St Mary’s Churchyard in Spring

The Churchyard project

Having a wildflower area was the last thing on our list that we needed to create when we were nominated for the national finals of the 2009 Britain in Bloom Campaign. Looking around the town for a suitable place to create one, we decided that The St Mary’s Churchyard, with its beautiful Victorian setting, was just perfect.

With generous sponsorship from IHS and funding from the Tetbury Parochial Church Council, a long term project ensued and we set about creating a Wildflower Haven within the churchyard walls.

Planting the snowdrops and cyclamen under the trees

Over the past 2 years, much work has been carried out to create a balance between the ‘formal’ and ‘natural’ planting schemes.

So far over 800 English bluebell bulbs, many hundreds of snowdrops together with 600 autumn and spring flowering cyclamen have been planted in swathes under the trees to form carpets of flowers in the late winter months. The daffodils by the main gate were dug out, divided and planted in clumps throughout the area and hundreds of aconites & fritillaries were added in autumn 2010.

Initially, small pockets of perennial wildflowers were planted amongst the gravestones in strategic places. The wildflowers were chosen for their flowering times and their attractiveness to butterflies and bees. They include Red Campion, Common Toad Flax, Musk Mallow, Field Scabious, Meadow Cranesbill, Bird’s Foot Trefoil, Ox Eye Daisy, Self Heal & Knapweed. These join the many other wildflowers that we’ve identified in the churchyard; Common Primroses, which grow in their hundreds, Celandine, Viola, Forget Me Not, Ivy leafed Toadflax, Cow Parsley, White Dead Nettle and wild strawberries to name but a few.

The churchyard is not only home to over 31 species of wildflowers, a survey in December 2008 of the limestone tombs and headstones by local bryologist, Peter Martin of West Street, identified 41 species of mosses - a similar group of plants as those found in boulder-strewn areas near limestone cliffs. Among them was the first recording in Gloucestershire for over fifty years of Tortula muralis aesitiva.

Along the pathways, a more formal approach was taken. The grass is kept neat and tidy and the old rose beds were reworked. The roses were dug out and found a new home in Anniversary Gardens. The beds were then moved to better positions, shaped and the soil improved with a good addition of well rotted manure. Sustainable evergreen plants were planted to give all year round interest and the colour scheme was chosen to complement the dark leafed trees using dark leafed heuchera and 2 types of penstemon – red flowering ‘Garnet’ and pink flowering ‘Hidcote Pink’. In the summer, antirrhinums and geraniums are planted to carry extra colour throughout the season and in Autumn 2009 over 1000 tulip bulbs in colours of reds, oranges, purples and pinks were planted in the formal beds which now give a fantastic display during April and May,

By the West door, the memorial bed was given a complete makeover. All the old overgrown shrubs were removed and the bed was reshaped and the soil improved with plenty of manure. The location of this bed must win the prize of being in the windiest corner in the United Kingdom, so much thought had to be given to decide what to plant there. The location also doesn’t receive any direct sunlight apart from perhaps the very last ½ hour before the sun goes down. We decided to try the evergreen euonymus in the gold and silver varieties together with dark leafed heuchera. In the summer months we added bedding begonias and small fuchsias and against all the odds – they all survived and in fact thrived!

In addition to the wildflowers and formal planting schemes, we built a purpose made compost area, the slate and rubbish at the rear of the substation was removed and 6 wildlife nesting boxes including an owl box, were erected in the trees.

An old coal bunker situated at the side entrance to the churchyard was altered. The roof and front were demolished and the remaining 3 sides were finished along the top with coping stones and it is now a wonderfully useful ‘Bin Store’ and houses all the dustbins and green bins which use to be left out on the grass area by the gate.

At the West side of the churchyard, to semi camouflage an electric substation, we have created a mixed shrub and perennial bed using a ‘loose and informal’ planting style. Hydrangeas, pinks, ferns, pulmonaria, cranesbill, spiraea and iris look wonderful in this otherwise unattractive corner.

Our work within the churchyard is ongoing. For 2011 a new formal bed is being created at the rear of the church to surround the memorial stone of Canon Michael Sherwood who was the vicar at St Mary’s Church between 1961 and 1986. The bed will be planted with different coloured heuchera, fuchsias & ferns.

To improve the look of a dark dank corner at the rear of the church, we have started to plant it with green foliage plants such as ferns, pulmonaria and periwinkle.

At our suggestion, 2 new memorial benches have been purchased and located in the churchyard so that more people can sit and enjoy its wonderful atmosphere.

The designated wildflower area hasn’t been the success that we had hoped for. Having sought expert advice from The National Wildflower Centre and David Wassell MBE, a retired Heart of England judge, we will rework it by scarifying the grass to within an inch of it life, opening up the area and reducing the amount of grass that if left will stifle the wildflowers. We will then plant the area with perennial wildflowers which we will lift and split from the pockets we created in 2009. A sprinkling of native annual wildflower seed to boost the planting will hopefully produce the look we’re all hoping for and during the summer months, you’ll hopefully be able to wander through the ‘flower meadow’ on a mown path.

Tetbury is the home town to Highgrove, the country residence of TRH The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall. Prince William spent much time here whilst growing up and to commemorate the Royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, in partnership with the Evening Women’s Institute, we have plans to plant a Wedding Cake Tree (Cornus Contraversa Variegata) in the large open area behind the Church. With its small creamy-white flowers covering the green and cream leafed horizontal branches in May, followed by small black berries in autumn, it will create a stunning sight.

The work within the churchyard is ongoing and every year we intend to build on its success by planting more and more bulbs and wildflowers. Our aim is to make what is already a beautiful churchyard into somewhere that is truly stunning.

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