Jacqueline Hilton

Posts

• Thankthecat Posts: 421

  April 2018

  I think you'll have to take the turf right off otherwise the grass will just keep growing through whatever you plant there and take over. 

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• Jellyfire Posts: 1,139

  April 2018 edited April 2018

  In my experience the rotavator approach is a nightmare. When I first tried turning my lawn to wildflower I did this. Firstly the rotavator really struggled with getting through the grass, and was so hard I ended up just digging it. I hate using weedkiller so just double dug and then sowed an annual mix, with mixed results. I had a good showing of flowers, but a lot of the grass and weeds came through by the end of the year.
  
  The biggest downside to this though was I had to do the same thing the next year. a lot of digging and not much fun. 
  
  The third year I decided to do the job properly and take a longer term approach. I dug it again, then waited a few weeks, then sprayed it off with weedkiller, waited a couple more weeks and then sowed a perennial mix. (which included a few annuals for first year colour) This was far more successful, and its got better every year since (this will be 4th year and got a decent growth coming through already). I love the meadow area now, its pretty much native species, (at open gardens a couple of people said 'You know that is just weeds?) but each year a few more species seem to crop up. Ive added a scattering of alliums and ornamental thistles just to add a bit of variation in the structure, and underplant with a few more bulbs each year as its a bit grim looking at this time of year.
  
  From may onwards I love it though, I now just do one maintenance cut in late sep/october, pretty much to the bare soil  and remove all the clippings and other than that it looks after itself. 
  
  *when I sowed the perennial mix it was mid to late may, and it seemed to take absolutley fine, and looked great by mid summer, so not too late this year by the way

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