Friends of Victoria Pleasure Gardens Tewkesbury

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Friends of Victoria Pleasure Gardens Tewkesbury We're a friendly volunteer group who maintain Victoria Gardens for everyone's enjoyment. We always welcome new volunteers ๐ŸŒน

We get involved with planning, planting and design to keep the gardens up-to-date, accessible and wildlife friendly.

A lot of changes happening in the gardens at the moment! Following on from the pollarding of the Lime trees last week, a...
18/10/2026

A lot of changes happening in the gardens at the moment! Following on from the pollarding of the Lime trees last week, a brand new bed has been created, replacing some of what we lost during the rebuilding and strengthening of the old wall.

Thank you to J.Booth Garden Services for their help with this - too big a job for us to tackle, but they made it look easy! ๐Ÿช Great work, many thanks - looking forward to adding more colour to the gardens next year ๐ŸŒน๐ŸŒน๐ŸŒน๐ŸŒน

And that's not all - 3 new planters, all with built-in reservoirs, are now in place at the Mill Street entrance and will be adding to the display next year ๐Ÿชด๐Ÿชด๐Ÿชด

Along with adding, sometimes we have to remove things when they have served us well but are no longer fit for purpose. These old planters outside Monks Barn are on their way out - and Dave is in his element! ๐Ÿ”จ๐Ÿช’
With a hammer or broom in hand, this is his happy place! ๐Ÿ˜„
Dave - keep on doing the Dave stuff, we couldn't manage it without you! ๐Ÿคฉ

Well, not our usual lovely photos of flowers ๐ŸŒท and ladybirds! ๐ŸžThis looks drastic and there's no getting away from it no...
08/10/2026

Well, not our usual lovely photos of flowers ๐ŸŒท and ladybirds! ๐Ÿž

This looks drastic and there's no getting away from it not being pretty! ๐Ÿ˜ฑ However, pollarding the lime trees is necessary for several reasons.

They grow very quickly and their size has to be controlled. Pollarding actually stimulates new growth. Those still standing will grow back with healthy new shoots. It also reduces wind resistance - we had one of the weaker ones fall earlier this year, so this is a matter of safety.

Unfortunately two others were identified as weak and unstable, so have also been removed.

It's a bit of tough love - not only for the trees, but for us too! We have to put up with these starkly bare trunks ๐Ÿชพ for a while for their long term wellbeing! ๐ŸŒณ

As autumn ๐Ÿ‚ takes hold and the trees are turning, finding colour in Victoria Gardens is a bit like hide and seek! ๐ŸซฃIt do...
04/10/2026

As autumn ๐Ÿ‚ takes hold and the trees are turning, finding colour in Victoria Gardens is a bit like hide and seek! ๐Ÿซฃ

It doesn't hit you in the face now, but it's there if you care to look a little closer ๐Ÿง and it can make a walk ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿผ๐Ÿšถ๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ through the gardens into a discovery trail!

Take an extra few minutes next time you're passing through, and see what you can find! We'd love to see your photos ๐Ÿ“ท

The gardens are still looking good as we rapidly head into autumn ๐Ÿ‚It's perhaps time to reflect on what a challenging se...
27/09/2026

The gardens are still looking good as we rapidly head into autumn ๐Ÿ‚

It's perhaps time to reflect on what a challenging season it has been - not just for us, but gardeners everywhere! Most of our efforts have been focussed on just keeping things alive, and the physical work of watering, watering, watering! ๐Ÿฅต

How long before we're literally, and ironically, underwater? In recent years, we've seen the first floods start in October, and usually go through, on and off, to February/March! ๐ŸŒง๏ธ

We have to approach these circumstances with a bit of a fixed grin on our faces ๐Ÿ˜ฌ and take the opportunity to learn more about what will survive - we take a trial and error approach, based on what plants come through sometimes unbelievably tough seasons and pop up again quite cheerfully the following year! ๐ŸŒน๐ŸŒผ๐Ÿต๏ธ

The wonderful thing about gardening is nature's optimism, and its willingness to survive! ๐ŸŒฑ

Lots of jobs getting done in Victoria Gardens this morning. Taking advantage of the lovely weather ๐ŸŒค๏ธ we were  busy stri...
20/09/2026

Lots of jobs getting done in Victoria Gardens this morning. Taking advantage of the lovely weather ๐ŸŒค๏ธ we were busy strimming, weeding, planting, watering - and chatting to passersby ๐Ÿ™‹๐Ÿผ๐Ÿ™‹๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ - always a pleasure ๐Ÿ˜Š
The bed in the Gloucester Road car park had a tidy up and is looking good with some late flowering perennials, and the purple verbena in the sculpture bed just keeps giving! ๐Ÿ’œ

13/09/2026

Spotted in (as close as can be!) Victoria Gardens this morning.

