The cemetery is more than a place of the past — it is also home to a natural world full of life.
The cemetery acts as a vast, serene, and restorative place for the general public — and other species — for it serves as a peaceful shelter for members of the natural world. It is populated throughout the year with trees, birds, plants, and insects that thrive in this haven of biodiversity.
Gardening Meetups
We are very grateful to all the people who come to volunteer at our friendly gardening sessions. They are an essential part of our team striving to increase biodiversity in the cemetery.
July 2026
Section H. A small group survived the heat as we worked in shade to dead-head dock plants to discourage them from seeding.
June 2026
Another busy session attracted a good crowd to help clear the area behind the Remembrance Garden in preparation for autumn bulb planting.
Later, a group of four braved the rain to add home-grown plug plants to augment the meadow flowers.
May 2026
Aidan’s Folly. Our first volunteer gardening session was well attended and a large number of pollinator-friendly plants were added to the border; these are thriving, thanks to ongoing watering by the biodiversity team.
April 2026
Canterbury meadow. Preparation for seeding the meadow resumed, following a setback in Autumn 2025.
After the grass was cut a few energetic people raked the area thoroughly to prepare it for flower seeds which were sown as soon as the raking finished. This coincided with several weeks without rain, which did not help the seeds to germinate.
January 2026
RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch. On 24 and 25 January 2026, RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch took place at Canterbury City Cemetery for the first time, and a few aspiring ornithologists came see which feathered friends could be spotted in and around the cemetery. The observers watched from two sites—an open area next to the Jedi’s headstone, and the Garden of Remembrance, which is surrounded by large and smaller trees with some undergrowth.
The biodiversity team will be using their findings to explore improvements in bird number and variety in 2027. First steps will include planting more winter fruiting bushes to support our birds.
The event was a great opportunity to meet and spend time with new and older Cemetery Friends, enjoy nature, and spot a some signs of Spring. They thank everyone who attended!
November 2025
Autumn planting sessions are now complete. Many thanks to everyone who assisted (as well as to those who expressed interest).
October 2025
Inspired by the popularity of the tree tour during the Open Day in September, members of the biodiversity committee took the opportunity to become more knowledgeable about the extensive collection of trees in the cemetery. On 12 October, a small group participated in a learning session offered by two tree experts who are very familiar with the trees on the site.
The group had a lovely time identifying some of the cemetery trees and making a record of everything (not easy in the rain!) for the purpose of organising and offering tree tours in the future.
July 2025
Seed planting: Planting has been scheduled; see the November 2025 update for session details. There has been a request for seed donations to help enhance the natural wildflowers in this part of the cemetery. A full list of preferred seeds or plants is available from this link.
June 2025
The cemetery is already a home to a wide variety of wildlife, and there are plans to make it even more nature friendly. There are two areas which the Friends are concentrating on initially.
The first project is already underway in Section H, where no further burials will take place. This area will gradually be planted with wildflowers, which will make it more attractive both in appearance and to pollinating insects.
The Friends officially began this project in May 2025. They have recruited volunteers to help with several weeding sessions and will continue their work throughout the summer.
The second project for the biodiversity committee will focus on the new natural burial area located at the north end of the cemetery. The grass has not been mown since the spring, and there are plans to create a wildflower meadow to enhance the area, which is already in use.
The biodiversity committee realises that they cannot hurry nature, so changes will take time. However, the group will start work in earnest in the autumn.