Charlton House Gardens Achieves Gold at London In Bloom 2024!
Royal Greenwich Heritage Trust are proud to announce that last week, the stunning gardens of Charlton House were awarded Gold at London In Bloom, part of the RHS Britain In Bloom competition. This is only the second year the gardens have been entered into the competition and after being awarded a Silver Gilt for The Walled Garden category last year, to walk away with not only a Gold but also the 2024 Judges Award, is an outstanding achievement for the entire team.
What started as an initiative during Covid, in a somewhat barren garden, has now blossomed into a stunning landscape of rich colour, texture and evolving seasonal interest; All brought to life by Jason, Head Gardener at Charlton House, and a team of 45+ Volunteers mostly from the Charlton and Blackheath Amateur Horticultural Society but also several other Volunteers too.
This year, the gardens were entered into two categories; ‘Our Community’ and ‘RHS It’s Your Neighbourhood’. Assessing not only gardening excellence but also community involvement, these awards are granted to those who have not only created a stunning garden but have also galvanized a community around it.
Approaching the gardens at the start of the project, Head Gardener Jason knew that a long-term, evolving design would be the solution to creating an oasis within the walled gardens and that it would take a great team to make this happen. A few years on, and many Volunteer sessions later, the gardens have now transformed into a delicately wild haven that completely transports you from the bustle of nearby Central London. There is a real sense of escape, tranquility and inspiration as you wander through the gardens, with each area featuring its own personality yet blending seamlessly into the next. The real beauty is how the garden evolves with the seasons and the innovative way that Jason approaches the lifecycle of the planting;
“We really embrace the full life cycle of plants, including the death of them which, in many ways, is where the design really begins. It’s a painting that’s always in motion and you come across problems similar to what a painter or sculptor might find. You’re thinking about textures, contrasts and having accents and moments within the story that will really wow people. All balanced perfectly with other planting that supports those key moments without overpowering them. As the plants come to the end of their cycle, their unique skeletons reveal themselves and rather than cutting them away for a more pristine appearance, we leave them be. This adds a new dimension to the design that is completely natural and creates new points of interest as the seasons evolve.”
This unique approach emanates through the Garden Volunteers, who dedicate their time across two sessions per week to work on building and maintaining the gardens. Jason describes the past few years as being the “making phase” of the gardens, which for any team, is the most labour-intensive part of a regeneration project. It often comes as a surprise that the group of Volunteers is composed of mainly pensioners, especially given the heavy work that has been required in the past two years to bring the gardens to where it is now. Their work is a true example of the power of teamwork and how the spirit of a group of people with a shared mission can accomplish anything.
It’s this spirit that has also led to the gardens being awarded Gold this year. Through this project, not only have the gardens been formed but a community has been built around them. Twice a week, the peaceful ambience of the gardens is delicately enlivened by the Volunteers working or catching up over their tea break. As well as being an opportunity to gain and share skills, keep active and have the opportunity to play a key role in a transformative project; it’s also a chance for people to socialize and make new friends. With the world experiencing what is being described as a ‘loneliness epidemic’, groups like this are more vital than ever and the impact they can have on not only those within the group but wider society is profound. As the team of Volunteers has grown, so has the diversity of different ages and backgrounds of the people joining and it’s incredible to see people of different generations, backgrounds and life stages come together over such a wonderful project.
With a Gold and Judges Award firmly in their grasp, the Garden Team now have their sights set on the next big projects across the gardens and the estate. With groundbreaking plans to extend the magic of the gardens even further, it is set to be another transformative year at Charlton House.
If you would like to learn more about how you can support our garden projects, either through donations or through volunteering, please get in touch with our team who will be happy to discuss this with you.
Contact us on office@rght.org.uk to speak to our team.