24/07/2026
Despite the heat, Athelhampton’s gardening team have been hard at work, planting 250 Hidcote lavender plants, the first step in transforming a poignant area of our gardens.
Three years ago, we were devastated to discover that our iconic lime avenue was riddled with honey fungus. The magnificent trees, which had defined this walk for generations, could not be saved.
Sadly, we cannot plant trees here again. Instead, after three years of careful restoration, we are ready to begin a new chapter.
Over the coming months, the lavender will establish, and in time will bring colour, fragrance and a haven for pollinators. Then, in late autumn, we hope to begin work on a beautiful oak pergola that will follow the line of the former avenue.
While nothing could ever replace the lime trees, we hope this new space will become a destination in its own right, a place to pause, reflect and enjoy for generations to come.
The final image is an artist’s impression of how we hope this new chapter will look once the pergola and lavender are complete.