Great Dixter is the latest garden to have closed its doors due to the wet and windy weather this season after its Spring Plant Fair had to be cancelled.
The Plant Fair, which was due to take place last weekend, has been cancelled because the fields used for parking were completely waterlogged.
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On Instagram Great Dixter posted: "It is with huge regret that we have cancelled [our] Spring Plant Fair. The fields that we use for parking are completely waterlogged, apologies for late notice but we had hoped the weather would be kinder to us this week, instead we’ve had even more rain."
Great Dixter's Plant Fairs are a highlight in many gardener and horticulturalist's calendars, and bring together plant nurseries including Avon Bulbs, Beth Chatto Plants, Wildegoose Nursery, Hardys Cottage Plants and Pelham Plants to sell to visitors.
The Spring Plant Fair was created with the intention of helping small nurseries and generate money from plant sales to fund the Christopher Lloyd Bursary. The community atmosphere of the fair brings scholars, plantsmen and celebrities together in one place.
Michael Wachter, gardener at Dixter said: “I have never seen the garden flood as much as this year. I nearly slept with my flexotherms on as I wore them everyday. The team spirit really got us through winter.” While head gardener Fergus Garrett noted that primroses had been thriving.
With the Spring Plant Fair forced to cancel, Fergus has decided to hold another plant fair on 20 and 21 July, inviting all the nurseries that will miss out in April.
Other gardens have had to close or delay opening for the season because of the recent wet weather, including Stockton Bury Gardens. At Stockton Bury the cafe and plant sales are open from 3 April, but head gardener Tamsin Westhorpe has had to delay opening the garden because of waterlogging.
Star gardener Monty Don shared images on Instagram of fields near his garden entirely waterlogged, while Abbotsbury Subtropical Gardens had to cancel their Food Fair due to waterlogging and heavy rain.
The National Trust's Alfriston Clergy House in East Sussex had to restrict access due to waterlogging due to extended flooding. Last year Storm Babet caused a trail of destruction to National Trust gardens and properties.
February was the warmest on record globally, while Met Office figures show that the last 18 months have seen a record amount of rainfall. According to provisional figures, 1,695.9 mm of rain fell from October 2022 to March 2024. The Met Office has also recorded that the winter of 2023/2024 has been the eighth wettest on record in the UK. The south of England experienced its wettest February since 1836.
