The main purpose of this visit was to spend more time with Head Gardener, Aby Parrot, and her team. Aby has been at the Club for 11 years, becoming a supervisor after two and then Head Gardener, three years later.

Before coming to the Club, she worked with a maintenance company for 11 years, then completed the two-year RHS course in one, and worked in the German and American Embassy gardens. She has been a qualified beekeeper since 2015 and a wildlife and biodiversity ally. Over the years Aby’s daily work has become less hands-on and more office based. She particularly enjoys the design aspect of gardening, and recently completed a six-month intensive Diploma at the prestigious London College of Garden Design. She also feels it’s important to build on the team’s skills with regular training and in-house workshops; the next one focuses on new innovations and best practices in hedge husbandry.

Aby works with Senior Gardener, Monika Barry, on logistics, bedding displays, and seasonal team tasks. Monika splits her time between leading team tasks and office work and also runs the team’s small nursery space. Today, together with Marina, Gareth, Ben, Alice and Leah, Monika is carrying out a major clearing of Vinca (periwinkle) around the grounds. If not kept in check, this pretty, green perennial ground cover grows quickly and smothers plants and trees.

“It has been wonderful enjoying the gardens at this special time of year and learning more about plants, garden layouts and the gardeners’ work”

Meanwhile, other gardeners are concentrating on hedge management. So, Aby, Isobel and I set off to the grass courts by the Tennis Pavilion, where Rob is scooping up neatly piled hedge cuttings into huge tonne bags. I try to help, but only manage a feeble amount, much to everyone’s amusement.

There is time to admire the herbaceous border by Little Wimbledon – at its most colourful and beautiful. It has been redesigned to incorporate new plants and combinations, including echinacea and salvia, which are particularly attractive to bees.

Finally, we get up close to the hydrangeas, in full bloom along the bank, which I look forward to seeing every year, as I do the May displays of irises. These hydrangeas are non-pollinators, in the middle of a pollinator corridor of wildflowers, plants and trees, and in order that the bees, butterflies and moths can continue their journey uninterrupted, patches of wild meadow have been planted on the opposite side of the path.

It has been wonderful enjoying the gardens at this special time of year and learning more about plants, garden layouts and the gardeners’ work. I have even picked up a tip about preventing mischievous squirrels from digging up my own carefully planted bulbs, by soaking them (bulbs, not squirrels) in chilli and water!

JENNY MONTEFIORE