2024 in the Abbotsford Gardens

Head Gardener Tim looks back on the year in Abbotsford gardens and estate.

Gardeners tend to judge a year by how the weather has affected the growing season and the impacts on flowering and vegetable yields. If ever anyone needed evidence of climate change, then this year displayed all the characteristics of shifting seasons.

The new year was greeted with a record number of storms, twelve in total, a succession of high winds and heavy rain throughout January and February. The unusually mild, wet start to the year had an impact on our Spring flowering bulbs. We had good displays of flowers from March onwards, however, saturated soil conditions meant that some bulbs had simply rotted away. On the whole vibrant colours were evident and welcomed us into a new season.

February into March found the team, along with garden volunteers, sowing seeds, and propagating perennials ready to plant out in May. Many varieties of seeds were sown with a selection of heritage vegetables,

Red Drumhead Cabbage – 1771   D’Aubervilliers Cabbage – 1783   

Cocozelle von Tripolis Courgette – 1826   Musselburgh Leek – 1817  

Purple Sprouting Broccoli – 1777   Dark Red Brunswick Onion – 1805  

Pea Alderman – 1891   Pea Purple-podded – 1856   Long White Icicle Radish – 1600’s  

Painted Lady Runner Bean – 1633

Annuals were sown as companion planting and to add vibrant colour, Dahlia, Cosmos, Calendula, Rudbeckia, nasturtium.

May is a very encouraging month in the garden. Warmer temperatures allow spring flowers to burst onto the scene and we were treated to a variety of colour from our spring flowering bulbs. Frost free nights allowed us to plant out seedlings, both flowering and vegetable with confidence that they would not be affected by cold nightly temperatures.

Entering June there was a dramatic dip in daytime temperatures, with cool nights. Lack of sunlight was a factor, with days and weeks of cloudy skies. This greatly effected plant growth and delayed flowering. We planted out our perennial Dahlias at the beginning of June and the lack of sunlight and cool conditions meant they refused to grow. These conditions would continue throughout July and into August. The climate not only affected plants, but also caused problems for pollinators and other forms of wildlife.

Abbotsford’s management plan across the gardens and estates enhances biodiversity and encourages pollinators, attracting bird species and wildlife. 

This year the unusual conditions have impacted wildlife, especially pollinators such as butterflies, with numbers down across the whole of the country.

Our fantastic Wildlife Volunteers have been recording wildlife and plant species across the gardens and estate since this new role was created back in the spring. Moth trapping, use of camera traps and general monitoring have shown the unusually dwindling numbers of bees, butterflies, some bird species. The moth numbers remain constant, which is good as moths are low down on the food chain and their numbers indicate that our grasslands are healthy.

We have been working in collaboration with the Martindale Group, who are re introducing wildflower meadows along the Tweed. We have provided 1.5 hectares of meadow by the side of the Tweed. This area was over sown in early spring and the results have been encouraging.

We created a small area of wildflowers by the walled garden, this included covering an area with matting, with the help of our volunteers, to kill the grass more naturally by blocking the light. We left the matting for a couple of months, raked off the dead grass and sowed a wildflower mix across the surface. We were pleased with the results, with the milder autumnal temperatures the wildflowers lasted well into November.

As always, we owe a great debt of gratitude to all our garden and estate volunteers. Garden, estate, path warden and wildlife volunteers, they are always enthusiastic and allow us to manage the gardens and estate to a high standard.

This year also saw the opening of the new interactive experience in the Pavilion and Furnace House, adding a popular new dimension to the garden story and the visitor experience.

The Pavilion has been stocked with a variety of plants, Lillies in the spring, Salvia, Jasmine, Passionflower and, as shown in the picture, Pelargonium, this being the red of ‘Lord Bute.’

Looking forward to 2025, subtle changes with planting in the garden to keep landscape fresh. The introduction of more fruit trees within the Walled Garden, including pear, possibly in the form of cordons and, peach and fig on the walls. Planting out with the Walled Garden, with the introduction of the new paid area. We look forward to implementing innovative ideas and creating a memorable garden and estate experience.