How to establish and maintain a flowering lawn
What is a flowering lawn?
The difference between a flowering lawn and a wildflower meadow is mainly down to management.
The species of flowers in a flowering lawn are those that are able to withstand and recover from mowing for much of the year.
In the wild these would be the flowers grazed down by sheep and rabbits but recover from flowering and setting seed.
Typically mowing will be relaxed for four to eight weeks from the end of June so that we can enjoy the flowers. After that period, regular mowing can resume.
Our mixture offers the opportunity to revert to a flower-rich meadow if you decide that you want to see flowers for a more extended period.
Establishing a flowering lawn
For the establishment year, a flowering lawn has to be managed in the same way as a wildflower meadow.
Regular cutting with a rotary mower or reciprocating blade when the sward height of 60 -75mm down to a height of 30 - 40mm. Usually every 7 -10 days. This should control weeds and prevent the grasses from out-competing the wildflowers. Any stubborn weeds such as thistles or nettles should be carefully removed by hand. Cuttings must be removed so that fertility does not increase, which will encourage the grasses to dominate the sward.
Management in 2nd and subsequent years
For most of the growing season, your flowering lawn can be mown as you would a conventional lawn; but not too short; 25 -40 mm is about right. The mowing regime can be suspended at the end of June for up to eight weeks, allowing flowering. If it gets too untidy mowing can be resumed earlier.
Which mix to choose?
Low Growing Mix - Contains wildflower seeds only. If you are sowing into an existing lawn, use this mix. Scarify your lawn or expose soil amongst the grass, giving the seeds space and access to light to germinate and establish a root network. Note - sowing seeds into existing lawn will not have the same success rate as sowing onto bare soil.
Flowering Lawn - Contains 20% wildflower seeds and 80% grass seeds. This mix should only be sown onto a bare seed bed.
* Connecting to Nature's Flowering lawn mix and Low Growing Mix contains perennial wildflowers only, it is important to note that these flowers will start to bloom the year after sowing.
