Rand Charles III had promised it. Sandringham would have its own garden created in the style of the topiary, with stylized plants and shrubs in geometric shapes. His creation is now open to the public and can be visited until 12 October (ticket price: 13 pounds), but its purpose is far from being just ornamental: King Charles wanted to design each flowerbed according to his principles of sustainability and biodiversityin what is indicated as a definitive testimony of his commitment against the fight against climate change.
King Charles III’s passion for topiary art
Completed with more than 10 thousand plants and shrubs, including roses of different colors, the new Royal Garden of Sandringham And the latest project greens of King Charles, the result of a passion developed by the king already in his childhood years, when his own at Sandringham there was an old topiary garden created by his ancestors, which was later replaced by a simple grassy area.
The walks of Carlo as a child among the trees in the shape of an animal
«I still remember when, as a child, they used to take me for a walk in that garden in Sandringham” the king said in an interview in 2019. “I was still in a wheelchair but it was such a special thing for me, to be able to see these pruned trees and bushes in the shape of animals, peacocks, birds. I’ve never forgotten that. And I must say that she influenced me deeply».
An aerial view of Sandringham’s Topiary Garden (IPA)
King Charles and the topiary garden created for posterity
It took years of study to complete the vast project at Sandringham. Before being able to plant even a single blade of grass, Carlo went to a scientific laboratory to analyze the type of soil and identify the most suitable species for achieving his objectives. Only after that did he give permission to his team of designers and gardeners to start work on the famous Norfolk estate, traditionally used by Royals for their Christmas holidays.
Carlo’s design for the Sandringham topiary garden (IPA)
Carlo personally followed all the works
The practical part finally began at the beginning of the year, when the team of expert gardeners – supervised by Carlo himself – took to the field, in front of the Sandringham palace, armed with hoes, pitchforks, rakes, but also with sophisticated all-terrain machinery. avant-garde. And that’s how over the course of six months more than 5,000 yews were planted and numerous new species of plants to improve the biodiversity of the area.
Charles and William plant a tree at Sandringham in honor of Queen Elizabeth, April 2023 (IPA)
Carlo thinks of bees and winter frost
Always attentive to the innovations in terms of ecological solutions, King Charles also personally selected special plants in order to strengthen pollen resources in the area. And worried by the sudden and now habitual changes in atmospheric conditions, he then also introduced plants and shrubs capable of surviving sudden changes in temperature, excessive rain and frost.
Sandringham, a constantly evolving project
The tidy flower beds reveal herbaceous evergreens such as lavender, delphinium and echinacea. But due to the sovereign’s wish, the project was not completed. Over the next few months the gardeners will continue to modify it by adding plants and shrubs, and when it reopens in summer 2024, the Topiary garden it will look quite different.
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