Great Garden Inspiration from Wimbledon

The manicured lawns and the gorgeous plantings around the grounds at Wimbledon serve as a unique garden style inspiration.

My love for playing and watching tennis runs deep and goes far back into my childhood and I am so inspired by the beauty of the lawns and the plantings of annuals, perennials and shrubs around the grounds. The care of the grass courts that the tournament is played on is an arduous and refined task for the grounds crew  at the All England Lawn Tennis Club and you can read all about that here! Before The Championships started this year, I reached out to the grounds crew with some questions about the plantings and flowers.  I got in touch with the Head Gardener, Martyn Falconer, and he answered some questions below and sent me some pictures to use.

Q: Martyn, please tell us about yourself and your background with gardening and the AELTC.
A: I have worked at the AELTC for 16 years, this being my 15th tournament. I had a short stint working with a company maintaining private household gardens before coming to work at the AELTC where I have learnt my trade and worked my way up the ladder to become the Head Gardener.

Q: What are some of your favorite plants and why are they your favorites?
A: My favourite plant is dependent on the seasons for me, too many to choose but if I was to name a few: anything that changes to autumnal colours through autumn, tulips in the spring. Peonies, acers and I have to say hydrangeas in all shape habits and sizes, I've been brought up with them working here.

Q: What flowers and plants are used around the AELTC during The Championships?
A: These are a few plants used in large quantities around the grounds: Hydrangea Magical Amethyst,  Salvia Amistad, Agapanthus, Digitalis, Lupins, Delphinium, Euonymus Harlequin, and Buxus.

Q: Can you tell us about the plantings and how they are cared for and planned?
A: Most of the planters that are permanent built planters are planted with a mixture of perennials and evergreen, all used to try and achieve "Tennis in an English garden." We choose key areas around the grounds and these will have seasonal planting throughout the rest of the year. The main planting starts in the first week of May, starting with the petunias. I have 11 members of staff that will plant, maintain and water everything that comes to site. During The Championships we are all in every morning watering and deadheading from 6am until the public are in the grounds. Our aim is to have it look as good on day one as the final day.

Q: Are there specific plants chosen for the grounds, year after year?
A: We have a few traditions that we try to incorporate, mainly growing the Boston Ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata veitchii) on the buildings where possible and the use of hydrangeas, changing varieties and colour if and when necessary.

All photos courtesy of Martyn Falconer, Head Gardener at the AELTC, Wimbledon