HOW TO GROW A GREENER LAWN Advice from expert Sue Fisher
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bare soil. www.plantlife.org.uk has lots more useful ow green was your lawn this year? As in terms of information. diversity and wildlife, that is, rather than colour Autumn is bulb planting season and Narcissi (daffodils) –the unseasonably wet summer resulted in the lushest, are perfectly at home growing in grass. Do choose with greenest growth I’ve ever seen in August. Yet while many care to create the right effects: while big mixed sacks lawnmowers have been busier of daffodils are temptingly than usual, others have been priced, the large blowsy taking a break. blooms never look at home Earlier this year, thousands of Now’s the time to take the next in a meadow lawn, plus their gardeners embraced ‘No-mow steps and develop flower-spangled big leaves take months to May’, an inspired initiative me ado w for die back. Instead, select two nex t year. from the charity Plantlife, and or three varieties of smaller were enchanted by the results, narcissi and stagger the with the buzz of lawnmowers flowering times to enjoy colour being replaced by the hum for months: early varieties of countless insects. If you include ‘February Gold’, discovered the delights of a ‘Jetfi re’, and our native wild ‘lazy lawn’, now’s the time daff odil or Lent lily Narcissus to take the next steps and pseudonarcissus – all shortdevelop flower-spangled growing and able to withstand meadow for next year. the gales, then for late spring, First, ensure the grass plant the single white poet’s doesn’t get the upper hand or pheasant’s eye narcissus, N. and crowd out the flowers. poeticus var recurvus which has Your ally is an attractive tall stems to bear fl owers above flowering annual plant, Yellow Rattle the growing grass. When planting, aim for a natural look (Rhinanthus major), which reduces the vigour of grass with bulbs scattered in clumps of varying numbers. I use a by up to 60%. Seed must be sown in autumn and freshspade for planting, first cutting squares or rectangles of turf collected this year, so do buy from a reputable source. on three sides to roll back, exposing the soil, then digging a At the same time, sow other wildflower seed too, like ox eye daisy, campion, vetch, and knapweed. Before sowing, large wide hole for each group of bulbs. Finally, batter the turf a bit before rolling back in place to break up the grass cut the grass as short as possible, remove the clippings, roots so the bulbs don’t lift the turves as their shoots grow. and rake the surface vigorously to expose patches of
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