Sandro's Irish Wildflower Conservation Grade Seed Mixture:  

Range:  Designer Wild Flower Mixtures  (Code DW)

Product Name: Short Cut Floral Lawn 

Product Code:  DW01 

If purchasing this seed mix, print or save this page and keep it as your reference as the species and advice change occasionally

Description: 

Site preparation: Site preparation should aim for a totally weed free start, if the soil contains weeds a 'hort' or paper layer covered with 5cm of enriched coarse sand will do to smother normal weeds.

Sand can also be incorporated into some areas of the soil to increase drainage, in other areas, dampness can be encouraged for other species. Lime may be added, please check with DBN. 

The gardeners aim is to create well drained conditions as per a normal lawn. and it must be weed free.

You can sow other low maintenance species such as Dwarf Bulbs and low growing perennials which are are ideal for introducing into the short cut lawn, as well as our plants from our wider range. 

Once sown, after the first years annual flowers, keep the meadow cut every 4 to 6 to 8 weeks depending on how fertile your soil.

Maintenance: In the first year, do not cut until August or September or later to allow the annuals to finish flowering, then 'strim' away the taller annual growth. In year two, cut to maintain as a lawn. 

By year 3 use a mower, (not mulch mower) to keep the meadow short, the aim is to allow three main flowering periods from May to early June, from late June and July and again in Autumn. Between each flowering phase the lawn needs to be cut. 

Floral lawns will then on require cutting every 4 to 6 weeks when growth reaches 10cm or just before a flush of flower is finished. You should remove the cuttings. 
Set the mower to the highest setting, cut and then re-cut with the mower setting down to about 10cm. 
The aim is to keep the flora short and by regular cutting to encourage it to flower. 

If using Mulching Mowers rake the soil very well at the end of the season to remove all the dead debris. 
Floral lawns should occasionally be allowed to flower every three years with the aim of allowing the species to set fresh seed. This will require leaving a 6 to 8 week gap, with no cutting in late May to July for spring species and sometimes in July to August for later flowering species

Weeding: Vigorous grasses should be spot weeded. White clover (if supplied in the mixture) while welcome in very large lawn areas if regularly mown, should really be controlled in small areas. 
When ordering a floral lawn we can supply common bent grass and other fine grass species according to your soil type.

Mixture Specifications: 
Origin: Native Irish Origin, Wildflower Seed Mixture.
pH range: Suits all soil, bar very wet.
Aspect: Sunny
Life Cycle: Contains Annuals, Biennials and Perennials.
Height Range after 2nd year: 10cm - 80cm (first year will be taller)
Flowering Period:  May to August.
Fertility Range: Will grow on any soil, the less fertile the soil, the less cutting will be required.
Wintergreen: Moderate 
Total number of seeds per gram: 1280 

 This photograph is one day in the life of an ever changing meadow.

Species List: 
Birdsfoot Trefoil, Black Meddick, Burnet Saxifrage, Century, Wild Chamomile, Cowslip, Eyebright, Meadow Buttercup, 

Marjoram, Red Bartsia, Mallow, Forget-me-not, Hoary Plantain, Kidney Vetch, Lady's Bedstraw, Ox-eye Daisy, Red Clover, Ribwort Plantain, Rough Hawksbit,

St Johnswort, Wild Carrot, Sorrel, Yarrow, Quaking Grass, Lady's Smock, White Bedstraw,  Selfheal, Smooth Hawksbit, 

Corn Marigold, Corn Poppy, Cornflower, Corncockle, Scentless Mayweed, 

and more depending on species available

Seed Sowing Rates:  
Normal sowing rates: 1 to 1.5 grams per metre.

Grass seed or nurse crop requirement:

Nurse Crop: A nurse crop is not required

Product Warning: DBN recommends that this mixture is not for human or animal consumption. Product Warning

Your purchase: Contributes to DBN's work of creating crops of Conservation Grade - Native Origin Wild flora. 

You help us to inform and pay land-owners to manage native species and to assist DBN in handing on our heritage for another generation. 
By growing (some will be difficult) these and all other species, you directly help to conserve national and global Biodiversity and protect wildlife. 

You should also consider yourself another Irish wildflower grower.

Email: info@wildflowers.ie

Last updated on 31/03/2022

Internal DBN Research: 

Please BEE Aware, people have become stung by falling or running into short bee meadows.

Signs and fences during flowering may be essential.

External research paper abstract link

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006320717306201

Title: To mow or to mow less: 

Lawn mowing frequency affects bee abundance and diversity in suburban yards
Author Susannah B. Lermanab, Alexandra R. Contostac, Joan Milamb, Christofer Bangd