Martyn surrounded by the glorious Wimbledon blooms (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)
“It’s just a wow!” Mary Bowie has succinctly expressed the thoughts of tens of thousands of visitors to the Wimbledon championships this past fortnight. But it’s not the tennis she is referring to – though that has been exceptional too. Mary, 44, from nearby East Putney was asked to comment on the stunning displays of foliage and flowers at SW19.
Around 27,000 plants are brought in for the tournament, contributing to the botanical bliss of over 50,000 plants for the visitors to the grounds every day.
“The flowers are just so beautiful,” says insurance lawyer Mary, who was attending her first Wimbledon with husband Mike, 48. “It’s the absolute attention to detail they give to each and every plant that is so amazing.”
Mary explained she is in a beneficial position to be able to keep an eye on the Wimbledon blooms as she makes sure her daily run heads past the Wimbledon gates.
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Wimbledon tennis visitor Mary Bowie at the walled garden (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)
Head gardener Martyn Falconer inspects the Wimbledon flowers (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)
“I feel like I have followed this beautiful journey all the way through and when it is ready for the championships it is simply amazing,” she says. “The colours, the purples, the whites, the greens are amazing. I feel grateful and blessed just to see it. It’s just perfect visually and you can see so much work has gone into it.”
And Mary is absolutely right. Moments earlier I had been speaking to Wimbledon’s head gardener Martyn Falconer.
Martyn, 46, has been making the 42-acre site look amazing here for 25 years with his 20-strong team for the championships.
And for Martyn this year the real challenge has been the six-week run in with so much hot weather around and very little rain.
“It’s all in the planning and making sure we are getting the plants out at the right time,” he says. “The team are very well equipped for dealing with all situations – it’s a well-oiled machine.”
Head gardener Martyn inspects a hanging basket with the living wall behind (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)
The team look after the site year round but bring in a variety of hanging baskets, window boxes, troughs, herbaceous borders, planters and floral installations for the two championship weeks from local suppliers to make it look at its tip-top best. It is a beautiful sea of flowers cascading around courts, cafes and buildings with iconic hydrangeas, petunias and roses to the fore.
So after a quarter of a century making these grounds look amazing, has Martyn finally got things off to a tee?
“I suppose every year is still a challenge,” he explains. “You kind of know what you are doing but there are little curve balls that come in,” he says. “So it doesn’t become easier but more manageable. You see things that are coming down the line with that experience.”
During the championships Martyn and his team are at SW19 from 5am to make sure the plants are in good health for the gates opening at 10am. That means a lot of watering in the current heat, some dead-heading and a spot of plant repair work to do.
“The plants do get sat on a little bit,” he explains. “At this place people move around and want to find somewhere to sit, to park their bum for a rest for five minutes.”
The amazing Wimbledon flower displays (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)
A white butterfly on court at Wimbledon (Image: Getty)
Martyn, who lives in South Croydon, reveals his team use a clever technique called the ‘Wimbledon twist’ to hide away the odd bit of damage.
“So if we have a hydrangea that has been sat on we can spin it around 180 degrees and get another day or two out of it,” he says.
One of Martyn and indeed Wimbledon’s main pride and joys is the stunning 245 square metre living wall on court one which was installed outside overlooking The Hill during its reconstruction in 2019.
The more than 14,000 plants within it grow into the rock wall and are watered four times a day. It requires constant maintenance from workers using a hydraulic platform and staff have to watch out for the odd bird nest inside it.
It is all part of the aim to allow as many species as possible to populate the grounds and as we speak a beautiful white butterfly flutters past, one of many seen flitting among the crowds and even on centre court.
Martyn explains: “We are promoting biodiversity. The plants are here to look good but also to attract lots of insects and birdlife.”
The living wall on Wimbledon’s number one court (Image: Getty)
Next we glance down at the Boston ivy which has been clad on centre court since 1922. Bright green during the championships it goes a beautiful deep red in the autumn before shedding its leaves over the winter. Again it needs constant tender loving care from Martyn and his team.
“Yes it needs a lot of looking after as it grows really quick at this time of year and we are constantly having to trim it back so it doesn’t cover windows and clocks,” he says.
Think about all that de-weeding, planting and trimming work you have to do in your back garden and then multiply it many, many times over and that is what the gardening team have to deal with here. Then factor in the multiple locations and the added complexities of tall buildings, living walls and zillions of nooks and crannies and you can see how they have to work non stop.
So how does Martyn feel about his displays for the 2025 championships?
“Yes, really good actually,” he says. ‘It feels like everything has just come together at the right time.
“We do get a lot of good comments and feedback and this year it has been quite noticeable as last year was quite a damp one. Once the sun is out everything looks a little bit brighter and nicer.
“It’s really nice to hear, it’s great for the team to have their year round effort recognised.”
The beautiful Boston ivy wrapped around centre court (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)
The ivy needs to be trimmed back to keep the famous clock on display (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)
After a well-deserved holiday after the championships in August with his ‘Wimbledon widow’ wife, the SW19 gardening cycle begins again for Martyn and his team.
Many of the current tournament’s blooms will be snapped up by hard-working staff (with proceeds going to the Wimbledon Foundation) or donated to charities within Merton and Wandsworth.
Then the planning and work for Wimbledon 2026 begins all over again.
One thing is for sure. Thanks to Martyn and his skilled team and a spot of good fortune with the weather, the displays will be looking ‘wow’ once again come June 29 next year.
The stunning Wimbledon floral displays (Image: Tim Merry/Staff Photographer)