4: The Secret Life ot the Gardens

Theme:	ECOLOGY NETWORKS
Current Topic:	Around the Town
Thread Title:	The Secret Life of the Gardens
Thread Number:	4 of 7
Learning Focus:	Learn how Sidmouth manages its green spaces for biodiversity. From the "Three-Tier" mowing at the Parish Church to the "Waxcap Protocol" at Blackmore Gardens.

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The Death of the "Perfect" Lawn

For over a century, the hallmark of civic pride was the "perfectly manicured" lawn—a carpet of uniform green, shorn to the millimetre and stripped of anything that resembled a weed. This Victorian ideal of human dominance over nature is, however, beginning to fade into the compost of history. In its place, a more sophisticated philosophy is emerging: one that embraces a slightly "messier" reality to support a thriving ecosystem.

Sidmouth’s green spaces have become a premier testing ground for this transition. Here, the traditional demand for recreational beauty is meeting the urgent needs of ecological management. From ancient stone walls to the high-impact grounds of summer festivals, the town is proving that high ecological value doesn’t require neglect—it requires a more calculated, botanical kind of care.

The 175-Year-Old Residents on the Church Wall

Nowhere is the continuity of nature more evident than on the eastern limestone wall of St Giles and St Nicholas Parish Churchyard. This wall functions as a "vertical garden," a mini-ecosystem hosting a significant colony of Wall Rue ferns. Remarkably, these ferns were first recorded in this exact spot 175 years ago. To see a plant colony survive in the same square meter since the mid-19th century suggests that our built environment can be as permanent a sanctuary for nature as any ancient woodland.

A recent survey (June 2024–2026) by the Sid Valley Biodiversity Group (SVBG) and the Devon Living Churchyards Project recorded 60 distinct wildflower species within the churchyard alone. Among these is a curious botanical oddity: the Water Figwort. Usually a resident of damp meadows, its thriving presence in the urban churchyard proves that these "sacred sites" are far more than just monuments to the past. They are living substrates—flint and lime-mortar structures acting as a refuge for over 140 species across the valley.

Why We’ve Stopped "Cleaning" the Gravestones

In the modern churchyard, the "Victorian ideal" of a scrubbed-clean graveyard is being replaced by a protocol that protects "non-vascular" plants. Silky Wall Feather Moss and various crustose lichens thrive on the older headstones in Sidmouth. These slow-growing colonies are not just aesthetic; they are living records of air quality, incredibly fragile and easily destroyed by the traditional urge to "tidy up."

Under new management strategies, cleaning headstones is strictly forbidden. Furthermore, quieter corners of the yard now feature "deadwood piles"—calculated interventions that serve as refuges for beetles and fungi.

"The shift away from the perfectly tidy graveyard represents a fundamental change in our civic values," notes a lead ecologist from the SVBG. "We are reframing what was once dismissed as 'neglect' and recognising it as a vital form of protection for species that have no other urban niche."

The "Three-Tier" Mowing Revolution

The most visible change in Sidmouth’s management is the "Three-Tier" Mowing Regime. This replaces the blanket short-cut with a scientific strategy:

• Short: Neatly mown areas are maintained only around paths and entrances for accessibility.
• Medium: Grass is kept at approximately 10cm. This specific height is designed to protect "prostrate" wildflowers like daisies and speedwell, which can bloom and support pollinators beneath the blade, unlike taller meadow species.
• Long: Seasonal meadow areas are left entirely uncut from spring until July or August, allowing seeds to set and providing a critical habitat for insects.

This "calculated laziness" extends to the lawns at Blackmore Gardens. Managed under a strict "Waxcap Protocol," these areas are recognised as indicators of ancient, undisturbed soil. To protect these rare fungi, mowing heights are tightly controlled in the autumn, and chemical fertilisers are entirely banned.

Protecting the Ground from the Party

Urban management involves buffering the pulse of the festival against the needs of the earth. Blackmore Gardens serves as the primary venue for Sea Fest and the Jazz & Blues Festival, and the 2026 management plan includes "Ground Protection Mandates" to mitigate the impact of thousands of attendees.

The hidden complexity of urban management is that a festival’s greatest impact often occurs beneath the feet. Preventing soil compaction is vital for the long-term health of the gardens' trees, ensuring roots can breathe and the soil maintains drainage. This vertical care extends to the canopy; "Crown Cleaning" of the magnificent Monterey Cypress specimens ensures they remain safe habitats for tree-dwelling insects and roosting Pipistrelle bats, removing dieback while preserving the tree’s ecological integrity.

From Bedding Plants to "Wildlife Memorials"

At Connaught Gardens, the management is transitioning from high-maintenance Victorian bedding toward "Wildlife Memorial Planting." This initiative replaces short-lived floral displays with pollinator-friendly bulbs like Snowdrops and Crocus, providing essential nectar for bees emerging in the early spring.

The gardens are also embracing xeriscaping—the use of drought-resistant plants—on the cliff tops. This approach builds climate resilience for the increasingly dry Devon summers and stabilises the soil with native maritime flora. It is a management objective that prioritises the gardens as a "nature refuge," bolstered by annual "Geological Integrity" checks—the most recent in March 2026—to ensure the cliff-top flora is naturally stabilising the landscape.

The "Balanced, Not Manicured" Secret Garden

The restoration of Glen Goyle by the "Friends of Glen Goyle" (FOGG) offers a model for community-led conservation. This "secret" sunken garden possesses a unique, humid microclimate that supports a specialised fernery based on 19th-century records.

The FOGG philosophy is to be "balanced, not manicured." While they have cleared invasive brambles to save "prestige" specimens like the Davidia involucrata (Handkerchief Tree) and the Crinodendron hookerianum (Chilean Lantern Tree), they have purposefully integrated "wilder" features. By installing bat boxes, owl boxes, and hedgehog runs, the group has transformed a neglected Victorian landscape into a modern biodiversity hotspot that celebrates the town’s "plant-collector" heritage.

Conclusion: The Future is Halophytic

The future of Sidmouth’s public spaces is defined by "environmental sensitivity," a shift codified by the Environment Act 2021 and the East Devon Local Nature Recovery Plan (2026). At Jacob’s Ladder, management now priorities "halophytes" (salt-tolerant plants) like Danish Scurvy-grass and Pellitory-of-the-wall, which support specialised bird species like the Rock Pipit.

As of April 2026, the town has moved toward an "Integrated Weed Management Framework," which prioritises manual clearance over chemical intervention and includes a significant move to ban glyphosate. As we abandon the chemical-dependent, shorn look of the past, we are left with a landscape that is more resilient and authentically alive.

The question for us remains: Are we ready to trade the "tidy" look for a landscape that truly breathes?

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