After,
hopefully, a productive but relatively leisurely time in the
garden through the spring, we could now be in the mood for a
new project.
Thoughts of improvements are still in our minds and best acted
upon whilst the enthusiasm is with us! This is a good
month to create a flowery lawn - a perfect project as we move
into summer.
A
wildflower meadow is one of the most enchanting and exciting
environments that we can see in our countryside and of course
it is also is a magnet for wildlife, but creating and
maintaining a garden meadow is a huge task requiring time,
resources and energy. Much easier then, for those of us with
smaller gardens or little time, to convert a grassy area into
a flowery lawn where smaller wildflowers can thrive and
produce their nectar and pollen, and beetles, bugs,
butterflies and bees can forage for food and find a potential
breeding spot. Flowery lawns come in all shapes and sizes and
their enormous advantage is that they can, in general, be
created in existing grass, whatever the species. The key is
to choose your plants well and even a patch of rye grass can
bloom!
Starting with an older
lawn If your garden is
blessed with a lawn that has never seen a blade of cultivated
rye grass, your options are good and your task easier.
Older houses, especially those built before the 1970s,
generally had lawns sown from a variety of grass species
including the narrow leaved fescues. These small
non-invasive grasses made a soft lawn area that did not
necessarily wear well under children’s feet or constant use,
but allowed small wildflowers such as veronica, daisy, clover
and many species of moss to thrive. If you suspect your
lawn has this type of plant structure, simply leaving small
areas unmown for a few weeks this month may yield some
surprising results. Species such as orchids and cowslips
have been known to appear in lawns that have been closely mown
for years, or more common wildflowers including selfheal,
betony, buttercup, clover, birdsfoot trefoil and lady’s
bedstraw may be thriving unnoticed in many an old lawn.
If you suspect that some of these wildflowers are present
(even a few broad leaves amongst the fine grassy ones should
give you a clue) then do nothing now. Simply leave a
small patch unmown for the next few weeks and see what
appears. This approach in my own new garden has revealed
buttercups, daisies, two species of Veronica, oxeye daisies,
clover, selfheal, silverweed, common mouse ear and a pyramidal
orchid! In places there are self-sown Polyanthus in a
variety of colours - a good indication that cowslips and
primroses can be added. Admittedly the ‘no-mow’ policy
has revealed large numbers of dandelions, but the goldfinches
and even bullfinches have flocked to the garden for those, so
I am more than happy.
Choosing your species
The
next best scenario is that you have the right grasses but no
obvious flowers. Late spring is a good time add new
species by finding a source of native wildflowers as small plug plants – the best
means of establishing wildflowers in a grassy area. It is
important with any wildflower establishment to take soil
conditions into account. Use the supplier’s information to
choose the best species, such as birdsfoot trefoil or wild
carrot which need free drainage if you have a light soil, or
select ragged robin, buttercup or lady’s smock for clay. Some
versatile species, especially cowslip, will grow just about
anywhere, as will selfheal, clover or yarrow. You may prefer to stick
to shorter species that flower in late spring and early summer
– that way you can mow your flowery lawn for the mid summer
period after seeds have set and fallen. If your supplier’s
information is scant, use a wildflower book to check the kinds
of conditions your preferred flowers enjoy. Planting species
inappropriate for the conditions in your garden dooms them to
failure and is a waste of money.
Preparation and Planting While
you are waiting for your plantlets to arrive, prepare the area
where they are to go. The grass should be cut well and all
cuttings taken off, preferably for a few weeks before
planting. This will help to remove thatch and make space for
your plugs. Any flowery lawn will look better and be more
accessible to examination (and appreciation) if it is closely
mown around the edges. Crisp edges help to define it as a
special habitat and also emphasise the fact that it is
deliberate, and not simply an area you have forgotten about!
When conditions are good (some rain at least ) plant your plugs in groups, using a narrow
trowel or a bulb planter. Water them into the summer months
if necessary, or until they show signs of having established.
In the
autumn bulbs too can be added. The most obvious are
snakeshead fritillary (damp soil only) and wild daffodil.
Ensure that your bulbs come from a cultivated source and are
not removed from the wild. If your flowery lawn is to be
in light shade (another condition to take into consideration
when planning) then a few bluebells may also be worth a try. Rye
Grass Lawns Those
of us with weedy, mossy grass in our gardens are indeed lucky
where flowery lawns are desired. If your house was built
after the 1960s, or grass seed and turf were sown in more
recent times, there is every chance that you have a rye grass
lawn – wonderful for games of football or tough, evergreen
paths, but to my mind without character and lacking the
diversity of species that add to the garden’s ability to
attract and sustain wildlife. But fear not, because nature
always has an answer, and indeed there are ways to add colour
and charm to the monotonal green rye grass lawn. Bulbs will
thrive in this type of grass as will cowslips. If you are
happy to have a later dash of colour try knapweed, which can
out compete the competitive rye or bird's foot trefoil. Once flowering is over, cut
and rake the area well from late summer through to the end of
the year, and you will have flowers for several months through
late spring and summer.
Maintaining a Flowery Lawn Keeping your lawn colourful and floriferous relies on the same
principles as those for maintaining a wildflower meadow.
If you have smaller plants such as clover or selfheal this can
be done on a rotational basis. In my garden these areas
are left to flower for about three weeks, then they are cut
and other clover areas are left to flower. The cuttings
must be removed so either use the grass box on your mower if
the area has not grown greatly or small areas can be cut with
garden shears. You
can then continue to cut as short as you like for the rest of
the season if you wish, using your lawn for picnics, sunbathing and any
other task that a ‘normal’ lawn would perform. Indeed you
have the best of both worlds – a colourful family friendly
area for the summer that buzzes with insects through the
spring. An ideal compromise for the wildlife-friendly family
garden!
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