Kevin Martin: head gardener at Glyndebourne

There has been much written about Glyndebourne’s opera festival but in the background is an equally important chorus line of plants, flowers of shrubs ready to play its part.

I arrive to a fanfare of song – the soloists are practising and in full flow. We will later see them enjoying the gardens in between practice sessions. ‘Quite often you will hear people warming their voices up,’ says head gardener, Kevin Martin, who was introduced to Glyndebourne after the hurricane of 1987. Kevin was working at a nursery when his expertise at moving trees and shrubs was called upon for the opera house and estate near Lewes. He was taken on for six months and 31 years later has become a knowledgeable asset.

The garden has interlinked spaces - each with a different feel.  ‘I work with apprentices and there’s a lot of things that I have learned that would probably never be taught in college. Moving plants, you get to understand the complexities of them. I have literally learned on the job,’ he explains.

We enter the Figaro Garden, inspired by the last act of Le nozze di Figaro. Its reflective pool mirrors the hue of the stunning Henry Moore sculpture which looks towards the lake in the distance. The two benches were created by Alison Crowther each crafted using a piece of solid oak –– her studio is down in West Sussex. It’s an overture of cool greens.

In contrast is the cottage-style Mildmay Garden. Named after John Christie’s wife Audrey Mildmay, the Soprano he fell in love with and married – they began staging opera at Glyndebourne in 1934. On performance afternoons not only are its borders abundant with blooms including sweet William, penstemon and nicotiana, it is full of people enjoying cream teas.

The garden at Glyndebourne. Kevin likes how The Bourne Garden, a sunken affair which takes its name from the underground stream, evolves during the year. Planted with exotic and tropical plants that add drama, it reaches a crescendo in the summer.

This year, it's being given a costume change, including a new water feature.

‘It’s a lovely garden,' Kevin smiles. 'The longer the sun, the more exuberant the flowers and plants become; Dahlia imperialis the tallest one grows to about 7ft. We pollard plants like paulownia, ailanthus and catalpa, so you get the larger leaf; we want plants that are bold.’

More tropical planting such as Brassaiopsis dumicola and silver fern (Cyathea dealbata) is also being added this year. ‘Climate change allows us to grow the things you wouldn’t have got away with before,’ he adds.

Audience members enjoy the gardens during the interval. Kevin’s favourite part of the garden is dependent on the time of year. Early spring it’s around the lake with the emergence of daffodils. But in the autumn it is the Coach Path. ‘It’s because of the autumn colours, it’s absolutely stunning.’

We go past the orchard into one of the meadows where snake's head fritillary dip their heads. This area has one of two unusual, raised beehives. Built on natural wooden tripods, they look like they have just landed there; the bees are used as pollinators rather than for their honey. The gardeners don’t used pesticides, preferring natural alternatives. It’s part of a sustainable ethos which includes creating their own compost – 14 tonnes of it - and producing their own plants from seeds and cuttings.

‘We rely on the meadows for the biodiversity and the wildlife,' Kevin says. 'Sometimes when it's a really nice day, it’s nice to sit and watch it carry on - it's just stunning with the bees and birds. Even when it finishes towards the end of August it's not dead ground, you get the finches taking the seeds.’

Kevin also does the stunning flower arrangements at Glyndebourne. As the estate’s in-house florist, Kevin creates the stunning floral arrangements that audiences enjoy on site throughout the summer. A new ‘cutting’ kitchen garden provides dahlias, sweet peas and peonies used in the displays. Kevin began flower arranging when the late Lady Christie retired. ‘No one picked it up, so I took it on myself,’ he explains. It is something that he clearly excels at and enjoys.

A recent addition is the fascinating Dye Garden, used to grow plants which can be used to create colour including woad (blue), weld (yellow) and madder (red). The natural dyes produced are used for costumes. Kevin was sceptical initially but has been taken aback by the colours produced.

From the meadow you can see Uprising Shore. The majority of these trees are from saplings that sprung up during the pandemic. The name comes from an opera Uprising about climate change and the need to protect trees which suitably fitted with the project. ‘It was a positive out of a negative,’ says Kevin

The new kitchen garden provides herbs, vegetables and cut flowers During the pandemic Glyndebourne took performances outside with In the Market for Love. ‘It brought its own challenges with the orchestra’s old instrument glue melting in the sun and the noise of sheep over the performance,’ he says. Music sheets also threatened to take off in the breeze and a leaf blower had to be requisitioned to dry out the audience’s seats after a rainy night!

‘Glyndebourne is a creative place, but they turned it into something magical,’ he fondly recalls.

The lake, one of three, has a wide lawn and is a nice spot for picnics. Sheep graze on the undulating pastures and water lilies will put on their own performance.

The gardens put on a show to rival the opera. The Rose Garden, a tribute to Lady Christie was planted by members of staff. I notice a sculpture of a pug, one of two. It’s Fred, a beloved pet of Lady Christie’s. Originally created by artist Rose Beale, who works in the props department, the sculptures were later cast in bronze and placed in the garden.

