What is minimum care and maintenance to my non grass lawn design

Lawncaretips - When your plants are establishing and covering all your back yard or front yard you will need to keep an eye on them to ensure that they take hold.

Simple thing to care and maintenance to your non grass lawn design is by weeding Any perennial weeds that were missed when the ground was being prepared should be carefully lifted as they grow, otherwise they will quickly establish themselves and smother the plants. The seeds of annual weeds will also appear between the plants and these should either be hoed off or pulled out by hand. In dry weather keep the young plants watered to prevent them from drying out and pinch out any upward growing shots to encourage bushy growth.

Colorful lawn with plants mixture if in good growing conditions should grow and spread quickly to form a solid mat within several weeks. This of course will depend on the vigour of the individual plants and the spaces between them when they were planted. Any weeds that do manage to grow through the plants should be removed by hand as soon as they are seen, although when the plants are established to form a thick ground cover it becomes difficult for most weeds to grow.

Mowing The amount of trimming needed on a non-grass area will depend on the type of plants being used, but generally no more than a couple of light trimmings per year are required. A spring trim tidies up the plants after winter and a late summer trim removes any taller shoots and old flower stems. This can be done with a rotary mower on a high setting, with a nylon cord strimmer or by hand shears. For small areas, hand shears give a neater finish.

Feeding Once established, feed the plants once a year in spring with a general fertilizer to start them into growth for the season. Remember that lawn weed and feed cannot be used on non-grass lawns, as the selective weedkiller in the product will kill broad-leaved plants.

History the invention of riding lawn mower engine

Early lawns were very different to what we know today. Often, they were merely meadows that were occasionally grazed by animals to create areas of shorter grass around buildings. As gardening became more popular in Elizabethan times, lawns became more fashionable and were laid in large numbers around the many country homes that were built during this period. 

Lawncaretips - These lawns were either grazed or scythed and would contain a mixture of grasses and other plants such as chamomile that gave off a pleasant fragrance when walked upon. Indeed, the main purpose of many of these lawns was to provide a recreational facility, and scented plants were included to help mask the many unpleasant smells of the time. Short areas of grass were also maintained for the playing of sports such as bowls and pall-mall, which was later renamed croquet.

In the 18th century formal lawns became popular on large estates and in order to keep them short they would have been regularly cut with a scythe, sickle or hand shears. A skilled man with a scythe was able to cut the grass very short and even.

However, it was the invention of the first mechanical lawnmower that made lawns more accessible to the general public. An English engineer working in the textile trade based the first mower on a cutter used to trim cloth and in 1830 the idea was patented and the first mowers followed shortly afterwards, produced by a firm named Ransomes. 

This first mower had a cutting cylinder and needed to be operated by two men. One would pull and the other push. Soon to follow were smaller and lighter versions that could be used by one person and also larger models that were pulled by horses wearing leather shoes to prevent them from leaving hoof prints on the grass. 

These horse-drawn mowers were manufactured by a company called Shanks, and their product is thought to be behind the saying ‘shanks’ pony’, meaning to walk. Although the mowers were designed to be pulled by ponies, they were more often pulled by men! By the late 19th century lawns had become an established part of the garden, not only for the rich but also for the working man.

Today, lawns with beautiful design are still very much part of the gardening landscape, and thanks to the work carried out by various sporting organizations much of the expertise and technology has worked its way down to garden level. Because grass is so widely used as a sports surface, lawns should continue to flourish.

When the best time you can plant non grass lawn in UK

Lawndesignidea - Planting The best time to establish a non-grass lawn is in early autumn or spring. Plants such as chamomile, thyme and alpines are usually available as established plants in small pots, although some nurseries will supply smaller plants in large plug trays.

Where established plants are being used it may be possible to divide the clump into several rooted sections. This not only saves money, but also the plants will go further.

When we planting the non grass lawn like thyme or other, give space the plants out in staggered rows and plant them approximately 15–20cm (6–8 in) apart. Wider spacing can be used, but it will take longer for the plants to grow together

Water the plants thoroughly to settle them in and keep the soil around them moist in dry weather until they are established.

Once established a non-grass lawn needs very little attention, but while the plants are establishing you will need to keep an eye on them to ensure that they take hold.

Important thing in soil site preparation for making non-grass lawn

Lawncare - Ground preparation is very important when laying an area of non-grass lawn in order to prevent invasion by perennial weeds at a later date. As the area being created is usually quite small, this should not present too much of a problem.

If you do not fancy the hard graft of forking out perennial roots, an alternative is to spray the weeds with a glyphosate-based weedkiller. This is absorbed into the plant, killing all parts including the roots. Once the weeds are dead, the ground can be forked over to loosen the soil. Glyphosate does not leave any harmful residues in the soil.

Preparing the soil Annual weeds can simply be lifted or, in sunny weather, dislodged with a hoe and left to dry out. With perennial weeds, it is vital to remove all pieces of root, as many will re-grow from even the tiniest fragment. The old-fashioned and totally organic way to do this is to fork over the soil and pick out the roots by hand.

Once the site is completely clear of weeds, rake down the soil to form a level surface and apply a base dressing of general fertilizer. This should be lightly raked into the soil surface. The site is now ready to plant or sow.

Sowing A few plants such as clover and thyme can be grown from seed, although thyme is often established from small plants. This is best done in spring when the soil is starting to warm up. 

