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| Photography
by Gavin Kingcome |
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In
spring 2007 a new wild garden was created in the
historic graveyard at the front of the Museum. The
catalyst for this was an increasing awareness of
a need for greater bio-diversity in urban areas,
to support the wide range of wildlife that inhabits
the inner city.
We wanted to inspire the public
about gardening in a wildlife friendly way, and
also demonstrate that more natural style gardens
don’t have to be covered in brambles and
nettles.
We thought long and hard about
the sort of planting that should be introduced,
and most particularly whether only native or even
‘post-code native’ plants should be
used. It was decided to aim for an ornamental
flowering tapestry that incorporated annual and
perennial plants as well as grasses and bulbs.
However, the priority was to choose plants rich
in pollen and nectar to attract insects, and provide
a longer-flowering display, rather than to plant
only native species.
Work began in February 2007 when
the existing turf was stripped from the area and
‘donated’ to our neighbours at Lambeth
Palace where it was stacked for composting. Perennial
weeds were dug out and the area lightly trodden
and raked in preparation for sowing. In March,
a variety of plant material was introduced that
included ‘plugs’ (young plants with
2cm square root balls), established perennials
in 9cm or 1litre pots and a mixture of wildflower
and grass seed..
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| Photography
by Gavin Kingcome |
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By June 2007 we had a glorious
range of plants in flower, and the combination
of delicate flower and grass stems against the
dramatic stone tombs was a beautiful sight. One
pleasant surprise came in the form of a sea of
opium poppies, Papaver somniferum, the
seed of which must have lain dormant for several
years beneath the turf before finally germinating
when disturbed and revealed to the light.
Other plants that perform particularly
well on this site include Centranthus ruber,
valerian, in both pink and white forms, Anthriscus
sylvestris, cow parsley, Campanula rotundifolia,
harebell and Centaurea nigra, black knapweed.
Bulbs were planted in November 2007, and these
included species tulips, Tulipa sylvestris,
forms of crocus such as C. sieberi ‘Bowles
White and C. tommasinianus ‘Ruby
Giant, and the beautiful snakeshead fritillary,
Fritillaria meleagris.
The main cut of the wild garden
takes place either in August to September, depending
on the weather. The top-growth is cut down with
shears and left in-situ to allow seed to fall,
then raked and collected after two weeks, after
which the garden remains dormant until the growing
cycle begins again each spring.
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