We are thankful to have a beautiful Church garden in the grounds of Holy Trinity to enjoy. If you make your way to the rear of the Church grounds you'll see the small designated rewilding area. Read on for an update following the replanting of this area!
The project was untaken by a small group, headed up by David and Diana Le Tall, with an interest in improving the biodiversity of the Church grounds, in connection with the church obtaining an Eco Church Bronze award from conservation charity A Rocha UK.
It was decided that the most suitable rewilding area was by the back drung gate (next to the alleyway leading down to Belmont Road). This is one of the few parts of the garden that gets a good amount of sun, is not overshadowed by trees, and could also be fenced off. The team were then eager to see what wild plants appeared. Among the first plants were Cowslips, Wild Strawberry, Speedwell, Green Alkanet and Yellow Rattle.
The old stable wall at the rear boundary then needed rebuilding, which sadly required removing all of the rewilding area while groundworks were completed. Following the completion of the rebuild, nutrient poor soil was re-added to the area, which is good for wild flowers, to replace the mostly rubble soil that was there previously.
So phase 2, following the wall repair, began in October 2022. The fence was replaced and the area reseeded with a mix of seed suitable for a North Somerset Lime stone area. David added a number of Oxeye Daisy plants, and early spring was not looking very promising, so the team decided to try some poppy and cornflower seed with some success. We now have Yellow Rattle, White Campion, Herb Robert, Fumitory, Mouse Ear, Black Medick, Pansy, plus two interlopers; spinach and a type of onion.
This is only a start! The hope is that with good management we will see the area expanded in the future. So do come and visit the Church garden! It's a lovely space for a picnic, or to simply sit and enjoy.
Late summer is Creationtide, or the Season of Creation. This is the period in the annual church calendar, from 1st September to 4th October, dedicated to God as Creator and Sustainer of all life.
There's more information about this on the Church of England website: