Thursday 21 November 2013

Wildflower garden.

In July our herb group had a walk around the wildflower garden at St. Johns Mill where we have been asked to redesign the two herb areas. We were very lucky that Andree Dubbeldam who designed and planted the wildlife garden could spare the time to give our group a guided walk around it. There is an enormous range and diversity of plants there all beneficial to the wildlife. The garden also has a pond and is open to the public who want to spend some contemplative time there.
As well as designing the new herb area, our herb group are hoping to start a database of the plants in the garden which would include common names of the plant, uses past and present, beneficial aspects for wildlife and any medicinal or dye usages.
Here is a selection of some of the plants in the wildflower area.
Flowers and grasses to be found in the first bed nearest to the Mill are as follows;
Pendulous sedge, greater birdsfoot trefoil, yellow rattle, purple loosestrife and sneezewort.
The first plants to be found in the next bed are,
fleabane, melancholy thistle, dotted loosestrife, ragged robin, tufted hairgrass, ladyfern, native broom, rosemary, greater  woodrush, valerian, French cranesbill, square stalked St. John's wort, marjoram, common sorrel, greater willowherb, cotoneaster, cape figwort, herb robert, lady's bedstraw, mediterranean spurge, ornamental alliu, wood forget-me-not, woodruff, tormentil, knapweed, lemon balm, red campion, privet, grey willow, teasel, bell heather, goldenrod.