See how different the late Queen's garden looks during a makeover by King Charles II
King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla are renovating the gardens at their Sandringham – the Norfolk estate, where the late Queen spent around two months each winter.
The royal residence, which famously plays host to the family's Christmas (including last year following Queen Elizabeth's death), is receiving a new lawn on the west side of the home. Since late January, the King has overseen the renovation that will eventually lead to a new topiary garden – a biodiverse alternative that celebrates his climate-friendly ideologies.
The Sandringham royal lawn makeover is not due for completion until mid-May – notably around the time of King Charles's coronation, scheduled for May 6th. However, the past two months have marked significant progress – as exhibited by Sandringham via Instagram below.
'The West Lawn redevelopment project now has many of the Yew trees and metal edging for the new beds laid out so the symmetrical areas can really be seen starting to take shape,' the team says. In the coming weeks, they will add the herbaceous plants – just in time for the most colorful months on the calendar.
Prior to the addition of new trees (seen above), the residence shared further updates around the time they planted the first tree around three weeks ago.
'Working to plans designed by Landform Consultants, the first Yew Tree stands at approx 4.5 meters tall and will be left in the current shape, being topiarised later in the year.'
The garden, formally the site of a 'Parterre' Garden in the nineteenth century, was used for crops as part of the 'Dig for Victory' campaign in the Second World War. The team hopes the makeover will accentuate the 'decorative aspect' of the land – while increasing naturalistic planting in the area – and consequently improve biodiversity.
The renovation is also a response to the ever-changing climate and weather patterns that have impacted the lawn over recent years. 'In recent years, with changing weather patterns, the current expanse of lawn has been affected by warm weather and excessive rainfall,' a statement (on behalf of King Charles) shared after announcing the plans.
King Charles is already admired for his dedication to sustainability and for carefully ensuring that many of his properties are eco-friendly. Perhaps most notably, he designed a sustainable garden in Highgrove House (his official residence in Gloucestershire, South West England). This garden is a wildlife haven – featuring a host of rare heirloom seeds, flowers, and trees.
Plus, Sandringham Estate is already no stranger to eco-friendly ideas. They have partnered with the environmental conservation organization Ecologi to fund global tree planting and climate change projects.
You can discover more about the residence in this book (available via Amazon) below.
Sandringham: The Story of a Royal Home | $21.99 on Amazon
Featuring a blend of narrative history and family chronicle, this hard-back book commemorates the centenary of one of the royal residences worldwide. View Deal