Glade – Charlton and Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society

What to look out for in the Old Pond Garden: March 2026

We hope you enjoy a spring walk around the walled gardens at Charlton House! Look out for:

Daffodil (Narcissus ‘Elka’)

Narcissus 'Elke' in the Peace Garden at Charlton House

A fragrant, small and early-flowering daffodil, you can spot Narcissus ‘Elka’ spreading gently in the Peace Garden. It has pale petals and a creamy yellow trumpet. The name ‘Elka’ comes from a combination of the names of two ‘lady daffodil growers’: Elizabeth and Kate.

Wood spurge (Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae)

Euphorbia amygdaloides var. robbiae (wood spurge / Mrs Robb's Bonnet) in the Old Pond Garden, Charlton House, March 2024

Wood spurge is in the Euphorbia family, so take care! If the stems are broken, they gush with a thick milky latex substance that can cause irritation. They are handsome perennial plants, shade loving, with zingy lime-green flowers in late Spring and rosettes of glossy dark green leaves. Another name for this plant is ‘Mrs Robb’s Bonnet’ – we would like to see the hat that inspired that name!

And another year goes by..

OPG Diary – April to December 2023

Unbelievably, the last “diary” post I made about the Volunteer scheme was back in March, when we had just started to dig up the palms in the Front Lawn and hyacinths were just coming in to flower. The year is not quite done, but the Volunteers have worked a total of 2,724 hours, I feel quite tired just thinking about it!

We have posted about our events, like Bunnies in the Beds, but not about the important work that goes on behind the scenes, under Jason’s direction. So in April, we pruned the Pomegranates and the overgrown parts of the Wilderness and front shrubberies were tackled. Paths were mown through the grassy areas and Jason got RBG’s agreement not to mow in certain parts of the estate – saving them time and making our life greener.

Arch cut in hedge — Paths in the Wilderness

Long grass paths — Paths in the Wilderness

The final palm roots had been removed by May (they were HUGE!) and preparation and planting started in the front beds. The Peace Garden beds were re-shaped, they will be better for functions like weddings and coincidentally there is now more “bed” available to plant into! The Wilderness paths really came into their own as the grass around them became taller. When he wasn’t mowing the paths, Pete bravely tackled the area around the Substation, which was full of very thorny shrubs like Pyracantha and Berberis, really unpleasant to work with. The rose beds at the front were tidied and some major Long Border weeding started.

OPG Diary – November/December

Welcome to Winter in the garden, and all the many lovely shades of brown. So many seedheads, grasses and winter leaves are keeping the Old Pond Garden looking beautiful. November was incredibly wet but the Volunteers tackled some great projects. The shrubbery in the front car park has benefitted from a comprehensive weed and some marathon pruning. A soakaway was dug by the steps to the Montessori Nursery, so that parents can pick up the kids without needing waders. Then it was on to bulb planting – we predict a River of Purple (Alliums) through the beds next year!