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28 May 2025

As I write this entry of the garden news, I look out of my office window to see a rare thing … rain! This is something that I didn’t expect to be excited about, but the weather has been very dry for so long. The gardens really needed it.

The dry spell is the driest start to the year and certainly the driest spring since records began. I never usually complain about the sunny warm days. It has been the perfect spring for working out in the garden and a delight to be outside, but all this comes at a cost. The farmers have seen their crops struggle and the same can be said for horticulture. The seasons now seem to follow extreme after extreme.

Cambridge has experienced an unusually dry spring this year, with rainfall levels significantly below average for the season. The typically mild and damp conditions of spring have given way to prolonged dry spells and warm temperatures, leaving gardens across the city struggling to thrive.

For many gardeners, this shift has meant increased reliance on watering systems to keep plants alive. Lawns are turning brown earlier than usual, and thirsty perennials and vegetables are showing signs of stress, such as wilting leaves and stunted growth. Young seedlings are vulnerable, often failing to establish roots in the parched soil.

The dry weather also affects pollinators. With fewer blooming flowers and reduced nectar availability, bees and other beneficial insects are less active, which can further impact plant health and yields in fruit and vegetable gardens.

Experts recommend mulching garden beds to retain moisture, watering deeply but less frequently to encourage deep root growth and choosing drought-tolerant plants where possible. Until rainfall returns to more typical levels, careful management and water conservation will be key to keeping Cambridge gardens healthy this season.

The Community Garden that we established last year has been a challenge in this weather but has also been a fun experience for the community and for my staff. It has been great to interact with the students and see the enthusiasm grow. My garden staff have enjoyed passing on some knowledge and the students have enjoyed learning some life skills away from the pressures of the exam periods. It is vital to offer a safe place to escape to for a couple of hours at least. All pressures can be forgotten whilst getting stuck in.

This has been our first full year at offering this opportunity. It has been generally well received and we have high hopes for the future as word gets around. It offers a non-hierarchical space that isn’t sport but that gets you outside.

Elsewhere in the gardens, we have been balancing the tough tasks of looking after our existing plants as well as trying to establish the newer ones. It has been quite a juggling act.

We have also been trying to repair some of the cobbles around front court. This is a job that must be done annually, especially in such an important setting. Our resident landscape gardener, Martin Place, has been instrumental this year in driving the project through. Martin’s valuable experience is a real asset to the college: a real old school craftsman who really understands his trade. It has been fantastic to see Martin pass on his knowledge to the other members of the team. It is one of the great strengths of this Garden Department. Each member of the team has strengths and weaknesses but together we all pull through. I encourage upskilling my staff at every opportunity to make us one of the most skilled garden teams amongst the colleges – one team that I am very proud to call the Emma Gardeners!

Best wishes.

Brendon Sims, Head Gardener

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