Lucy Hart And A Decade Of Growth At The Historic Fulham Palace Garden

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In the heart of the historic Fulham Palace Garden, Lucy Hart has been the guiding hand behind a decade of growth, focusing on sustainability and accessibility throughout her 11-year stint as Head Gardener.

Beginning her gardening journey at just 13, Lucy developed a profound love for plants, a passion that has only deepened over the years.

I chatted with Lucy about her early experience at Kew Gardens, the challenges of gardening with climate change and her future plans at Fulham Palace Garden.

Imagery in this article has been provided by Marcus Dawes and Linval Bartley.

Can You Share Your Earliest Gardening Memory And How It Influenced Your Passion For Plants?

“I got into horticulture purely by chance, as I worked at the local nursery near where I lived on Saturdays because I needed some money when I was just 13,” Lucy explains.

“I worked there and realised how much I loved working with plants. They had a little retail section, but I worked with the plants, deadheading and potting them up. I then went straight to horticultural college at 16 and did a National Diploma in Plant Production.

“I worked at some specialist nurseries during a year out there and still to this day refer back to the experiences I had during this time. After that, I went to Chelmsford and did a degree in Horticulture and began to work in other areas of the industry, before refocussing on plant-based jobs.

“I did some work experience at Beth Chatto and Great Dixter, before [starting my] diploma at Kew, which led me to more botanical work. I worked there for 8 years and I then moved to my current role at Fulham Palace, where I have been for 11 years.”

Can You Tell Us More About Your Role As The Head Gardener At Fulham Palace?

“I am responsible for the 13-acre garden. We are a historic house and garden open 7 days a week free of charge, and we are an independent charity.

“There are 6 of us who make up the gardening teams and also 65 active volunteers who come in and help to garden every week. We also have beekeepers and greenkeepers. It’s a huge team effort and a lot of fun!

“There are so many different aspects of horticulture that people can work in and probably don’t realise. At Fulham Palace, we are running a ‘get into gardening’ scheme that is [designed] for younger people from disadvantaged backgrounds – to help them get into gardening and see the benefits of it.”

How Do You Approach The Challenge Of Balancing The Conservation Of Historical Aspects Of The Garden With The Need For Modernisation And Sustainability?

“Bishop Compton, who lived at Fulham Palace in the late 1600s and early 1700s, had a real interest in growing plants,” she explains. “He used his missionaries to send plant materials from the countries they visited which he would then grow and cultivate on site.

“There’s been a site here since 703, but there was also Roman activity here prior to that. When you’re gardening on a scheduled monument, which we are, that’s really tricky, because there are lots of rules about what you can and can’t do to protect the archaeology.

“It is all part of a wonderful story, so we take advantage of that by growing the plants that were previously grown at the gardens, which we have been able to cultivate.

“In terms of biodiversity, it’s all about educating the public through the changes we make.”

What Is Your Favourite Thing About Your Job?

“We have a walled garden where we grow vegetables and then sell them, which is a critical part of our income,” explains Lucy.

“Making income from horticulture and growing things for people to buy is a wonderful thing which we get a lot out of.

“Working closely with volunteers is great too. There are a lot of people who just want to give and help out, so it’s really nice to be out there gardening with them.

““I also love working at Fulham Palace because we are constantly striving to improve our site through restoration and new projects. 

“We are broaching important subjects such as colonialism and transatlantic slavery within our museum and our botanical collections and we encourage wildlife and biodiversity throughout the garden as well as making it productive and beautiful.” 

Can You Share Some Of The Challenges You Faced When You Started As The Head Gardener At Fulham Palace & How You Overcame Them?

“Everyone is probably feeling it, but the financial challenges post-pandemic and the current economic crisis are difficult to manage, in addition to the fact we have a low budget.

“I do love the fact that anything we do, everyone chips in to help if they can. For example, we make a lot of lavender bags, so I’ll ask for materials from the community and be met with lots of helpful hands.”

What Are Your Future Plans For The Fulham Palace Garden & How Do You See It Evolving In The Next Few Years?

“We’re really committed to getting other people involved in gardening, as I mentioned before,” she shares.

“I think we are all just starting to realise that horticulture is so good for our wellbeing. I’ve never had so many applications for our most recent intake of apprentices, which is great.

“We are going to be looking at changing one of the areas in our glasshouse so we can have an indoor space for gardening activities. Also, a lot of the future work will just involve adapting to the changing climate.

“For example, a lot of trees in our orchard are suffering at the moment. In a historic garden, you want to grow a lot of heritage stuff, but I’ve noticed it is not thriving, so we need to balance that a little more.”

Do You Have Any Advice For Those Thinking Of Giving A Career In Horticulture A Go?

“It’s all I’ve ever done and I’m still learning so much, even after 33 years!” Lucy says.

“I’d say to those thinking of opting for a career in horticulture that you are never going to get bored and I can’t recommend it enough because of that.

“I feel privileged to have found horticulture as a career and am very happy to be where I am now.”