Wimbledon's most iconic flowers in danger as head gardener says they are TOO thirsty - and even the petunias may be on the outs

Published: 00:21, 28 June 2026 | Updated: 00:27, 28 June 2026 Wimbledon's most iconic flowers could be phased out as summer heatwaves drive a need for drought-friendly plants. Hydrangeas and petunias could be under threat as the annual tennis tournament, which begins tomorrow, adapts its traditional planting to cope with soaring temperatures. More than 5,000 showstopping hydrangeas have taken centre-stage in the legendary displays for decades. But head gardener Martyn Falconer says the plants are 'so thirsty' that they could be forced to look for alternatives, despite a hefty investment in a state-of-the-art irrigation system.  Mr Falconer, who oversees a 25-strong team for the championships, said he has been charged with future-proofing the grounds without losing their magical 'tennis in an English country garden' theme. And he warned that could mean making some drastic decisions in the 42-acre grounds that have become almost as famous as the tennis. 'Hydrangeas are very iconic for Wimbledon. If you look back at the photos in the archive from the 1920s, you see them,' he said. 'It's my favourite plant but we are looking to see if we can find something that will give you the same wow as a hydrangea.' Bedding plants such as petunias, 19,000 of which feature prominently in more than 200 hanging baskets and multiple show-court displays – could also be under threat as the team plan the tournament's future look. The tennis tournament's most iconic flowers are in danger as they are too thirsty, head gardener Martyn Falconer has said Emma Raducanu plays a forehand during a training session before the 2026 Wimbledon tournament Emma Rogue, Josh Moore, Andrey Alawi, and Matt Peterson pictured at The Wimbledon Court at Central Park, New York City  'When I joined Wimbledon, we were planting thousands and thousands of petunias and geraniums, and all sorts of annual bedding plants – it was the 'to do' thing in the late 1990s and early 2000s – but we have completely changed that and petunias are the only ones we really use,' Mr Falconer said. Next year sees the launch of a 'climate-resilient' project to showcase plants that could take their place on Wimbledon's famous Henman Hill to be called the 'Hill Project'. But beds of rosemary and olive trees have already been ruled out to avoid looking 'too Mediterranean'. 'We are starting to look at a strategy for the whole site because the heat isn't just a one-off,' said Mr Falconer, who joined the All England Club, which hosts Wimbledon, more than a quarter of a century ago. 'Hot spells are now more normal than abnormal. What we need to do is still produce tennis in an English garden and that's my job to think about.' Meanwhile, the tournament will complete a gradual move to peat-free soil in its hanging baskets next year. Strawberries and cream at Wimbledon is as quintessential to the tournament as tennis whites and the Royal Box – but the tradition could have a shake-up next year, as the fruit may be picked by robots. Harvesting robots are being considered by Wimbledon's exclusive strawberry supplier in Kent – where the fruit has been hand-picked for more than 30 years – as labour costs soar. Marion Regan, who runs Hugh Lowe Farms in Mereworth where a team of 30 will pick 40 tonnes in the next fortnight, said she was 'interested in using new technologies'. She also revealed her family farm and British tech firm Dogtooth were already working on 'harvesting robots' capable of picking 440lbs of strawberries a day. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.