26th September 2023
The gardens at Inner Temple have a long history dating back to the 12th century. Given its pollinator friendly planting, it made the perfect City of London oasis to play host for our event. The garden provides a quiet and scenic sanctuary within the hustle and bustle of the City of London.
The evening started with tours of the garden, led by the immensely knowledgeable team of gardeners at the Inner Temple. The talks discussed the history and planting at the gardens. With a chance to walk along the gravel and treelined paths and to see the succulents within the greenhouse. Our pollinator ecologist, Konstantinos Tsiolis was present with his fascinating collection of bee specimens and answering any pollinator questions that our guests had.
In the City of London forage can be limiting especially if there is a lack of suitable flowering plants. Spaces like the Inner Temple gardens provide an important refuge to these pollinators, where they can gather the resources, they need to survive and thrive.
The gardens have an incredibly rich history with links to Shakespeare as well as hosting London’s numerous premier flower shows. The Inner Temple’s archives show that the first recorded gardener was appointed in 1307, at a time when it was described as an orchard. Over time the gardens developed; becoming more ornamental with plants such as roses in addition to the lawns and fruiting trees. Alongside this, greenhouses were installed and landscaping to form embankments, and the addition of a terrace in 1591. All these changes and modifications over the centuries have helped to form the attractive gardens today.
The evening progressed inside, with an introduction from our Chairman John Burton, followed by one of our patrons, Chartered horticulturalist & broadcaster David Domoney. The talks were inspirational and insightful, discussing the challenges around gardening for pollinators but also how we tackle pollinator declines as individuals and corporations.
A big thank you Gravis Capital Management one of our corporate members for sponsoring the event and the team at Inner Temple for their support in making the event a great success.
