LSM's wild garden

By the beginning of the 21st century, the churchyard garden as set out in 1925 had evolved and it was necessary to redress the balance. The garden has become an important wildlife refuge in the heart of the busy city; but LSM is a lively, vibrant parish with a congregation representing all ages. Many activities, both devotional and social, take place, and the garden is a much-loved space which had become increasingly unavailable because of the rampant growth that had occurred over three quarters of a century.

Over this time, the ethos of its conception by a former churchwarden, Robert Lachlan (a distinguished mathematician and sometime Fellow of Trinity) had been gradually eroded. Dr Lachlan's visionary genius had turned an almost derelict churchyard, which had been closed to burials for some eighty years, into a semi-wild garden. By using and re-using the tombstones (some left in situ, others used to line the paths or to form the paths themselves), he set it out exactly as we find it today. Because it had previously been a meadow, some of the wild species found there a hundred years ago are still present, such as the Meadow Cranesbill (Geranium pratense) and the Oxeye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare). However, because it is now essentially a very shady and dry garden, the sun-lovers are struggling to keep a foothold and the character of the garden has changed.

Robert Lachlan originally planted the garden with hardy shrubs, species roses and perennials. The traditional churchyard Yew (Taxus baccata) was already there, and is now a large and spreading tree, possibly two hundred years old. At about the time of the rearrangement, an Ailanthus altissima was planted; as its common name is the 'Tree of Heaven', it is one quite frequently found in churchyards. It is a vigorous tree, growing to 70 feet (21 m) without difficulty, and has pretty striated bark. It is to be found on the mound in the centre of the churchyard. The other major tree is a common Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus), probably self-seeded a century ago and now extremely large; there are also three mature Acacias (Robinia pseudoacacia) lining the back entrance to Peterhouse.

A wonderfully placed Magnolia soulangea dominates the entry to the garden – a breathtaking sight in April with its pink flowers. In amongst its branches is one of two old gas lamps in the garden. The early spring is greeted with the cheerful yellow of Forsythia and the pale lilac of Syringa vulgaris, progressing to the scented Viburnum and a vibrant orange Berberis darwinii on the rock garden mound from the original planting by Dr Lachlan, which also has a charming Fuchsia magellanica alba (pink-flowered despite its name). The summer is heralded by the scent of Philadelphus from the rather overgrown shrubs which form a huge umbrella around the Parish Room. Species roses are cascading out of host plants, and the effect is enchanting.

At ground level, things have got a bit out of hand, and we have been waging war on Ivy (Hedera helix), whilst remaining mindful of nesting birds' needs for adequate ground cover. Something has to be done to control the Ground Elder (Aegopodium podagraria), as it is making life difficult for some of the plants we would like to preserve, such as the Primrose (Primula vulgaris) which simply cannot compete. Since the extensive clearance of Ivy in the spring of 2004, there has been evidence of a tremendous renewal among plants that had been struggling to survive: we saw a mass of Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta), followed by Aquilegia and Geraniums. As always in nature, the strongest plants survive and thrive, and there is an imbalance in favour of thug-like plants, in particular the ubiquitous Green Alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens; also a thriving population of Butterbur (Petasites hybridus), so named because its large leaves were once used to wrap butter! White Comfrey (Symphytum orientale), a native of Turkey, is much in evidence, poking out of the fence. It was identified in the 1860 Flora of Cambridgeshire by Charles Cardale Babington, and is now naturalised throughout the city. A less thuggish but nonetheless tenacious survivor is the Soapwort (Saponaria officinalis), with its pretty pink flowers. If you rub a leaf in your hands with a some water, it bubbles a little – hence the name. One very unusual plant that has found a home with us is the Asiatic Teasel (Dipsacus strigosus), much taller and rarer than the common Fuller's Teasel (D. fullonum); it reappears each year in a different location, favouring disturbed ground with poor soil.

For the Millennium, a Chamomile lawn was laid out in the south-west corner of the churchyard as a memorial garden for the interment of ashes. Here, at the corner of the Lady Chapel, is Azara microphylla, an evergreen tree native to New Zealand, with tiny shiny leaves, and equally tiny vanilla-scented yellow flowers in early spring. On the south-west face of the diagonal buttress just before the porch is an ancient scratch sundial.

In 2003 a new gate was erected at the back entrance to the church, surrounded mainly by plants that were introduced to Britain by the Romans, or having Biblical or monastic associations.

After considerable clearance in 2004, some new trees and shrubs have been planted to take the garden into the future in a viable state. There is still much work to be done to address the imbalance of rampant nature whilst maintaining habitats for flora and fauna and providing a sanctuary for casual visitors and parishioners alike.

History: remarkably little seems to have been written about the churchyard or garden until its reorganisation by Dr Lachlan. According to the Archaeological Gazetteer of the City of Cambridge in 1973, the area bounded by the Fen Causeway, Trumpington Street and the river was the well-attested site of prehistoric and Roman settlements. The mound on which the Tree of Heaven stands has been claimed as of Roman origin, but this has not been substantiated. On the south wall of the Parish Room, just to the left of the scratch dial mentioned above, are two interesting inset fragments with late pre-Conquest carvings of interlaced decoration.

From time to time, even a wild garden such as ours needs tidying up, and so a Garden Working Party will be held!