Summer is a busy time for the gardening team at Highgrove, with nearly every area of the gardens needing some tidying up or cutting back, including the wildflower meadow.
Matthew, Deputy Head of Gardens, is our next gardener under the spotlight as he helps manage the annual project of cutting back the wildflower meadow. Known as "scything," it is a traditional method of cutting grass that produces a closer cut to the ground and provides better seed germination.
Matthew began working at Highgrove Gardens 12 years ago after Debs Goodenough, Head Gardener at Highgrove at the time, wanted to hire someone with experience in creating topiary.
“I got a call and couldn’t turn down the opportunity,” explains Matthew.
Matthew began working in horticulture whilst studying at school and completing his Duke of Edinburgh award scheme. He needed some hours volunteering, so he chose to work at Levens Hall Gardens, home to the world’s oldest topiary, not too far from where he grew up in Cumbria.
“I loved working in the gardens and continued to ride my bike over and spend every day during the holidays working with the team. Just before I left school, I was offered an apprenticeship there.”
Since then, he has had a few different roles at Highgrove and is now Deputy Head of Gardens.
Since starting his career at Highgrove, Matthew has had a few different roles working in the gardens.
"I started working at Highgrove as a Gardener but have since worked my way up to Deputy Head of Gardens, where my role generally involves running the day-to-day work in the ornamental gardens," says Matthew.
Matthew also works alongside the garden guides team to ensure the guides are kept up-to-date with garden development so they can share this with their guests.
"Highgrove is an incredibly busy and dynamic place to work, with so many different people working together to create a special place."
"I feel very grateful for the opportunities and experiences I have had at Highgrove," explains Matthew.
Summer at Highgrove is a busy time of year but one of Matthew's favourites.
This summer, a team of expert scythers joined the gardeners at Highgrove, including Matthew, to cut the wildflower meadow using the scything method, a traditional skill that has almost died out in the UK.
Having seen scything still carried out in Transylvania, His Majesty The King Charles III wanted to help keep this skill alive back in the UK, so Highgrove annually uses scything to cut the meadow, which helps keep this traditional skill alive. It produces a closer cut to the ground and allows better seed germination.
Inspired by His Majesty’s idea of maintaining scything as a traditional skill, Matthew was fortunate enough to go to Transylvania, regarded as one of the last mediaeval landscapes in existence, a few years ago to learn about the art of haymaking.
“I was incredibly fortunate enough to live with a farming community for a week, learning the art of haymaking without the use of machines,” explains Matthew.
“We spent days up in the mountains scything, raking hay, and learning about the diverse ecology of Transylvania.”
This year at Highgrove, the gardeners, with the aid of Matthew's experience, have built a traditional Transylvanian hay stook used for storing the hay.
"Although mostly ornamental, the hay stooks help raise awareness of Transylvania and are often a great talking point on garden tours," explains Matthew.
"Once the haymaking is complete, we will bring sheep onto the meadow for grazing. The sheep help keep the heavy grass down, opening up bare ground for seeds to germinate."
The hay that is produced from scything then goes to the farm for animal feed during the winter.
"I love working in the meadow as it changes each year."
"During haymaking, we can see the successes of the year and plan for next year," says Matthew.
After 12 wonderful years at Highgrove, Matthew will be taking the skills and experience he has gained from working at Highgrove Gardens to progress in his career as Head Gardener at Holker Hall in Cumbria.
“I’ll be sad to say goodbye to Highgrove, which has been my home as well as my workplace for so long.”
Best of luck on your new venture Matthew!
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