East Ruston Old Vicarage
The East Field & Wildlife Pond
This is an area of twelve acres that is currently
being planted with trees. Sub-divided with
tall hedges of Italian alders and surrounded by
shelter belts of Monterey pine here we have
‘fields’ planted with sunflowers, sweetcorn and
other annuals which look both beautiful and
play a significant role in producing food for
various forms of wildlife. Also here is a field
of Phacelia tenacetifolium with its curious
caterpillar shaped beautiful blue flowers.
This plant can be grown as a fodder plant or
used as green manure, here we grow it for its
flowers. It is a self-sowing, hardy annual so that
once you have it, you are unlikely ever to be
without it. Between the fields of ‘crops’ there
are groups of various trees to which we are
continually adding. In time this will form
an interesting and eclectic collection and
include some much sought after varieties.
The under planting of this area will
eventually become yet more woodland
garden. This will in time, we hope, provide
extra shelter for even more exotic variations
of plants.
At the southern boundary to the garden
there is one of our wildlife ponds. This pond
contains a large population of golden minnows
as well as frogs, toads and newts. In summer the
surface comes alive with iridescent hovering of
dragon and damsel flies. Here we have a willow
arbour enclosing a seat and a jetty where you
may tarry a while and watch this bucolic scene
unfold before you.
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