17th August 2026
Wimborne Cemetery is a place of remembrance, reflection and history – but it is also an important green space for wildlife.
At approximately 12.5 acres, Wimborne Cemetery contains a wide variety of habitats, from established trees and grassland to mature hedgerows and areas of older burial ground. The Council is increasingly looking at how these spaces can be managed in ways that support biodiversity, while continuing to provide a peaceful, dignified and well-maintained environment for those who visit.
One of the main ways we are doing this is through targeted rewilding.
A different approach in different parts of the cemetery
Not every part of the cemetery needs to be managed in exactly the same way.
Our Grounds Maintenance Plan takes a considered approach to mowing and grounds maintenance, with the frequency and type of maintenance varying according to how each area is used.
The principal burial areas and Gardens of Remembrance continue to be regularly maintained, ensuring that graves and memorials remain accessible and that these areas retain their neat and peaceful appearance.
However, in some of the cemetery’s older, less-visited sections, as well as selected grass verges and areas of land that are not yet required for burial, we are deliberately allowing the grass and other vegetation to grow for longer.
This isn’t an indication that these areas have been forgotten or neglected. It is a conscious decision to give nature more space.
Why leave the grass longer?
Longer grass and naturally developing vegetation can provide valuable habitat for a much wider range of species than closely mown grass.
Allowing areas to grow naturally gives native grasses and wildflowers the opportunity to establish and flower, providing food and habitat for pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies, as well as other insects and invertebrates. These, in turn, provide an important food source for birds and other wildlife.
Allowing plants to flower and set seed also helps to support their natural life cycles, gradually increasing the variety of plants and wildlife that an area can support.
Even relatively small areas can make a difference. Throughout the cemetery, pockets of longer vegetation create a mosaic of different habitats rather than having the entire site managed in exactly the same way.
Rewilding with respect
Rewilding a cemetery requires a balance.
Wimborne Cemetery is first and foremost a place of remembrance, and maintaining the dignity of the cemetery remains at the heart of everything we do. Areas around graves and memorials need to remain accessible, paths need to be maintained and the cemetery must continue to feel cared for.
Our approach is therefore not to simply stop cutting the grass across large areas of the cemetery. Instead, we are identifying appropriate locations where allowing vegetation to grow naturally can provide the greatest benefit to biodiversity without compromising the experience of those visiting the cemetery.
The older sections of the cemetery are particularly well suited to this approach. They are less intensively used and contain established features which can provide valuable habitat when combined with longer grass and natural vegetation.
A living landscape
One of the benefits of this approach is that visitors can see the cemetery changing throughout the seasons.
Areas that might once have been closely mown can now contain a greater variety of grasses and flowering plants. As the vegetation changes, so too does the wildlife it attracts.
A patch of flowering plants may provide food for bees and butterflies during the summer. Longer grass can provide shelter for insects and other small creatures, while the seeds and insects found within these areas can provide food for birds.
These changes may seem small, but collectively they help to create a more varied and resilient environment.
More than just mowing less
There is also an environmental benefit to reducing the frequency with which appropriate areas are cut.
Fewer cuts mean less fuel is used by grounds-maintenance machinery and therefore fewer emissions are produced. More importantly, however, the purpose of the approach is to create and protect habitat and to give plants and wildlife an opportunity to thrive.
It is about thinking carefully about where we maintain the cemetery intensively and where we can make space for nature.
A cemetery for people and wildlife
Cemeteries can play an important role in supporting biodiversity, particularly within developed areas where opportunities for wildlife habitat can be limited.
Wimborne Cemetery has the benefit of being an established green space, and the Council wants to build upon the natural value that is already present here.
By managing some areas differently, we can support local wildlife while continuing to provide the peaceful and dignified setting that families expect when visiting the graves of their loved ones.
So, if you notice a patch of longer grass during your next visit to Wimborne Cemetery, it may be there by design.
It is our way of making a little more space for nature – while caring for the cemetery as a place of remembrance.
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