A Garden Fit for Royalty

Claire Saul looks at plans to unite historic royal gardening at Hampton Court and Kew with sustainable design for the 21st century

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Initiatives honouring horticultural history, while reversing the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss, is an ongoing focus for heritage sites across Britain. Earlier this year, for example, National Trust Grade I-listed landscape Sheffield Park and Garden in Sussex opened its new Garden for the Future, a half-acre visitor experience which aims to inform and inspire on sustainability and climate resilience. And now, this autumn, an ambitious new planting scheme has commenced in the Great Fountain Garden at Hampton Court Palace in Surrey.

Since the formal Anglo-Dutch style garden was first laid out in the 1690s, during the reign of King William III and Queen Mary II, it has evolved to reflect contemporary tastes and priorities. Its original grand lime tree avenues and sculpted yew topiary were aligned with the Queen's State Apartments on the palace’s magnificent East Front. Some simplifications were made during the reign of Queen Anne, and further transformation came with Queen Victoria, whose gardeners introduced bold annual bedding and herbaceous borders, in keeping with 19th century fashion.

The new iteration of the Great Fountain Garden will continue to deliver its usual visual spectacle, while representing ecological progression fit for the 21st century. Historic Royal Palaces, the independent charity that looks after Hampton Court, is working with award-winning garden designer Ann-Marie Powell to produce a living example of how heritage spaces can lead the way in climate-conscious landscaping. The bold transformation will create a climate resilient and biodiverse landscape rooted in the site's royal heritage. The project is a key expression of the charity's Sustainability Action Plan and its ambition to be nature-positive and carbon net zero by 2050.