Do you recognise this Seaford public garden? The picture was taken in 2007, so not that long ago…
What a transformation!
The transformation of this tidy, but not very welcoming place began when the Quaker Meeting were looking for somewhere for the town to enjoy and maybe think about the concept of Peace.
They raised a considerable amount of money and generously funded what we now know as the Peace Garden.
It was formally opened by Sheila Hancock in July 2011.
Notes from the early days suggested that the planting should include wildlife friendly plants, native trees, and things that attract birds.
So what happened to those early good intentions?
Challenges along the way!
Things like dry, depleted soil and the lack of an accessible water source happened.
Lots of visits from snails, dogs with forgetful owners and, in fact, all sorts of people including lovers, party types, grieving friends and relatives, lonely lockdown friends, schoolchildren boisterous with being out of school, and even one man I surprised when he was caught short on the way home from the pub!
The garden has been full of wild life of a completely different sort to the one the planting plan intended to attract.
Over the years plants have struggled to survive so that patches of bare soil made such a sorry sight that a group of volunteers was formed to restore and bring a more cultivated, cared-for look to the garden.
Battling the difficulties made us plant only robust things and even led to me to use ….and I want to whisper this…inorganic fertiliser as a last resort to get some groundcover growing.
The Turning Point
The turning point came when we approached the Town Council to help us to improve the soil. They generously agreed to supply mulch once a year – and the improvement has been dramatic. All the resulting healthy soil life meant the plants were able to take hold and flourish at last.
In November 2022, encouraged and inspired by the groups working collectively in the town under the banner of Renaturing Seaford we have decided to revisit the early aspirations to attract wildlife to the Peace Garden.
A lovely handmade bird box has been introduced in a quiet corner, three native trees have been added in conjunction with Trees for Seaford as part of the Queen’s Canopy. Prunings have been stacked as refuges for wildlife under larger shrubs, and two micro ponds provide access to water.
We have let the ivy and other native plants grow in places and we can now confidently plant things in the improved soil in the knowledge that they will grow and provide berries, nectar and pollen to provide food sources for as many species as possible.
With that in mind one of our volunteers, who is also a member of the Quaker Meeting, monitors the garden to see where there are gaps and shortages that we can put right in the future during our four monthly maintenance mornings.
If you love this garden as much as we do perhaps you’d like to join in to help make a welcoming place for humans and wildlife too. Help us in our aim to make Peace with Nature.
Contact 07747 333936 or 07788 407886 to learn more
