Friends of Birdcage Walk
and St Andrew's Churchyard

Autumn / Winter Gardening Plan 2025 – 2026

The BUSY PERIOD! Once birds are not nesting and flowering time is over, the plants are dying down and we now have access to paths and graves.

‘SPECIAL’ Winter work 2025 - 26 in the inaccessible South East corner

Working with Bristol City Council we hope to:

a) construct ‘maintenance’ paths along the East and West walls which are shared with Fosseway Court and the Bishops House.

b) remove self-sown shrubs, brambles and trees which threaten damage to graves. Once cleared we can check the graves and produce a map of those which need most attention.

Maintenance 

1. Graves: Check over condition of graves. Remove or reduce larger clumps that could damage the stone work. Get roots out if possible. NEVER pull off ivy, just cut a section of stem near base.
2. Bird Cage Walk: Lime Trees - by now should have finished cutting lime tree suckers. Clearing leaves to bin now a priority. 1^st job is to use last year’s leaf mould on rose bed and planted shrubs. Beware dog poo in the mounds that build up!
3. Bird Cage Walk path: Trim back ivy, bramble and tough weed growth through the railings onto the path. This helps when sweeping the path and encourages celandine and primroses in Spring
4. Walls: Snip back growth in and on walls. BCC have been alerted earlier in the summer to areas where walls are damaged, in particular the North East. Now repairs can be carried out.
5. Blackberry Beds: (sunny walls East and West graves) Cut back all old fruiting branches. Start to tie in young growth. Train new grown canes using lime twigs and stop them ‘tip rooting’ into the ground. Dig out all roots close to these walls to leave a ‘maintenance’ pathway.
6. Special areas: Buddleia bank; Rose bed; Semi Shade Bed; Dogwood Dell; Violet patch; Nettle bed and the Southern hedge. Reduce or remove invasive smothering plants such as burdock; solidago; 3 cornered leek; bramble shoots; ivy and bindweed as they try to take over. Check over the plants and prune or mulch as required. ‘Real’ gardening!
7. Lawns: No mowing after October. Check there are no smothering piles of leaves left on the grass. Sweep up leaves and put into leaf bin. Check for emergence of invasive plants.
8. Trees and Shrubs: Remove ivy at the base and up the trunk of YEWS. All other trees: cut ivy is not smothering the tree. Lightly prune back overhanging branches if deemed a hazard. Cut out dead wood. Warn Bristol City Council if there are concerns, such as dead and dying trees. Check for invasive self-seeded shrubs such as Snowberry, Ash and Laurel which can now be pruned or dug up.
9. Storage: Leaf bin. Dig out last year’s leaf mould before new leaves added. Check over leaf bin and wood piles. Check Hibernaculum.
10. Wildlife: Leave flowering ivy, seedheads such as teasels for birds and insects. Avoid disturbing areas wildlife may shelter and overwinter such as wood piles and leaf bin. If time build dead hedges to protect special beds.
11. Planting: Autumn is the time to plant bulbs, shrubs. Check soil depth. Protect from foxes and dogs.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

• Separate waste as we work according to where we put it for disposal.
• Leave time at the end of a session to deal with waste.

St. Andrews Churchyard: Spring Gardening Plan 2026

Throughout Spring we work with a light touch to ensure we do not disturb nesting birds and animal/ insect habitats and are not damaging emerging shoots of bulbs and perennials. Winter work on digging and pruning larger shrubs, under trees and alongside hedges and ivy on walls STOPS by the end of February.

Maintenance

1. Graveyard: Cut bramble shoots and self-seeded shrubs as low as possible where they are growing between graves, avoiding damage to emerging plants. Trim ivy lightly but do not strip off grave stones to avoid damage. If large amounts need removing, cut off above root and leave to die. Keep paths clear, dig roots out.
2. Bird Cage Walk: Lime Trees Bristol City Council Parks Dept prune the arches in spring. When we are available we help gather up the cut twigs and pile up for collection.
3. Bird Cage Walk path under the arch: Clear remaining leaves, trim back ivy, bramble and tough weed growth through the railings onto the path. This helps when sweeping the path and aids emerging plants.

