The Wildflower Meadow
Front Meadow is a registered Site of Nature Conservation Interest and is the best natural, acid wildflower meadow in West Sussex. See the meadow at it's best in June.
People appreciate the importance of preserving our native flora and fauna, but many people do not realise that our rich variety of native plants thrive best on natural soil, ie soil which has not been ‘improved’ with fertilisers and weedkillers. (Some ‘man-made’ wildflower meadows are ploughed and reseeded every year.)
Front Meadow is a natural meadow and within living memory has never been ploughed or cultivated. This is why it has a particularly rich variety of native wildflowers, all of which are self-seeded.
The Meadow has a complex eco system of undisturbed top-soil and is cut once a year in August, the cuttings are then left to lie on the ground for several days so that seeds can fall, before the heavy horses visit.
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Wildflower and Wildlife WeekendOn June 26 and 27 we celebrated the rich diversity of plants and wildlife in the meadow. A host of experts offered guided tours and information to visitors including;
We will be runnining another event to celebrate the meadow in June 2011.
We are also delighted to have recently discovered a
A sizeable clump of the rare Chickweed-wintergreen, Trientalis europaea. This member of the Primulaceae (Primrose family) is found occasionally in East Scotland and parts of northern Europe and is considered rare even in Scotland. There are no records of the plant ever having been found in Sussex before although there is a small site in Suffolk.
The National Collection of Stewartia Trees flower at the end of June.
Sunday 15 August Heavy Horses from the Working Horses Trust harrow the Wildflower Meadow.
Gardens open from 11am (usually 1pm).
Plants and crafts for sale and craft demonstrations. A fun day for all the family – one of our most popular events. Get close to the gentle giants and see how much they enjoy working the land. The stunning blue Willow Gentians will be in full flower. High Beeches Gardens is the only site in the UK where these plants are naturalised.
A leaflet listing all the wildflowers is available from the Gatelodge. Look out for Devil’s-bit Scabious (Succia pratensis) and the Green-winged Orchid (Orchis morio). Other native species include Cowslips, Ox-eye Daisies, Bugles, Clovers and Trefoils. Recent additions to the wildflower list include: Caltha palustris (Marsh Marigold), Carex caryphyllea (Spring Sedge), Plantago coronopus (Buck's-horn Plantain), Viola reichenbachiana (Early Dog-violet). The Botanical Society of the British Isles has recorded well in excess of 200 native species throughout the gardens.
Look out for 3 types of woodpecker, kingfishers, woodcock, golden crested wrens and long tailed tits.
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