Planting wild flower meadow seeds on an established lawn (Mini Meadow by empathy)

MalcolmHowes

I have purchased some wild flower meadow seeds called "Mini Meadow" (by a company called empathy) and I am hoping to sow them in an already established lawn.  
Will this work and will the flowers reach the stage whereby they can be gone over with a lawnmower before the grass reaches the stage where it can't?  
The only other thing to add is that the lawn has just been scarified, making it a bit more like a the raked soil that the instructions say I should be sowing on (but obviously still heavily populated with grass).

Hostafan1

I'd say " not a hope in hell " but that might seem a bit blunt. 
They'll probably not even germinate in an established lawn, and there's no way they'll establish themselves .

Liriodendron

You could try sowing some of your flower meadow seeds in a seed tray of compost, so you could grow some plants to a reasonable size before planting them in the lawn...

jonathan.cole

Unfortunately no, it probably won't work.

Think of it this way: if wild flower plants seeded well in grass your lawn would already be swarming with them.

Most effective is probably to chop the grass out and seed the bare patch. You *might* get some growing if you aggressively go at the grass leaving it in a state like a herd of cows has repeatedly trampled it.

Loxley

I agree with Liriodendron's idea.

I'm a bit skeptical that mini meadows are really worth it though. Planting pollinator plants in the borders will probably bring in more bees than a small patch of "meadow". 

MalcolmHowes

Oh dear!  Thanks for all of the quick advice everyone, I'm glad I asked and yeah I probably will try what Liriodendron is suggesting then :-)

Simone_in_Wiltshire

Hello MalcomHowes, lawn is quite invasive and will always take over. If I had bits in a lawn which look bare during the summer and struggle to regrow in Spring, I would take off that part and give the mini meadow its own area.
I had to take out my lawn for a different reason, but I also want to use a sqm for a mini meadow. I will prepare the soil and once the seeds are in, I will cover that part with a plastic mesh. That will keep the visitors away. Cats love fresh soil.

spf1

Suggest if you have established grass, plant spring bulbs - including snake head fritiliaries if situated in low silty damp conditions, and early summer perennials which can cope with grass competition. First grass cut is thus in August. Thus in my "lawnette" in spring crocuses, miniture daffs and primrose, and in early summer achillea, a cranesbill geraniums (popular non native 'Rozanne' a real bee magnet!) and ox eyed daisy. All these attract bees and hoverflies to the garden.

madpenguin

My mini meadow lawn has been created with plug plants and bulbs in my established lawn.
It has many plants that can be mown and is always full of interest throughout the year.
Obviously has more grass than anything but there are may different plants that can be grown.
Here a some that are currently in my lawn:-
Creeping Thyme
Chamomile
Violets
Crocus
Anemone blanda
Celandines
Selfheal
Lawn Daisies
Yarrow
Geranium
Snakeshead fritillary
Daffodils
Bluebells
Aconite
Ajuga
Speedwell
Primroses
Cowslips
Scilla
Chionodoxa
Soleirolia soleirolii
Buttercups
Erodium
Mouse Ear Hawkweed
Clover (Red & White)
Birdsfoot Trefoil
Black Medick
Lady's Bedstraw
Dandelion
etc.etc...................

WildFlower_UK

It's not a tried and tested method by me personally, but I've read a lot about using Yellow Rattle on grass for the first year as it's semi-parasitic and will reduce the aggressiveness of the grass, therefore making it easier for other wildflowers to establish. If you've already scarified the grass and exposed soil, then it might be worth trying.

Allotment Boy

Yellow Rattle needs to be sown fresh so really needs to be Autumn when you do it.  Cut your area of grass aggressively this year, take away all clippings,  to reduce fertility and competition.  Sow yellow Rattle and your wild flowers in September.