We are very fortunate at St Mary’s to have large gardens surrounding the church, rather than the more traditional graveyards of older buildings. We are working hard to turn our gardens into a community space, with verdant green lawn and flowers throughout the year, to create a place where residents can stop and relax and enjoy the peaceful surroundings and take pleasure in the variety of planting. We have planted 5,000 crocuses in the lawn to welcome spring and are busy pruning and regenerating established shrubs, extending flower beds and planting new shrubs and perennials. We are lucky to have a cutting of the original Peace Rose created at the end of World War 2 growing against the church tower.

Around the side of the Church, we have a Memorial Garden for peaceful downtime and remembrance. We are busy planting new shrubs, bulbs and perennials and trying to introduce as many scented plants as possible to make it a truly sensory experience for visitors who sit on the benches there.

Our new planting is guided by the principals of Bee friendly and drought tolerant, as watering is a major challenge. Alongside this we are trying to be pesticide free to encourage insect life and pollinators.

If you are interested in joining our garden team, would like to donate plants, or just chat about the garden, please contact Rachel Bainbridge on bainbridgerachel@me.com, or via the Church office.

Children’s Garden

After help from The Oatlands Beavers