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?

How to care and maintenance for Fine quality show lawns

Lawncaretips - A fine-quality lawn that is maintained to a high standard always looks impressive. It consists of a mixture of fine-leaved grasses that do not grow too quickly or too tall and ideally the lawn should be weed- and moss-free. The two main types of grass used in a fine mixture are Festuca (fescue) and Agrostis (bent grass) and several cultivars of both may be blended to provide a thick, but fine-leaved sward. 

These are the types of grasses that you would expect to find on golf greens and bowling greens. This type of lawn can be made by sowing seed, as most seed companies sell a fine lawn mixture, but establishment by this method is not as fast as with other seed mixtures. Alternatively, several of the turf growers produce fine-quality turf.

Unfortunately, the grasses in this type of lawn are not very hardwearing compared with other types and therefore it is not the best choice for a lawn that will get lots of heavy wear from children or pets. However, for normal use it will serve perfectly well.

Maintenance requirements for Fine-quality show lawns

The maintenance of a fine lawn can be quite high if you want to keep it in excellent condition all year round, although regular mowing with a cylinder mower is the main job. Apart from regular mowing, you will need to feed the lawn a couple of times a year, and control weeds and moss to keep it looking really good. It may also be necessary to carry out other maintenance such as spiking or scarifying from time to time. 

All this might sound daunting, but in reality these are easy jobs to do and the rewards will be a very good quality lawn that complements the rest of the garden.