Roses include Glyndebourne’s own variety, the Harkness Rose Glyndebourne, a beautiful papery pink rose with a mass of petals. ‘It was supposed to be a shrub rose but it wanted to climb, so we now use it to climb pillars in the rose garden. That’s the thing with gardening - sometimes things don’t do what they are supposed to do, so you have to adapt.’

Christopher Lloyd designed the Urn Garden which is enclosed by yew hedges. ‘We would have a walk round with him and he would suggest plants,’ recalls Kevin. ‘The idea of the tall hedges is to catch the scent on a summer’s evening.’ Grassed areas have been incorporated for visitors to enjoy the fragment plants.

The natural bee-hive, one of two in the garden at Glyndebourne. The gardens are the epitome of calm to the background of drama going on in the theatre. Kevin has often seen cast members, directors and VIPs enjoying the tranquility, including David Hockney who produced the artwork for The Rake's Progress. Another visitor was King Charles III, then Prince Charles, who Kevin escorted on a tour of the gardens. ‘He is very knowledgeable. There’s a row of clematis called Prince Charles and they were looking amazing; he knew the name.’

I’m allowed a peek into the Organ Room – a stunning building. The organ dominates; when it was first played parts of the ceiling fell down. The fireplace hides a secret door accessing the theatre. As well as the family, the late Queen Elizabeth II was known to have used it when visiting.

Kevin lives in nearby Ringmer and when not gardening at Glyndebourne he is … gardening at home. He can also be seen scouting other gardens for ideas and is a visitor to Bateman's, Nymans and Gravetye Manor. ‘My mind is never switched off. Some of the big gardens will come and visit us and vice versa. I am learning all the time.’

Kevin in the Mary Christine Rose Garden. Photo James Bellorini The festival's organisation is now overseen by John Christie’s grandson, Gus Christie, who lives at Glyndebourne with his wife, soprano Danielle de Niese and their children. Kevin currently overseas a team of six and preparation begin early.

‘As soon as January begins, we start with the climbers around the house. You can’t sit on your laurels (literally); we have a deadline with the opening night – it’s always in the back of my mind,' he says.

‘After Easter when most of the rehearsals start, there’s an electric feel to the place and that’s very infectious. It’s our dress rehearsal; we know that people love the gardens and we are passionate about them.

‘With people arriving at lunchtime we can’t do so much in the afternoon. We tend to go back to the greenhouse and kitchen garden. But there are always audience members that come along and find us which is nice.’

The garden with sculptures by Conrad Shawcross. The sculptures will be on show until October. From mid-May to the end of August, the garden puts on its own show; hedges are trimmed and borders must look their best.

‘The gardens are probably in use from around 7am in the morning until midnight You have to accept that you are going to get wear, which we repair every year. I find that one of the hardest things with climate change is the intense hot dry period in the spring. Our soil is chalky clay so the sun draws out all the moisture, you can water but it’s not the same. We are thinking about what we plant now. Salvias don’t bat an eyelid but some of the more traditional cottage plants like phlox do suffer.’

Opera aficionados may love their Champagne but unfortunately Glyndebourne’s grass does not. ‘It’s like weedkiller,’ says Kevin. ‘It just kills the grass, but it will come back.’

Does he feel that he is putting on a performance? ‘Absolutely, I have always said that. There are six performances (operas) every year and I say that the garden is the seventh.’

Gardens open two hours before the start of every performance. For festival tickets go to glyndebourne.com

The Mary Christie Rose Garden includes Glyndebourne's own rose, the Harkness Rose Glyndebourne. Photo James Bellorini

Kevin's favourite plants

Harkness Rose 'Glyndebourne' – 'It’s always special to have a Glyndebourne rose, and it remains a firm favourite with our audience members who admire its pale pink blooms climbing up the side of the Organ Room. Although technically a shrub rose, it has a climbing habit, making it perfect for training over an obelisk in a border.'

Eremurus (Foxtail Lily) – 'These striking plants bring colour and drama to a border from summer well into late autumn. They make excellent cut flowers with a subtle scent and are also loved by pollinators—an important consideration in any garden.'

Tithonia rotundifolia (Mexican Sunflower) – 'With its tall, vivid orange blooms, this plant adds wonderful height to a late-summer border. It also has a long vase life, though care is needed when picking, as the stems are delicate and can damage easily.'

Dahlia ‘Natalie G’ – 'Dahlias are in abundance at Glyndebourne, and I frequently use them in cut flower arrangements. They fell out of fashion for a time, but they’ve always been a favourite of mine. With so many varieties available, anyone planning a cut flower garden should start with dahlias.'

Anemone × hybrida ‘Honorine Jobert’ – 'The ethereal blooms of the Japanese anemone appear to float in mid-air on fine stems, bringing elegance to the late-summer and early-autumn garden, just as many cottage garden flowers begin to fade. They also make a stunning statement when arranged en masse in a tall vase.'