Lawn - Grass Free & Full of Flowers

I only just heard about this on the BBC news today. It won a silver award at Chelsea, apologies if I'm behind the times and it's already posted, but I really like this idea and am tempted to have a go myself.

Here's the BBC New article:http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22846419

"A floral, scented lawn, planted in a west London park provides a better habitat for pollinating insects than traditional grass, according to researchers.
The grass-free lawn, which is believed to be the first in a public park, was the brainchild of PhD researcher Lionel Smith from the University of Reading and was commissioned for the park by Kensington and Chelsea council.
Mr Smith told BBC News how he devised the lawn and explains that its plants, which include daisies red-flowering clover, thyme, chamomile, pennyroyal and Corsican mint, create a "pollinator-friendly patchwork" - with 25% more insect life than that found in "traditionally managed grass lawns"."

Here's the website (on the page linking to a YouTube time-lapse video showing the lawn over a season):
http://www.grassfreelawns.co.uk/articles_261689.html

 

I like the idea of minimal mowing and helping bees etc, plus it must be wonderful to walk on a fragrant lawn.

 

I saw this in the Amateur Garden Magazine this week, it's a nice idea............but it ain't a Lawn is it???! It's an attempt at a wild flower Meadow and it does look good. But while I can walk on the lawn I have I would definitely have second thoughts about walking on the one on display. You'd crush the flowers and leave a trail of bent plants etc and in actually fact you're left with a piece of garden to admire [for a short while] but can't walk on all the time to gain access to borders and other parts of the garden where paths don't take you or at least not the shortest and quickest way, so actually proposing to call it a Lawn is a misnomer
Are we saying that people who aren't gardeners who just abandon and leave their lawn for weeds [native wild plants] to grow and seed are the originators of the idea?? I can take a walk down the streets of many an estate and see "a floral scented lawn"....which are actually, to some, a scruffy piece of land. My point is I suppose that, I take exception, to a fashion fad of calling a wild flower patch a "Lawn".

 

While I was serving in Cyprus at RAF Akrotiri I remember that the Station Commander had decided that as he couldn't really succeed with a proper grass lawn he'd have a Chamomile lawn instead. It was a cracking lawn until the hot Sirocco wind came and rolled it up like a carpet

 

From the website:

I think I could do it for much less, I've been looking closely at my existing lawn and reckon I can find at least half a dozen suitable species in abundance, such as daisies, buttercups and bugle. When I get a chance I'm going to transplant some into a little nursery bed to bulk them up. Then look at buying a few seeds of other native wildflowers that might be suitable for my soil etc.

 

Yes it would feel odd walking on flowers, but imagine the fragrances being released once you overcome the gardener's natural reluctance.

Reading the researcher's blog, he had that point made several times whilst at Chelsea

 

Agreed, JWK, but imagine what the "lawn" would look like when you've trampled over it a few times ..................Trashed
It's fantastic to see a wild flower meadow and, if there's a path, to be able to walk through it but most peoples gardens are small in size and every bit is usually used to capacity for plants, paths, play areas etc and only a select few would/could find room for a reasonable sized wild flower patch. As I said my irritation about it doesn't arise from the idea of creating a wild flower patch but from the pretentious "arty" practice of calling it a Lawn when it is not.

 

It will be interesting to see how the trial goes in a London park, I guess they will have "Keep off the Grass Lawn Flowers" signs:

World's First Public Grass-Free Lawn Planted in London.



AVONDALE PARK LAWN AFTER LAYING
11/05/13
A 200 square meter example of a grass-free lawn was laid over a period of two days in Avondale Park, Notting Hill, Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, London, W11 4PQ

The lawn is now settling in and despite being freshly laid is none-the-less looking rather attractive.

It's in the same borough as the RHS Chelsea Flower Show 2013 and worth a visit if you happen to be visiting the Show.

Next time I'm in London I'll pay a visit to see how it's going.

 

Yes, it would interesting to get your thoughts on it, JWK.

 

Yes that's how they have been produced, grown in trays in a nursery then transplanted - I've been watching their YouTube videos of how it's done. Much better watching someone else work when the weather is so bad

 

You're right, Kristen, it wouldn't be if you went down the commercial route, but preparing a patch of land and sowing the seeds yourself would be and also more satisfying. But the idea is not new and, to me, just presented in a more arty, "with it", marketing style.