We're lucky to work in such a diverse ecological habitat, and we try to be as wildlife friendly as possible, so it's wonderful to witness a sight like this

Again proving what a difference a pot with a reservoir can make, and how vital they are becoming in these hot dry summer...
06/09/2026

Again proving what a difference a pot with a reservoir can make, and how vital they are becoming in these hot dry summers โ˜€๏ธ - these latest planters to be installed in Victoria Gardens are looking good โค๏ธ๐Ÿ’œ๐Ÿงก๐Ÿ’š and this bench is a very popular spot to rest and reflect for a while. It seems almost every time I walk through there is someone enjoying the view from this spot ๐Ÿž๏ธ

More of these planters are in our plans as we continue to maintain and adapt the gardens for modern times. Gardens never stand still, and most gardeners see challenges as an opportunity to try something different - which means we're always looking ahead and planning something a bit different! ๐Ÿ™ƒ

Not all changes are big, but they all make a difference. Dave has been out with the paintbrush and given this square planter at the Mill Street entrance a bit of a makeover ๐Ÿคฉ and how much smarter does it look now! Black ๐Ÿ–ค is actually a very useful colour in a garden - the plants stand out so much better and really become the highlight they should be! ๐Ÿชด

What a lovely morning to be in the gardens. Not too hot, not too cold, not too windy. However it's  still too dry! ๐Ÿ˜ŽThan...
23/08/2026

What a lovely morning to be in the gardens.
Not too hot, not too cold, not too windy. However it's still too dry! ๐Ÿ˜Ž

Thank goodness for our investment in the new planters complete with reservoirs. We thank our sponsors for enabling us to plant them up with a glorious mix of colours ๐ŸŒบ๐ŸŒธ๐Ÿ’ฎ๐ŸŒผ๐Ÿต๏ธ and they have carried these little oases of cheerfulness throughout this long, hot and exceptionally dry summer โ˜€๏ธ

It is a bit of a different story in the rest of the gardens, hard to find anything still in flower, although this fuchsia tucked away at the top of Robeson's Walk is really pretty ๐Ÿฉท and probably goes unnoticed by a lot of visitors!

Try spotting it next time you walk through! ๐Ÿง

We're delighted to see Victoria Gardens being used increasingly for public events. It's been a place of celebration ๐ŸŽ‰  e...
09/08/2026

We're delighted to see Victoria Gardens being used increasingly for public events. It's been a place of celebration ๐ŸŽ‰ entertainment ๐ŸŽญ social gatherings ๐Ÿ‘ซ๐Ÿ‘ฌ๐Ÿ‘ญ๐Ÿง‘โ€๐Ÿคโ€๐Ÿง‘ and an asset to the town for almost 130 years, and recent events, including 'Picnic in the Park' the Roses Theatre, Tewkesbury theatre performances and Garden Festival, and today's charity event with Tewkesbury Town Mayor Emma Ash highlight what a special place this is for Tewkesbury.

There's no doubt it's been a challenging year weather-wise โ˜€๏ธ๐Ÿฅต (it often is but this summer takes the biscuit! ๐Ÿช) and this makes it all the more special that people still appreciate this space which is free access to all, open all hours, has hosted everything from dog walks ๐Ÿ•โ€๐Ÿฆบ picnics ๐Ÿฅช prom photos ๐Ÿ’ƒ๐Ÿผ live music ๐ŸŽถ family gatherings ๐Ÿซ‚ drama's (real and theatrical) including our own urn rescue with Severn Area Rescue Association - Upton and so much more!

What's the commitment? - one hour, once a month, in a pub!How tough can that be? ๐Ÿค”๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ˜†friendsofvictoriagardenstewks@gmail....
02/08/2026

What's the commitment? - one hour, once a month, in a pub!
How tough can that be? ๐Ÿค”๐Ÿ˜‰๐Ÿ˜†

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Tewkesbury
GL205SP

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