Lawn guide
Wildflower turf: is it right for your garden?
Wildflower turf comes as rolls like lawn turf, but grown with native flowers and grasses. It gives an instant meadow that buzzes with bees in summer. It's lovely in the right place, but it's not a lawn.
What it is
Wildflower turf, or wildflower matting, is grown on a thin base and harvested in rolls. It contains a mix of native perennial wildflowers such as ox-eye daisy, knapweed, bird's-foot trefoil and field scabious, along with fine grasses. Once laid, it flowers from late spring through summer.
Wildflower turf vs a lawn
| Wildflower turf | Lawn turf | |
|---|---|---|
| Looks | Tall, colourful meadow in summer | Short, green and even |
| Walking on it | Not for regular use | Made to be walked and played on |
| Mowing | Once or twice a year | Weekly in the growing season |
| Feeding | None: wildflowers prefer poor soil | Spring and autumn |
| Wildlife | Excellent for bees and butterflies | Some |
Where it works
Wildflower areas suit the parts of a garden you look at rather than use: a strip along a fence, a sunny bank, the far end of a long garden, or around fruit trees. They need sun for most of the day and do best on soil that isn't too rich.
Many people combine the two: a lawn near the house for living on, and a wildflower patch further away with a mown path through it.
Looking after it
Water it while it establishes, like any new turf. After that, the main job is a cut in late summer or autumn once the flowers have set seed. Leave the cuttings for a few days to drop their seed, then rake them off so the soil doesn't get too rich. Don't feed it.
Do we lay wildflower turf?
No. We don't supply or lay wildflower turf; our work is lawn turf only. This guide is here to help if you're weighing up a wildflower area, and a specialist supplier is the place to go for the rolls themselves. For the parts of your garden you want as lawn, we're happy to quote.
Common questions
Does wildflower turf flower in its first year?
Usually, yes, if it's laid in spring or autumn.
Can I walk on wildflower turf?
Occasionally, but it isn't made for regular foot traffic. A mown path through it works well.