Wimbledon's famed floral displays, including hydrangeas and petunias, are at risk of being phased out due to increasing water demands driven by summer heatwaves, according to head gardener Martyn Falconer.
Falconer, who leads a 25-person team responsible for the 42-acre grounds, is tasked with future-proofing the tournament's aesthetic, often described as evoking an "English country garden" feel, while adapting to soaring temperatures. Hydrangeas, a staple at the championships for decades and featured in historical archives from the 1920s, are particularly challenging to maintain due to their high water consumption.
"Hydrangeas are very iconic for Wimbledon," Falconer stated. "It's my favourite plant but we are looking to see if we can find something that will give you the same wow as a hydrangea."
More than 19,000 petunias, which appear in over 200 hanging baskets and on show courts, are also under consideration for replacement. Falconer noted a significant shift in planting strategies since the late 1990s and early 2000s, when annual bedding plants like petunias and geraniums were prevalent. Currently, petunias are the primary bedding plant used.
To address these challenges, a "climate-resilient" project is slated to launch next year. This initiative aims to showcase plants suitable for Wimbledon's grounds, including potential alternatives for the popular Henman Hill area, which will be part of the "Hill Project." However, plants like rosemary and olive trees have already been ruled out to maintain the desired "English garden" ambiance, avoiding a "too Mediterranean" look.
Falconer emphasized the long-term nature of these changes, stating, "We are starting to look at a strategy for the whole site because the heat isn't just a one-off. Hot spells are now more normal than abnormal. What we need to do is still produce tennis in an English garden and that's my job to think about."
In addition to horticultural adjustments, Wimbledon is progressing towards using peat-free soil in its hanging baskets by next year. The tournament may also adopt robotic technology for harvesting strawberries. The exclusive supplier, Hugh Lowe Farms in Kent, is exploring the use of harvesting robots, developed in collaboration with British tech firm Dogtooth, to pick strawberries. This move comes amid soaring labor costs and follows a tradition of hand-picking the fruit for over 30 years. A team of 30 typically harvests approximately 40 tonnes of strawberries during the fortnight of the tournament.