The ground needs preparing thoroughly and raking down to form a firm seed bed. Broadcast the seeds evenly over the area and lightly rake them into the surface – just as you would with grass seed. Germination can be a little slow, especially in dry weather. If this is the case, water the area with a watering can or sprinkler to keep the soil moist.

How to Creating a non grass lawn ideas UK

Lawncareidea - The majority of lawns in london, UK are grown with grasses, but in some situations other plants may be used as an alternative. The use of non-grass species in lawns goes back to Elizabethan times when many herbs such as chamomile were used in lawns to create a sweet smelling fragrance when walked upon. Pennyroyal was also used as part of a lawn to help deter fleas and other insects. Even today many very old, established lawns around country houses have a mixture of chamomile and grass in the lawn.

The pleasures of a non-grass lawn lie in the different fragrances that many of the plants give off, their coloured foliage and, in some cases, attractive flowers that help to attract wildlife into the garden.

Non-grass lawns work well in courtyards or other places where lawn mower access is difficult, or around the base of a tree or garden sculptures where you want something a little different. Many plants will tolerate being mown occasionally and are ideal for creating small areas of lawn where grass is not wanted, but most of the plants used will not stand heavy traffic and such a lawn will only really work as an ornamental feature. They will never be a substitute for a grass lawn but it is fun to have a small area in the garden and they are guaranteed to be a talking point.

Suitable plants for a non-grass lawn

• Thyme (Thymus) 
• Chamomile (Chamaemelum nobilis) 
• Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) 
• Clover (Trifolium) 
• Mixed low-growing alpines – for example, Saxifrage (Saxifraga) and Pratia

Maintenance requirements

The main disadvantage in a non-grass lawn is that the maintenance can be quite intensive during the early stages of establishment. Weeds can be a problem until the plants grow together, and as there are no selective weedkillers available for use on broad-leaved plants, hand weeding is the only solution. 

However, as the plants establish and form a dense mat, weeds will become less of a problem. Mowing only needs to be undertaken once or twice a year to keep the plants in trim.

How to take care and maintenance the best quality hard wearing lawn grass

Lawncaretips - If you want a lawn that looks good all year round and can stand the daily ravages of children and pets, you will need to choose a hard-wearing mixture. These are often known as ‘family’ or ‘utility’ mixtures. 

In the past, this type of lawn would have been largely made up of very vigorous, fast growing ryegrass, but nowadays the new cultivars are much better and, although hardwearing, they have a finer leaf and do not grow as tall. 

The main ingredient of a family lawn is Lolium perenne (perennial ryegrass) and often it comprises of up to 90% of the mixture. This gives the grass its strength and recovery power after heavy use, hence the reason it is widely used on football and rugby pitches. 

The remainder of the mixture is usually Festuca rubra rubra (creeping red fescue) or Poa pratensis (smooth stalked meadow grass) or both, which is used to bind the lawn together. Seed companies offer several mixtures suitable for this type of lawn which establishes very quickly, and turf companies also offer a selection of utility turf.

Maintenance requirements 

Hard-wearing type of lawn requires less maintenance than a very fine formal lawn, although for best results regular mowing is necessary and ideally the lawn should be fed once or twice a year. 

A cylinder or rotary mower can be used to cut the grass, which should normally be allowed to grow a little longer due to the nature of its use. Weed and moss control will be required if you want to keep the lawn free from weeds and moss, although a few weeds in this type of lawn are not as noticeable as in a very fine grass mixture.

What type of lawn should i plant?

Lawncareidea - There are many different types of lawn that you can create in your garden and you only have to look at the different sports that are played on grass to give you some idea of what they look like and how they can be used. 

Fortunately, grass seed companies have taken much of the hard work out of choosing what types of grass to use on a lawn and they have blended various grasses together to form different mixtures. 

These lawn seed mixtures are readily available from garden centres and specialist mail order companies. To a certain extent, the same applies to turf and many companies now sell several different grades of turf to suit all needs. Generally speaking when choosing seed or turf, you get what you pay for. It is best to avoid very cheap seed mixes where little or no detail of the grass mixture is given.

Although lawn types tend to fall into two main groups, fine-quality and utility lawns, many of the modern seed mixtures available fall midway, enabling you to have an all-purpose lawn that looks fairly fine and also can withstand the wear and tear of children and pets. These contain a selection of fine and hardwearing seed varieties and many seed companies sell such mixtures. Most turf companies also sell good quality turf that is classed as all-purpose for garden use.

Fine-quality show lawns

Any people have to asking question about what type of lawn is used on golf courses? the answer is Festuca (fescue) and Agrostis (bent grass), these are the types of grasses that you would expect to find on golf greens and bowling greens. A fine-quality lawn is type of lawn that can be made by maintaining to a high standard always looks impressive and it consists of a mixture of two main types of grass above.

Hardwearing lawn

Hard-wearing lawn is type of lawn are often known as ‘family’ or ‘utility’ mixtures. That lawn will always looks good all year round and can stand the daily ravages of children and pets like Dog or Cat. The main ingredient of a hard-wearing lawn is Lolium perenne (perennial ryegrass), Festuca rubra rubra (creeping red fescue) or Poa pratensis (smooth stalked meadow grass) which all the type of grass is can establishes very quickly.

So What type of lawn should i plant? the best answer is based your answer about this question : Where is the lawn to be sited? What will the lawn be used for? and How quickly do you want it?