Bird Cage Walk path through open lawned area: 1st path clear of the year to remove weeds rooting along edges, sweep.

4. Walls: Do not cut back IVY on walls especially down the EAST side by Post Office yard/ around brick shed as we know birds nest here.
5. Blackberry Beds: (sunny walls East and West graves) By end of February should have cut out fruited canes to base. Train canes to fan out from a central point to stop overcrowding. Raise them to stop ‘tip rooting’ into the ground.
6. Special Areas: Buddleia bank; Rose bed; Semi Shade Bed; Dogwood Dell; Violet patch; Nettle bed and the Southern Hedge. Sow seeds and put in plants to attract pollinators. Start to feed. Remove or reduce invasive smothering plants - three cornered leek; bramble shoots; ivy; bindweed.
7. Lawns: Bristol City Council will give the first cut around April, avoiding bulbs and flower beds. Discuss mowing plans with Bristol City Council Parks dept to leave longer grass and ‘tussocky’ areas.
8. Trees and Shrubs: Keep Yew trees free of ivy round the trunks. Lightly prune back overhanging branches of trees if a hazard. Warn Bristol City Council if there are concerns.
9. Storage: Wood piles and leaf bin - Avoid disturbance of possible animal/insect habitats.
10. Wildlife: The first bees are emerging and birds are nesting. We watch St. Andrews wake up from winter.
11. Planting: Avoid until soil warms up.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

• Separate waste as we work according to where we put it for disposal.
• Leave time at the end of a session to deal with moving dumpy bags up to the railings.
• Keep dumpy bags light to help us carry them and Bristol City Parks team when lifting into van.

St. Andrews Churchyard: Summer Gardening Plan 2026

Most graves and paths vanish under lush growth which can reach shoulder height in sunnier spots. Perennials such as hemp agrimony, rosebay willow herb, ground elder and burdock take over as the heat of summer builds.

Maintenance

1. Graveyard: Access is difficult now. Beware tripping on hidden gravestones, stems of bramble, ivy and bindweed. Where we can we cut bramble shoots and self-seeded shrubs as low as possible where they are growing between graves. Trim ivy lightly but do not strip off grave stones to avoid damage. If large amounts need removing, cut off above root and leave to die. Keep paths clear, dig roots out.
2. Bird Cage Walk: Lime Trees By the start of August we start to cut back the suckers at the base of the lime trees. This is a long job. Estimate 5 weeks with 4 volunteers.
3. Bird Cage Walk path under the arch: Trim back ivy, bramble and tough weed growth through the railings onto the path. This helps when sweeping the path and clears trip hazards.

Bird Cage Walk path through open lawned area: 2nd path clear of the year to remove weeds rooting along edges, sweep.

4. Walls: Trim ivy in summer to restrict height and spread once all chance of bird nesting is over.
5. Blackberry Beds: (sunny walls East and West graves) Check these and keep them raised to stop ‘tip rooting’ into ground. Beware bindweed smothering the fruit as summer progresses.
6. Special Areas: Buddleia bank; Rose bed; Semi Shade Bed; Dogwood Dell; Violet patch, Nettle bed and the Southern Hedge. Continue to remove or reduce invasive smothering plants - three cornered leek; bramble shoots; ivy; bindweed. Light prune or deadhead as required.
7. Lawns: Bristol City Council will continue to mow. Make a date for the strimming team to tackle the rest of the graveyard, varying the height of the cut in different areas.
8. Trees and Shrubs: Keep Yew trees free of ivy round the trunks. Lightly prune back overhanging branches of trees if a hazard. Warn Bristol City Council if there are concerns. Dig out newly self sown trees.
9. Storage: Wood piles, leaf bin can be worked on and repaired.
10. Wildlife: Record what we see.
11. Planting: None now as ground hardens and we have no access to water.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

• Separate waste as we work according to where we put it for disposal.
• Leave time at the end of a session to deal with moving dumpy bags up to the railings.
• Keep dumpy bags light to help us carry them and Bristol City Parks team when lifting into van.

Lesley Woodward edited October 2025