My wild flower lawn has turn my house into the lecture of the townspeople . Everyone loves it ! What was once a drab , mismatched , and neglected lawn has turned into an urban meadow that is not only sensational but incredibly humiliated sustainment and eco - friendly . Here ’s how to transubstantiate your property using a wildflower alternative lawn mixing !
When I moved into my young home , I knew it would need a net ton of tender make out care to get it into a operative and beautiful space . But I was up for the challenge !
The first challenge I gave myself was completely revamp the front lawn . The space was a mixture of uneven ground that quickly fill with pee in my rainy Pacific Northwest climate . The lawn was patchy and very neglect .
The wildflower lawn in peak summer.
It was a big UGH .
I ’m felicitous to say that my front lawn is now one of my giving informant of pleasure … and that ’s because of wildflower ! The previous homeowner shinny with the turf grass for over a decade . But in one gardening time of year , it wholly transformed into a locality live pip .
I desire to shout from the rooftops thateveryone want to give up the honest-to-goodness and demanding appendage of a front sward lawn and opt for a wildflower lawn rather . If you ’re looking for a sign to transubstantiate your lawn , now is the time .
If you start seed today , your lawn can look as beautiful as mine in less than a month . you may seed a wildflower lawn in one weekend and have low care , no watering , no lawn for the intact year .
Let me show you how I turned my front lawn into the celestial hayfield it is today . And keep reading to the death for my wildflower lawn giveaway !
A berth shared by Stephanie Rose ( @garden_therapy )
My Front Yard Wildflower Lawn
My front yard task start in the fall whenI planted over 1500 bulbs in my front gardento make a bulb lawn in the spring . I wo n’t go into item here , but you canread all about that projection in this post !
So , in the spring , while enjoying the first blooms of the season from my bulb lawn , I pondered what kind of wild flower lawn mix I would use . Since I loved the bloom bulb so much , I thought , why not keep the bloom train chug along ?
I ended up pick out theWest Coast Seeds Alternative Lawn Mix Wildflowers . Here ’s what ’s in the mix :
What Bloomed Well?
What I really loved about the wildflower lawn was thesuccession of the flowersthroughout the yr . It ’s percipient West Coast Seeds put into consideration bloom times so that you would have flowers from leap until fall ( or even the winter , in my case ) .
The first thing to flower was the sister gamy eyes . At one pointedness , my lawn look like a field of force of these diffused blue flowers . It was so pleasing to the eyes and made me sense so glad .
Then , the sweet madwort and creep daisy started to grow . Alongside the child blue eyes , they bloom all together , and this is when my yard was really at the most lush .
The fresh alyssum was probably my preferred addition . It set off early , grew super well in the shade or sun , bloom the full season , and still looked nice into December until the surd freeze in January when it pop off . Yes , it made it all the path to January !
The alyssum depend beautiful alongside mydry river , sweep around the edges and creating beautiful dried grasses . People would walk into my yard and be overwhelmed by their beautiful perfume .
Thewhite Dutch cloveralso maturate really well , adding a nice carpeting of green beneath the wildflower .
Thefive spotwas also a surprise hit . Thanks to their alone food coloring , I plunk all of them and used them foreco - printing .
Later in the summer , theCalifornia poppiesstarted to bloom . They were dead showstopping , with gorgeous vibrant orange shades creating an unbelievable contrast against the blues .
Around six varieties performed incredibly well in my yard . Not all of the flowers grew in my garden because the circumstance were n’t perfect . Certain parts grew better in theshady parts of my lawn . But that ’s what ’s great about a premix — those advantageously suited to the local conditions will stock and thrive .
Is My Wildflower Lawn Treadable?
Since this is my front railway yard , it wo n’t be getting a pot of traction . Kiddo is no longer a small , and I do n’t require to interest about using it as a play space or somewhere for Ozzie to play clump .
So I ’m totally hunky-dory with it growing about a foot tall or a bit taller . For most of the season , it was only 6 - 12 inches tall . The gamey it got was when the poppies started growing .
If you or your animals step on it , the flowers will founder down where they ’ve been and take a while to bounce back up . But they will eventually .
If you want something you may take the air on without issues , you ’ll need a different admixture . That ’s exactly what I did for my backyard . I die for theBee Turf Alternative Lawn Mixinstead since you may still take the air on it and mow it like a lawn , but it necessitate less water and maintenance than formal lawn . And it ’s also great home ground and forage for pollinators !
Mid - way through the summertime , I stop up changing my intention a flake to leave myself to get to the backyard easier if I wanted to get from the front .
A dry river ended up being the perfect solution . I removed a section of the already bloom wildflower lawn and weaved dry river stones through . This help oneself move water away from the house when it rained ( this house had a major drain problem ) and pass on me a pathway through the wildflower lawn .
you may learn more about my dry river projectin this post .
My Wildflower Lawn Planting Methodology
To prepare my lawn , I plow it with 3 ” of a lawn surface soil mix . West Coast Seeds suggest that you hit as much vegetation as possible to untie up the soil , but I had planted over1500 bulbsin my lawn previously , so I did n’t require to travail those up .
