Guidelines for Cemetery Conservation - National Trust of Australia

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GUIDELINES FOR CEMETERY CONSERVATION PART THREE - HOW 2.3 Vegetation 2.3.1 Maintenance and controlled overgrowth The vegetation in any cemetery should be constantly maintained, for several reasons. Apart from anything else, a cemetery authority has legal responsibilities to control noxious weeds and to ensure the safety of visitors to the site. Proper management also requires that pathways be kept clear and that landscaping and grave plantings be maintained. In heritage-listed cemeteries, these responsibilities may be even more clearly mandated. Within these general principles, however, cemetery authorities will always have resource limitations. While some authorities may use this as a dishonest excuse to avoid responsibilities which they simply don’t care about, the fact remains that most have genuine duties to minimise expenditure and find effective means to achieve objectives. Controlled Overgrowth In this regard the National Trust has supported the concept of “Controlled Overgrowth” as a cemetery management system. The principles are that if weed growth is controlled, the combination of native species and plantings will generally form a stable ecosystem. The control of overgrowth must be good along major paths, and sufficient to enable access elsewhere. Some planting (such as “heritage” roses) may also require local clearing and/or fertilising, apart from general weed control. A degree of untended growth can emphasise a sense of history CEMS\Policy Paper Review & model letters\2nd Edition Jan 2010.doc 97
GUIDELINES FOR CEMETERY CONSERVATION PART THREE - HOW In many cases, funds and effort are wasted and even counterproductive, spent on inappropriately strict “beautification” Some visitors may object to the resulting aesthetics, but the National Trust believes that it is acceptable for an old cemetery to show that it is old and not in active use, providing that important values are protected. It is open to individuals to arrange a greater level of maintenance on plots where they have an interest. 2.3.2 Grave plantings In older cemeteries plants have sometimes spread from individual graves and become naturalised. They do not damage the cemetery and in many cases contribute substantially to the aesthetic and nostalgic qualities and to the cultural significance. These qualities should not be destroyed by excessive mowing, trimming or poisoning. Bulbs and self-sown annuals may be only apparent at certain seasons, so any work must be guided by observations made and recorded over a full year, involving both native plants and introduced species – many of which may now be unfashionable. This aspect needs great care and a good deal of expertise. Pretty or rare small flowers may need the shade and protection of a “weed” with which they share a grave plot. The presence of such rarities (and hence the value of the “weeds”) may only be apparent to a practised eye, and then only at certain times. In the case of the slightest doubt, expert advice is needed before any action. 2.3.3 Native vegetation Remnant stands of native vegetation should be retained wherever practicable. The use of herbicide in these areas should be avoided and mowing should be kept to a minimum. Unmown grasses are not generally a problem. Native grasses in many instances add to the visual quality of the cemetery by providing a textured background, and by retarding the spread of weeds. They also have natural heritage value in their own right. Mowing of major paths only is generally recommended. CEMS\Policy Paper Review & model letters\2nd Edition Jan 2010.doc 98
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Guidelines for Cemetery Conservation - National Trust of Australia

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