to see the results next year. One of the highlights was planting two trees – Betula pendula ‘Royal Frost’ – in the border. Jason showed volunteer Brian how to plant a tree and then Brian gave a master class to another volunteer planting the second tree. The volunteers really appreciate this cascading of skills.

Around 900 Tulipa ‘Shogun’ bulbs have been planted in the Old Pond Garden. The soil has been covered with leaves so no one would know they are there but more importantly we hope the squirrels won’t detect them.
Other areas on the estate have been weeded, planted and kept clear of litter and fallen leaves. Casper of course continues to be our constant companion and helper.

NOVEMBER 2025

No. of sessions: 8
Average no. of attendees per session: 19
Volunteer hours worked: 304

Some mild days made the gardening tasks very enjoyable. Weeding in the front beds was tackled ‘en masse’. Shrubs in the Peace Garden and in the front shrubbery were removed or pruned and shaped. The crowns were lifted on all the Garrya elliptica shrubs. Huge efforts were made in removing ivy from the walls this month, revealing some lovely brickwork that hasn’t seen the light of day for many, many years.

Even when volunteers are away visiting friends, Charlton House gardens are not far from their minds. Five Rhus typhina ‘Stag’s Horn Sumac’ were transplanted from a friends garden in Wales into the Wilderness here (with Jason’s approval). Their foliage turns a fabulous deep shade of orange in Autumn.

500 lily-flowered tulips, Tulipa ‘Yure No Murasaki’ (also known as T. ‘Purple Dreams’) were planted in the front beds. The ancient mulberry was decorated with our stock of poppy heads made from recycled water bottles, just in time for Remembrance Day. Volunteers enjoyed sharing home made cakes and biscuits, some using up the pumpkins left over from Halloween.

DECEMBER 2025

The generally mild weather meant more ivy coming off the walls and shrubs being cleared from the front beds. Garden volunteers were pleased to be invited to the RGHT Christmas party, with an especially fun gardening quiz beforehand (deservedly won by Jane!). Rounding the year off, Ailanthus altissima – the Tree of Heaven was dressed up with donated Christmas baubles (some vintage non-breakable ones and with help from Casper of course). A heartfelt ‘Thank You’ to everyone, and especially to Sharon, for keeping track of all our hard work this year!

Kathy A