OPG – Charlton and Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society

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.

Christmas 2025, dressing the tree of heaven with baubles, plus garden volunteers — Tree of Heaven, *Ailanthus altissima*, dressed up for Christmas
(plus 27 garden volunteers!)

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!

What to look out for in the Old Pond Garden July 2025

Penstemon ‘Garnet’ – Beardtongue

Although at its peak in July, this has been out since May and is one of the longest-flowering plants in the Old Pond Garden. At the moment we really love it for it’s drought tolerance – no need to water this one! It has dainty, tubular flowers which insects with long tongues like bumblebees can enjoy, and it provides both pollen and nectar for visiting insects. Prefers a sunny spot but will do well in part shade too, so you can spot it in several of the beds. It is a semi-evergreen, only losing it’s leaves in the very depths of winter.

Dianthus carthusianorum – Carthusian Pink

Another lovely drought-tolerant plant that we don’t have to water! It must be in full sun to flower well, so it just loves the gravel garden in the central bed of the Old Pond Garden. It’s a perennial, forming bigger clumps each year and giving that great “pop” of colour. A gentle self-seeder and long season in flower.

What to look out for in the Old Pond Garden June 2025

Phlomis italica – Balearic sage

Phlomis italica and buff tailed bumble bee

This is an evergreen shrub in the mint & sage family, native to Spain, which has lovely woolly grey-green leaves (touch them!). The hooded pale lilac flowers are beloved of pollinators, especially bumble bees. The ones in the front beds at Charlton House are humming with buff tailed bumble bees.

Phlomis russeliana – Turkish sage

Another one in the mint & sage family, but this is not a shrub, it is a herbaceous perennial (so it drops it’s leaves in Autumn but comes back the next year). The name ‘Phlomis’ comes from the Greek word meaning ‘flame’. Heart shaped leaves of some species were used as lamp wicks in ancient times. The stiff upright stems carry yellow flowers, which look good as seed heads and provide shelter for insects in winter. It gently self-seeds – we have been potting them up so look out for them in a future plant sale!

Plant Sale Bonanza, May 2025

What a day was had at yesterday’s plant sale in the Peace Garden! We had more plants for sale than ever before, longer queues than ever before, and made more money than ever before. The CABAHS members and Charlton House garden volunteers worked harder than ever before too – but it was absolutely worth it. Between us we raised well over £4000 to be divided between the Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice and the gardens maintenance fund.

Plants for sale! Charlton House Gardens volunteer plant stalls, May 2025 — Just one moment at a busy, busy plant sale

Plants for sale! CABAHS plant stalls, May 2025 — Just one moment at a busy, busy plant sale

Plant Sale! 18 May 2025

That’s this Sunday!
11-3pm in the Peace Garden at Charlton House

We are gathering plants, plants and more plants…

What to look out for in the Old Pond Garden May 2025

Geranium pyrenaicum ‘Bill Wallis’

A member of the hedgerow cranesbill family, seen commonly in roadside verges – but what a star! It was named after Mr Bill Wallis, a passionate plantsman, who chanced upon the original seedling sporting electric violet flowers instead of the common pink hue. It is a low sprawling perennial which shows its vivid purple flowers from late Spring until late Autumn. Lovely ground cover for sun or shade. Resistant to drought and avoided by snails – what’s not to like!

Tiarella ‘Spring Symphony’ – Foam Flower

Enjoy a symphony of colour with this extraordinary Tiarella! A charming, shade loving relative of the Heuchera. In spring, slender stems rise above the leaves and hold a mass of pink and white starry flowers, giving a frothy effect – hence the common name the Foam Flower.

This variety has an Award of Garden Merit from the RHS and it copes in the difficult dry shade conditions under the Lime trees in the Old Pond Garden.

Bunnies in the Beds 2025

Thank you to everyone who came to the annual Easter Trail “Bunnies in the Beds” at Charlton House walled gardens on Sunday April 6th. What a fabulous day we all had! We are so grateful to all the helpers, garden volunteers, CABAHS members and RGHT staff who made the event happen.

The Bunnies were hiding in their favourite plants this year, so the children learned a bit of Botany whilst spotting them! We admit to importing a few pots of flowers specially for the event ( I can’t see Jason wanting Marigolds or Periwinkle in the Old Pond Garden on a permanent basis..). After finding and naming the flowers, children had to find the Bees in the Bushes in order to pollinate the flowers – thanks to Carolyn for all those cute knitted bees!

Little girl and bee under cherry blossom

What to look out for in the Old Pond Garden: March 2025

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

Daffodil (Narcissus ‘Elke’)

Narcissus 'Elke' in the Old Pond Garden at Charlton House

A fragrant, small and early-flowering daffodil, you can spot Narcissis ‘Elke’ in the Peace Garden. It has pale petals and a creamy yellow trumpet. The name ‘Elka’ is apparently 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 blisters on skin. 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!

New Year Flower Count 2025 at Charlton House

Another cold start to a new year allowed the volunteers to take a step back from gardening and undertake a second survey of plants in flower at Charlton House. This had been done at the beginning of January 2024 and it was interesting to compare during a gentle walk round on 9th January 2025. At first glance there seemed to be little flowering. Making a thorough search with fifteen of us, along with Jason, we found many that were on last year’s list as well as some unexpected interlopers.

London in Bloom 2024: Gold and more for Charlton House Gardens!

Only our second foray into the world of London in Bloom (part of RHS Britain in Bloom) and we have achieved a coveted Gold award!

Last year, we only entered the Walled Gardens category, but this year – since we now cover most areas of the whole estate – two categories were entered: the competitive “Our Community” and also the RHS “It’s Your Neighbourhood”. Although these look for gardening excellence, they also cover community involvement.

London in Bloom Gold certificate — Thursday volunteers and Jason with our awards

Thursday volunteers with awards — Thursday volunteers and Jason with our awards

The judges visited on a very hot day in mid June and had already been to several local gardens including Charlton Station and Orchard when they arrived at the gates of Charlton House. On reflection, it was a great idea to show them around the estate in reverse order – we did the Meadow and Wilderness, followed by the Glade and Long Garden, then finishing with the jewel that is the Walled Gardens. Following that route they saw the progression of work and Jason was able to explain his ideas for each different area.

They loved the Glade, with its mounds made of green waste and excess soil, demonstrating how nothing goes to waste and the creativity of making a flat area more interesting. Remember this?

Making the Glade mounds — Making the first mound

The best words in the report were reserved for the Old Pond Garden – the judges report says “Jason, working with the volunteers, has restored the walled garden quite possibly to something that is better than the original walled garden.” Wow! They go on to say ”Jason truly understands the secrets of good design and plant combinations, and makes an excellent Head Gardener. We see the harmony of working with volunteers, who have been able to put many of Jason’s thoughts, with his expert guidance, into reality.” What an accolade!