Head to World Record Garden to See the Annual ‘Haircut’

Gardening lovers, inquisitive folk and others who just like to get on the track of something unique and quirky, should cherry pick a great day out this September and make a beeline for the world’s oldest topiary garden, at Levens Hall and Gardens in the Lake District.

This is the time of year at which the gardening team get to work, giving ‘Homer Simpson’ a short back and sides and getting the shears out for ‘Darth Vader’. 

Over and above that, quite literally, other things can tower – cherry pickers and wheeled scaffold towers, brought in to tackle the clipping work required on the duo of huge Umbrella trees that have stood here for over 300 years. With many other trees having had their 150th or 200th birthdays, there are plenty of trees that cannot get a haircut from ground level.

With over 100 topiary trees to tend to in total, many in Alice in Wonderland-like surreal shapes, whether that is the Toppling Wedding Cake or the Top Hat, not to mention Queen Elizabeth I and her Maids of Honour, there’s plenty of work underway right now. 

This is the season that head gardener, Chris Crowder, relishes.  It’s a chance for him and his team of three colleagues to cut back months of growth and get everything looking sharp once more.  Around 6 to 12 inches of growth needs to be removed from each piece, to get everything looking shipshape.

The process is that of  ‘shaving off’ a little growth at a time, continually looking at the lines and shapes needing to be followed and created. These days, the process often begins with an electric hedge trimmer.  As things take shape, mechanised tools are replaced by manual clippers, which enable lines and shapes to be precisely honed and perfected.

All of the hard clipping work, takes around six months, with the trickiest bits done before the worst of the winter weather sets in, although work does carry on through the cold and rainy darker winter days.  A head torch is often the gardener’s friend!

For the tourist, the only opportunity to witness this is before October 4 when Levens Hall and Gardens closes to the public.  The areas around the trees are roped off but there is still a great chance to view what is happening as the team start in one corner of the garden and tackle a couple of pieces a day.  Questions can also be asked and answered.

It's not all about the topiary trees either. The massive beech hedge also has to be trimmed and that is also well over 300 years old.  It is around 500 metres long, stands at a height of around five metres and is also about 5 metres in width.  Taking the top growth off of it is as essential as trimming the sides, so the team can be working above and around it for months.  Floating over it, from a hydraulic lift, leaning out, whilst strapped into a safety harness, is now second nature.

“This is what it takes to keep our Guinness World Record-holding garden in shape,” says owner Richard Bagot. “Our team work exceptionally hard, often out of view when we close for the season, so September and the first few days of October are the ones on which to really get a feel for all the work that is involved, if you are a visitor. Come along and see how things are tackled, as it can add a new dimension to a visit and a much greater appreciation for the garden and the centuries of work that it has taken to maintain it.”

Gardens-only admission to Levens Hall and Gardens costs £11.50, £4.50 and £29, for an adult, child and family of two adults and two children respectively, and the gardens are open every day, except Saturdays, from 10am to 5pm (last entry 4pm).  If you can’t make it, you can listen to what goes on at this time of year in this podcast - bit.ly/3T60rHq                              

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Editors notes

Levens Hall & Gardens is a historic house in the South Lakes, Cumbria, close to Kendal and home to the world's oldest topiary gardens, dating from 1694, created by French garden designer, Guillaume Beaumont. The Hall is a stunning Elizabethan house built around a 13th century pele tower and has close links to the Duke of Wellington, as well as various items which once belonged to him and Napoleon Bonaparte. Levens Park is home to the rare Bagot goats gifted to the Bagot family and a place in which to stroll and enjoy nature. Levens Kitchen is the contemporary new cafe, full of delights for cake lovers and foodies alike.