Let your garden (or churchyard) grow

Published: Friday July 3, 2020

Blockley Churchyard is a riot of colour as its un-mowed wildflower area starts to bloom.

As part of their Eco Church project, they decided to promote local biodiversity by leaving areas of the churchyard un-mown. This allows the native wildflowers that still survive in the relatively unimproved soil to flower and set seed.

The aim was to encourage bees and butterflies, creating a healthier eco system which will provide food for a range of birds and mammals like swifts, hedgehogs and bats.

They have now done a formal survey of the species of wildflowers that are blooming in the churchyard.

We are delighted to report that they now have no less than 41 different species of wildflower in the uncut area of the churchyard. Plants include wild strawberries, pyramidal orchids, selfheal, square stalked willowherb and field forget-me-not.

You can see a full list of the plants in the notes below.*

This is a fantastic project for the summer, either in your own churchyard as part of your Eco Church scheme, or even at home. The sight of a manicured lawn is so familiar to us now that leaving grass and wildflowers to thrive seems unusual or counter cultural, but it is actually the perfect low effort way to care for God’s creation.

Could you leave part or even all of your garden unmown into early September?  This article in the Guardian by Trevor Dines, botanist at conservation charity Plantlife explains how mowing at different times in the year can allow for the flourishing of different plants.

#SayNoMow

 

 

 

Latin_Name Common_Name
Achillea millefolium Yarrow
Aegopodium podagraria Ground-elder
Anacamptis pyramidalis Pyramidal Orchid
Anthriscus sylvestris Cow Parsley
Bellis perennis Daisy
Briza media Quaking-grass
Bryonia dioica White Bryony
Centaurea nigra Common Knapweed
Cerastium fontanum Common Mouse-ear
Cirsium palustre Marsh Thistle
Cirsium vulgare Spear Thistle
Epilobium montanum Broad-leaved Willowherb
Epilobium tetragonum Square-stalked Willowherb
Fragaria vesca Wild Strawberry
Galium aparine Cleavers
Galium verum Lady’s Bedstraw
Geranium robertianum Herb-Robert
Glechoma hederacea Ground-ivy
Leontodon hispidus Rough Hawkbit
Lotus corniculatus Common Bird’s-foot-trefoil
Luzula campestris Field Wood-rush
Medicago lupulina Black Medick
Myosotis arvensis Field Forget-me-not
Phyllitis scolopendrium Hart’s-tongue
Plantago lanceolata Ribwort Plantain
Plantago major Greater Plantain
Plantago media Hoary Plantain
Potentilla reptans Creeping Cinquefoil
Prunella vulgaris Selfheal
Ranunculus repens Creeping Buttercup
Rumex acetosa subsp. acetosa Common Sorrel
Sedum acre Biting Stonecrop
Sedum album White Stonecrop
Senecio jacobaea Common Ragwort
Sonchus oleraceus Smooth Sow-thistle
Trifolium pratense Red Clover
Trifolium repens White Clover
Urtica dioica Common Nettle
Veronica chamaedrys Germander Speedwell
Veronica serpyllifolia Thyme-leaved Speedwell
Vicia sepium Bush Vetch

 

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