We're trying to get the pond side of the lawn to grow more wild flowers (without having to strip all the grass off the surface first.)
Yellow Rattle, if established, is parasitical to grasses and can help to reduce the grasses root system to allow a more friendly environment for wild flowers to flourish.
I raked the area vigorously last autumn and scattered a packet of around 400 Yellow Rattle seeds. A detailed inspection today found nine ... (yes nine) ... Yellow Rattle plants growing in there now.
EDIT: Looking back, it was actually three packets of seeds, so nine plants out of 1200 seeds .... thats a 0.75% germination rate.
It takes many small steps to complete a long journey.
This is the biggest plant so far.!! I'm so proud of it ...!! :-)
My bird photos HERE
In reply to Paul A:
Paul A said:
Our pond land side edge has been left to nature, mainly because the netting over the pond is a pain to remove and refit for grass cutting, apart from that, nothing else has been done and wild daisies, buttercups and alsorts are thriving.
Mike
Flickr Peak Rambler
Might be worth sowing Yellow Rattle in seed trays PA, make your own plug plants to give them a better chance of success ... needs to be sown with grass seeds to act as host & kept out in the cold, below 5°C ... not too difficult where you live?
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
My 1st flower from all the seeds I sowed in march....woohoo...very proud moment
(Pardon the Scottish Accent)
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Mrs PB took a quick snap of our Japonica or summat or other!
In reply to Catlady:
My new wildflower patches are starting to come into their own
Cin J
One of he lavender plants, planted May last year, is starting to show its purple flower heads.