Burghley House gardener on running the estate and climate change

“Absolutely”, Whitehead said.

“If I was to go back 20 years, part of my role was in a walled kitchen garden which is completely productive. March and April would be our main sowing months.

“Now April’s too dry; your main sowing months are probably end of February to March.

“Things are erratic; we had rainstorms in winter and then last summer was one of the driest on record, so we have all these constant extremes and it’s certainly windier these days too.

“But in a way, it makes it more of an interesting challenge.”

He says watering such a large garden brings its own challenges.

To help with this, every border is heavily mulched with compost, which locks moisture into the soil, keeps it healthy, and supports plant growth.

New planters are thoroughly watered at the beginning and carefully maintained during their first year, after which they are expected to be more self-sufficient. He stresses that “good soil care” is essential throughout.