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cnid_gw

naturalizing in a lawn

cnid
13 years ago

I love those lawns with all the little blue flowers in them in spring - I think they are Scilla. I have also been reading about naturalizing daffodils in lawns. My concern is mowing the lawn - my lawn needs to be mowed LONG before the daffodils are done. So, what do people do - Just leave the mowing till they are done.

Is it Scilla that makes those lovely blue lawns. Do they get tall enough that mowing would harm them.

C

Comments (5)

  • Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana
    13 years ago

    Is it Scilla that makes those lovely blue lawns. Do they get tall enough that mowing would harm them.
    I think they are Scilla that you are speaking of. I saw a lot of them last spring in lawns in the city, in front of huge older homes. I'm thinking the scilla bloomed before the lawns had had their first mowing, maybe.

    Daff foliage should be left in place for 6 weeks minimum after blooming. For that reason I don't see them as really good for naturalizing in the lawn, but would be fine in an out of the way area or hillside where one wouldn't mind delaying the first mowing. You might also want to choose some of the very early blooming varieties too.

    Sue

  • sandyslopes z5 n. UT
    13 years ago

    I've got Chionodoxa luciliae (early snow glories) in my lawn. They've slowly multiplied over the years and are a pretty blue. Most of them finish flowering before the grass needs its first mowing, and the blade-like foliage doesn't seem to mind being mowed down. They've also withstood lawn weed and feed over the years.

    {{gwi:25314}}

    I wouldn't try daffodils unless you have a place where you can let the grass grow tall for a while.

  • luvahydrangea
    13 years ago

    I have crocuses in my lawn. Their foliage dies back long before a first mowing is required. As the previous poster said, unless you can let your lawn go for 6 weeks, probably not a good lawn naturalizer. I don't even like the way they look in my flower beds as I wait for them to die.

  • cnid
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Great shot of chionodoxa - it is not the blue flower I am thinking about but I may try it - it looks wonderful. I have some and it does not get too tall.

    I think the species crocus might work because they are short.

    I find that the lawn needs to be mowed very quickly in spring so I guess anything will get trimmed. When I first moved to this property, I put a bunch of tulips and daffodils in the lawn, under black walnut trees no less. They are still blooming but have not spread. They look really messy as they finish up, with the tall grass around them (I mow around them).

    Thanks for thoughts.

  • linaria_gw
    13 years ago

    Hello C
    If daffs, I would try species ones, there should be some that flower very early+ dont grow so tall.

    near my dead`s place I took this picture of flowering Scilla siberica on a former grave yard, now parc. My father told me that over the summer people trample around and really compact the soil, but the Scilla do great. Not much of a lawn though under those tree canopies.

    Brunswik? (Braunschweig) in lower Saxony, end of March

    {{gwi:25315}}

    in Berlin I watched Puschkinias on patches of green between road lanes (in the city). Those do get baked in the summer, flower is a pale blue= white with blue veins. Those are very early, not very tall

    Hope that helps, bye, Lin

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