Steve & Caroline Spacie held an open garden fundraiser on a beautifully sunny day in June. It seems so long ago, now that the gales & colder weather has started, but it was only three & a half months ago that we opened our gates to about 25 GP members & friends.
Visitors enjoy a peaceful stroll around the meadow.
Caroline & a team of core GP members laid out tables & chairs on the Patio & an area we call ‘the beach’ which is a gravel area-cum-overflow at the end of our new wildlife pond. They had a table set up with delicious cakes, made by Helen and Caroline. Teas, soft drinks & small potted plants were sold to add to TGP funds which amounted to a total of circa £160.
The patio just before our visitors arrived.
Steve has been rewilding the garden which borders Tewkesbury Nature Reserve. He took people on tours of the gardens to show them what he has planted and wildlife he wants to encourage. The different areas of the garden include:-
- the main area of the garden we call the Paddock being a grassed area with new trees,
- the wild area beyond the paddock,
- the side garden including an ancient Ditch with restored hedgerows on either side.
- the Patio & Wildlife Pond area
The ‘Paddock’ area with its wildflower meadow, young trees & a makeshift bench seat.
Planting Diversity
Our aim is to increase species diversity in the garden which will then spill out into the local area. In order to achieve this a wild flower meadow has been seeded. Although the sticky clay soils which are wet & cold in winter have resulted in poor results, a sward is developing slowly after much experimentation to find out what will thrive. Although the number of different species is too numerous to list here we had success with Ragged Robin & Cowslips which are a delight to the eye; plus Mullein & Teasle whose seeds attract flocks of Goldfinches & various species of Tits in the winter.
Approx 15 native species of trees were planted in the Paddock area back in 2018, including Alder, Birch, Oak & Scots Pine. Apart from a few losses due to summer drought they are now established & most exceed 5-7m in height.
In the beginning the dry ditch was dominated by bramble & nettle. After several seasons of bringing the infestation to a reasonable level we were able to plant native hedgerow shrubs in staggered lines on either side of the ditch. An informal gravel path was laid in the ditch to provide a dry surface to enjoy the plants & maintain the new shrubs. The planting included all the common hedgerow species plus a few that are no longer common including Gelder Rose, Spindle & Yew. For some reason that we have yet to discover, Holly does not grow well at all; so no berries for Xmas. Luckily for us the original Damson trees & Elder bushes provide us with homemade Damson Jam & refreshing Elderflower cordial. The ditch planting has created a magical woodland feeling when accessed via the path & we are slowly introducing ground flora including Bluebells, Enchanters Nightshade & Wild Garlic.
In the paddock nearing the Hedgehog hibernation box hidden by luxuriant summer growth of native grasses
Animal Diversity
In order to encourage wild creatures into our garden & enhance the habitat for those that were already present various structures & features have been created.
- 2 Hedgehog hibernation boxes to encourage Hogs to over winter, plus 1 covered feeding box with restricted accesses to ensure the neighbourhood Cats don’t make a meal of it. We only provide Vale Wildlife Hospital’s own ‘Vale’s Hedgehog Food’ in granular format, which is what they feed their Hog patients at the rehabilitation centre just up the road in Beckford.
- A half dozen or so Bird nesting boxes of different sizes & the usual bird feeders providing peanuts, suet balls & mixed grain mixtures. Prior to installing nest boxes we only saw Long Tail Tits during winter; but now we see them all year. The garden is regularly overflown by Buzzards & Herons, plus the occasion Red Kite; to name just the largest. We have also occasionally seen lone foxes & deer; plus we once actually saw a pair of squabbling otters.
- There is a really wild undisturbed & impenetrable area beyond the Paddock, full of brambles, nettles & bindweed which provides an undisturbed habitat for Bank Voles, Field Mice, Hedgehogs, Shrews, Grass Snakes & Slow Worms. Visitors on tour of the Garden were shown a large heap of cut branches & dry grass / grass cuttings where the reptiles breed. In front of this was a 2m length of black roofing felt which warms up quickly in the morning sun. Lifting this revealed a Grass Snake which very quickly moved away & several Slow Worms which carried on gently basking to get warm enough before going off to hunt.
- Wildlife Pond which is kept topped up with rainwater from the rerouted roof water pipes. Next to the pond is a Hibernacula located below a timber walkway which provides a winter refuge for a significant population of resident Toads, Frogs & a few Smooth Newts
On the timber walkway with the amphibians hibernacula hidden below.
Credits
We are very grateful to Hilarie & her team for organising & publicising the event in advance. All we had to do was provide the venue, enough chairs, a few homemade cakes & help with the running of the event on the day. Many thanks to everybody who joined us on the day. People were very kind in telling us how much they enjoyed the afternoon, as we ourselves did. Someone said that they didn’t realise that such peaceful corner of Tewkesbury actually existed.
Well, taking all that into account we shall of course have another open garden day again early in May 2025 & annually thereafter.
Discussing the pond from a walkway vantage point.