Hever gardeners getting to know yew with maze trim

THINK your weekend gardening list looks daunting? Spare a thought for the team at Hever Castle & Gardens who take on the epic task of trimming a 6,400 sq ft yew maze every autumn.

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The gardeners trim 5km of hedge every year, including three-quarters of a mile of yew, which forms the famous 119-year-old maze at Anne Boleyn's childhood home, near Edenbridge.

At the turn of the 20th century, American billionaire William Waldorf Astor began a transformation of the castle's grounds. Between 1904 and 1908, he employed more than 1,000 men to create gardens now recognised as among the finest in the world.