Woodway House - Gardens and Wildlife

Gardens and Wildlife

An old orchard with twenty or so trees was complemented by a new orchard planted in the late 1960s. A wide variety of cooking and eating apples were joined by pear tree varieties, cherries and plums. The flora of the old orchard sward was dominated by primroses and violets.

Detailed plans of these primroses were plotted yearly in the 1970s to show the change in distribution. In addition to the wild type, white, red, pink and multi-headed varieties grew here. Green alkanet (Pentaglottis sempervirens) grew here, together with Black Bryony, Flowering Currant, Horseradish, Butcher's Broom (Ruscus aculeatus), Bluebells (blue, pink and white), Aquilegia and other several other species.

The grounds of the house were particularly rich in ferns, mosses, liverworts, and lichens. The lichens grow in profusion on the old walls, slate roofing tiles and tree bark, especially of the older specimen trees, such as the Pedunculate Oak (Quercus robur), Sessile Oak (Quercus petraea), Horse-chestnuts and the Copper Beeches (Fagus sylvatica cuprea). Xanthoria parietina was a common lichen growth on the boiler house tiles. The Giant Sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum) has many small depressions in its bark made by Treecreepers.

A feature of the garden running down from the verandah is the New Zealand Cabbage Trees (Cordyline australis) growing to the left hand side when facing. These can be seen in the 1825 drawing and although the main growth was killed off by severe winters, new growths always appeared. Old Wisteria trees are a feature of the verandah, together with Passion Flowers and Banksia roses.

The grounds had many fine trees and in addition to those already mentioned there were Monterey Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa), Common Yew (Taxus baccata), Laburnums, Turkey Oaks (Quercus cerris), Black Poplar, Strawberry Tree, elms (Ulmus spp.) and Holm Oaks (Quercus ilex). The knopper gall grows from a distortion of the growing acorn, greatly reducing the fecundity of the oak host. It has a two phase life-cycle that requires both Pedunculate Oak and Turkey Oak. Woodway gardens have this species and Woodway House was one of the first places in Devon to record both life-cycle stages of this invading insect. The insect concerned (Andricus quercuscalicis) came from the continent to Devon via the Channel Islands. Large numbers of Knopper Galls were sent from Woodway for research purposes in the late 1970s when the infestation first struck (Griffith 2006). A feature of the old hedge forming a boundary by the garage was the Pennywort (Umbilicus rupestris) a typical plant of Devon country lanes. The Winter Heliotrope is a distinctive weed species and Lady's Smock is an early spring flower.

Insects were abundant, particularly butterflies such as the Red Admiral, Peacock, Fritillary, Cabbage White and large 'Hawking' species of Dragonflies, such as the Common Hawker (Aeshna juncea). This last species was common in the area of the old Duck Pond. Wasp nests were a common occurrence in the old hedge walls and both Red Ants and Black Ants were to be found under stones beside the pathways. Mammals included Hedgehogs, shrews, mice and bats (Pipistrelles), which were common, as were Grey Squirrels. Amphibian species were frogs and toads in wetter places such as the old pampas on the front lawn.

The Monterey Pines were for many years the site of a Rookery. A number of Robin territories were present in the garden; the breeding season boundaries plotted using red wool 'male substitutes' with careful observation of the defending males. Thrush 'anvils' were mostly present on larger stones bordering the front drive and Starlings were a frequent visitor to the raspberry beds and to the thatch, stealing straw for their nests. This necessitated the use of chicken-wire to protect the thatch. Wrens were common, often lining their nests with the fur from the family pet, a long haired Silver Persian cat. Blackbirds are common and Redwings (Turdus iliacus) are an occasional visitor.