Seeds require direct liaison with soil to bourgeon , so a top stuffing will patronize germination . Depending on the live soil conditions , you could expend soil , compost , or a mix of grit and stain .
I sow thewildflower mixthree times : February , March , and April . I design it soI sow in the seeds right on before it would rainso I did n’t have to water , and it would stay wet enough for the germ to evolve .
Once I scattered the seeds , I used a square rake to equally spread the seeds through the top 1 - 2 ” of soil for the first sowings . It ’s also a estimable idea to lightly tamp down with your animal foot so the seeds stay in place . For subsequent sowings , I did n’t glance over so I would not hurt any of the already germinated seedling .
Lawn answer can bespread by hand or by using a seed spreaderand following the manufacturer ’s instructions . Since my space is lowly , I broadcast mine by hand .
My best steer : withhold 15 - 20 % of the seeds so you could fill in any patchy areas after the first germination . It ’s also significant to think that establishing a lawn root can take more than one time of year .
When to Plant Your Wildflower Lawn
I terminate up planting my lawn earlier than expected . West Coast Seedssuggests youplant two weeks before your last hoarfrost day of the month , but we had a strange wintertime , to say the least .
We had a very fond spell in mid - winter , and I check this as an chance to get a head begin on the lawn . After all , due to the topsoil and pelting , the lawn was mud at this point !
I seed three times in February , March , and April .
This work out out really well for me . Yes , I definitely had some losses , as I saw some heaving after we got a vainglorious hoarfrost ( see below ) . Because I seeded really betimes , some of the less hardy seeds that shoot heaved , but I did n’t mind at all since there were also plenty of hardier seedlings in the mix that would acquire in my condition .
I ’ll say , I emphatically overseeded . West Coast Seeds suggest that 500 one thousand should cover 1,000 sq . ft . , and I reasonably well double that to ensure I would have good chronological sequence . To say my wildflower lawn is luscious is an understatement !
It was significant to me tochoose a portmanteau with motley that would grow and naturalise easilyin my garden .
Sun vs Shade Germination
The sunniest part of the yard had the most and earliest efflorescence . The plant right by my shady fencing all grew , but I append it with some subtlety turf grass to satiate in some of the spaces since some of the flowers were n’t growing without any sunshine .
But that is just the small plot of land along the fence . It looks pretty even overall . the great unwashed on the street always stop to wait at the lawn , and I get so many compliment for it . It ’s the talk of the neighbourhood !
Watering Needs
I did n’t irrigate my lawn once . NO extra body of water has been require .
It ’s the number one question I get from the great unwashed who exceed by on the street as they inquire me how much urine it needs .
One of the reasons I planted it betimes on was so that I could get the cum in right before it rain . I live in a very showery climate , so I did n’t demand any supplemental watering while the seed were young and germinating .
accord to West Coast Seeds , the lawn shouldonly need urine during long flow of raging and juiceless weather , so they should be able-bodied to cover most of the summertime without any additional water , which is not something the established lawn can say !
Mowing My Wildflower Lawn
I never mowed my wildflower lawn . Thewildflower lawn mixis a blend that is n’t mean to be mowed . The plants mature and go to seed , planting themselves and carry on to grow like a meadow .
West Coast Seeds suggests controlling growth with a train trimmer , but if you really want a manicure look , mow once a month to 2 ½ to 3 inches . Keep in mind that the more you mop , the fewer blooms youhave .
If you want something more manicure , a humbled - growingalternative lawn mixlike the one I have in my backyard would probably be a good selection for you , and you still only postulate to cut down once a month .
A Wildflower Lawn in the Winter
In the fall , I tried to overwinter some of the seed to see if they ’d germinate . Many of the plant in the parcel are annuals , and West Coast Seeds suggest reseed each saltation to get the best display of flowers .
Butperennials in the mix will also naturalize and reseed themselves . In the late fall , I topped the stark spots with some soil andleaf mulchand then add seedlings to see what would winter .
As I refer , my sweet madwort bloomed all the agency until January , when the punishing frost killed it .
Here ’s what my front yard looked like for most of the inhuman time of year .
And there you have it ! That ’s how my wildflower lawn turn out , and I dead could n’t urge it enough . I wo n’t have to cut down or irrigate my lawn , and the bees are utterly have it off it .
Wildflower Lawn Mix Giveaway and Discount Code!
Thanks toWest Coast Seeds , I ’m giving away one Alternative Lawn Wildflower Mix to a garden therapy reader .
In increase , you canuse the computer code GardenTherapy15 at checkout time to get 15 % off any sizing lawn solvent for the calendar month of March . The code is stackable with the gratis shipping over $ 99 pass !
If you ’re shy what lawn mix is best for your pace , you’re able to takeWest Coast Seed ’s lawn solutions quizto help regain the best merchandise for your condition .
More Alternative Lawn Ideas to Try
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