Category: Old Pond Garden +

Updates on progress and activity in the Old Pond Garden volunteer project. The scope of the project has widened to include other parts of the Charlton House estate, but it will forever be known as ‘the OPG’.

OPG Diary March 2022

Winter is over, swing in to Spring! The garden is waking up slowly, with Euphorbia amygdaloides robbiae showing signs of becoming a Star Plant. It’s rosettes of zingy lime green are unfurling and it really shines out in the sun.

These simple, unsophisticated plants, which rarely receive the recognition they deserve for all their efforts in growing and flowering, year in, year out, without asking for any help from anyone or anything, are among many unsung heroes of the gardening world.

Also showing off, Cornus mas or Cornelian Cherry in the Peace Garden, and lungwort, borage, rosemary, to name just a few.

OPG diary – January 2022

All these are in flower in the Old Pond Garden and Peace Garden, they just take a bit of hunting for at this time of year! Come and visit and see what else you can find – the gardens are open from 4 January 2022. 10am-4pm Monday to Friday.

Plants in flower in the Charlton House gardens in January 2022

OPG diary – November 2021

Winter is coming, it’s all still very beautiful!

Central bed, Old Pond Garden (Charlton House), November 2022

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Removing the green hazel, making an enormous hole and then replanting with a bronze one! It will all be worth it.  

Removing the ivy on the walls is going to be more of a long term project. Look at that wonderful brick work though.

CABAHS volunteers removing ivy from a wall in the Charlton House gardens, November 2021

OPG diary – October 2021

A rainy start to October! Autumnal tones everywhere now. The bees are still out in force though.

Our Halloween Spooky Spiders Trail went down well with Charlton House Explorers this half term. There were 10 spooks to find around the garden, and it kept them all busy after their Ghosts and Gargoyles session in the Long Gallery. We had 140 children through the gardens over the two days, phew.  Great fun, although we didn’t do much gardening this week!

Young Explorers on the Charlton House gardens 'Spooky Spiders Trail', Halloween 2021
CABAHS volunteers present the Charlton House gardens 'Spooky Spiders Trail', Halloween 2021
Charlton House gardens 'Spooky Spiders Trail', Halloween 2021

OPG diary – August 2021

The Bank Holiday weekend was enlivened with a play “Family Tree” performed in the gardens, as part of the Greenwich & Docklands International Festival. Based on the life of Henrietta Lacks, it certainly lit up the garden!

'Family Tree' by Mojisola Adebayo, performed in Charlton House gardens as part of Greenwich and Docklands International Festival, August 2021

A very tall flowering plant which is just coming out in the garden has been catching the attention of visitors and volunteers alike. It is Vernonia arkansana ‘Mammuth’ and was featured this week on Gardeners World when Nick Bailey visited Knoll Gardens. Very appropriate as we bought our own Vernonia from Knoll Gardens back in May!

Together 21: Volunteers were in the garden for the borough’s Together 21 Festival. Very sad for visitors that it was such a drizzly day, but at least the garden liked all the water. Spirits not dampened but umbrellas were up!

CABAHS volunteer in the Old Pond Garden at Charlton House, August 2021

This is our bargain plant of the month – a Lysimachia clethroides specimen bought for £10 at Members’ recent trip to RHS Hyde Hall, and now split into 23 new plantlets. Filled up the whole corner of one bed, we are just so thrifty!

CABAHS volunteers dividing a Lysimachia in Charlton House gardens, August 2021
Old Pond Garden, Charlton House, August 2021
Persicaria amplexicaulis 'Firetail' in the Old Pond Garden, Charlton House, August 2021

OPG diary – July 2021

The garden is getting into it’s summer swing now, so much is in flower. It is amazing how complete it looks for a “first year”. Penstemon Garnet is just going on and on and on!

Old Pond Garden, Charlton House, July 2021

This is the view in July from the CABAHS 70th Anniversary bench:

Old Pond Garden, Charlton House, July 2021 - view from the CABAHS 70th anniversary bench

A recent initiative – Star Plant of the Week.  No contest: it was the teasels this week, they are gigantic, and covered in bees.

Dipsacus fullonium - Teasel in the Old Pond Garden, Charlton House, July 2021

Betony and Phlox demonstrating The Clash!

Betony and Phlox in the Old Pond Garden, Charlton House, July 2021

And now it’s the turn of the Echinacea purpurea “Magnus”, with white Erigeron annuus frothing at the back and a yellow Patrinia photo-bombing in the front.

Echinacea, Erigeron and Patrinia in the Old Pond Garden, Charlton House, July 2021

OPG diary – June 2021

3 June
National Volunteers Week. Thank you for the muffins Charlton House!

CABAHS volunteers celebrating National Volunteers Week 2021 in the Old Pond Garden, Charlton House

Rheum and foxgloves in the Long Border (foxgloves courtesy of Greenwich Park – thank you!):

Rheum and foxgloves in the Long Border at Charlton House gardens, June 2021

30 June
The pomegranate is flowering in the Peace Garden (top left) the stag beetles are hatching and marching, there is a lovely Malope trifida ‘Vulcan’ annual in the Long Borders (bottom left) and the gravel garden has a new addition of Geum ‘Totally Tangerine’ to add some more zing!

Pomegranate, stag beetle, Malope, Geum - in Charlton House gardens, June 2021

Our Papaver orientale ‘Burning Heart’ have exploded into flower this week. They are fabulous plants, look at the size of them! They came as bare roots, all the way from West Lothian. Thank you Binny Plants.

Papaver orientale 'Burning Heart' in the Old Pond Garden, Charlton House, June 2021