Flowers, Fruit & Bees, Walled Garden Fulham Palace

The Walled Garden Fulham Palace is an Historic Garden in Southwest London. Filled with flowers, fruit, bees, vegetables, large greenhouse, a Tudor Gateway (mind your head!) and grass to lie upon in the sun to enjoy the scents and sounds of a late summer’s afternoon.

There is much to see, both within and without the brick walls, which are themselves Grade II listed.

Fulham Palace was the property and summer residence of the Bishops of London from 704 until 1973. with a brief interruption during the Commonwealth, 1647-1660. The estate is still owned by the Church of England, but is managed by the Fulham Palace Trust.

The estate is now 13 acres of garden, reduced from the earlier 36 acres. Elements such as the Bishops Park with its avenue of London Plane Trees, Rose Garden and Children’s Playground are the ‘missing bits’. Once encircled by the longest domestic moat in England, the sluice gate accessing the River Thames can still be seen from the foreshore.

This is the second oldest Botanic Garden in London, the oldest and first being Chelsea Physic Garden. It encompasses not only the 2 acres of walled garden, but also the rare trees that grace the lawns. One of which, a Holm Oak, Quercus ilex, has been designated a Great Tree of London. You may not recognise this magnificent tree as an Oak if you visit in late autumn and winter. Standing at the outside south west corner of the walled garden Fulham Palace has this evergreen oak, named ‘holm’ for its Holly-like leaves.

Walled Garden Fulham Palace – a Brief History

The 500 year old Holm Oak leads us nicely along the outside of the walls. Here are the bee boles, niches where straw bee hives were placed.

They’re raised higher than many you may have seen in other gardens. This was due to the flooding of the Thames, a common occurrence in the past prior to the construction of the embankment. Funnily enough, the bees didn’t fancy wet feet!

Our way into the walled garden is through the Tudor gateway. A notice warns “Mind Your Head”

The Walled Garden Fulham Palace

As we turn left, we can admire the newly built greenhouse. It sits adjacent to the knot garden, or parterre garden where seed heads and ornamental grasses are resplendent in the early autumn sun.

I’m heading toward the long mixed herbaceous borders, the bee hives and orchard. Busy bees are out in force this afternoon, and look at the feast they have, with dahlias, cosmos, hollyhocks, hyssop and more.

This visit was mid to late September and the borders were still glorious. Not only was this a delight to look at but it shows how easy it is to enjoy flowering plants long after the children have returned to school. The trick is to have a good selection of plants that will continue to bloom without too much deadheading.

The combination of fruit trees and flowering plants ensures plenty of pollen for the honey bees, which encourages cross-pollination. Whilst herbaceous perennials are generally propagated by division, or taking cuttings, they are also propagated by seed. Yet unless bees have pollinated the flowers, there won’t be fertile seeds to sow. Where the orchard trees are concerned, without blossom pollination, there would be no fruit for us to eat.

Many of the apple varieties in the orchard are heritage apples. These celebrate both British varieties and the North American botanical connections of Bishop Compton, a renowned botanist as well as Bishop of London. What I find amusing is the inclusion of the London Pippin apple. Brilliant you might think, we’re in the orchard of what was the Bishop of London’s residence: very apt! Until you discover that the London Pippin apple originated in 16th century Norfolk! Or possibly Essex – but not London. It’s a dual purpose apple, with a sharp, refreshing taste.

Walled Garden Fulham Palace – and the rest of the Gardens…

There is much more that I’d like to tell you about the gardens, so expect another blog or two on the kitchen garden, greenhouse and parterre or knot garden within the walled garden Fulham Palace. Not forgetting the rare and wonderful tree collection, the garden outside the walls and plant collecting Bishops.

If you’d like to explore the gardens and palace yourself, they are open daily and are free. So indulge yourself with a tasty lunch from the café and a bit of retail in the shop – they are a charity after all.

And of course, if Plews can help you with your own walled garden, do drop us an email.