Ivydene Gardens Extra Pages of Plants
Grass List

The Grass Gallery compares colour photographs of some of the following grasses.

Grass Lawn

The different turves produced by Lindum for lawn laying are detailed at the bottom of this page.

Grass Lawn Maintenance

It is worth collecting the leaves from deciduous trees in the autumn by using a rotary lawn mower on your lawn. If you do this about once a week, whilst the leaves are falling, then this will prevent the grass from being smothered and dying off. Use these collected leaves on the beds and under the hedges at a 4 inch (100mm) depth as a mulch. This will

• a) reduce the appearance next year of annual weeds since the sunlight cannot then get to the seeds to germinate them,
• b) feed the plants with their nutrients, and
• c) aid in preventing the ground drying out through the action of wind and sun.

Mosses are tiny non-flowering plants with green leaves. They are anchored to the substrate - soil, bark, timber, brick wall, roof tile and tarmac - by 'non-absorbing' roots called rhizoids. There are 3 types of moss that cause problems in turf:-

Cushion forming mosses - tiny ground-hugging clusters of moss indicative of dampness and mower scalping,

Trailing mosses - symptoms of very poor drainage and shade (50 kg of top dressing for every 25 square yards annually in April on clay soil improves drainage), and

Upright mosses - larger, taller and tuftier moss plants found on drier and more acidic soils (add ground limestone to make it less acidic).

Shade encourages moisture and therefore moss, and especially the shade created by year-round reduction in light level caused by conifers and other evergreen trees/shrubs. Open up the canopy to allow more sunlight to reach the turf.
Lawn Sand is a mixture that contains two products; a lawn fertiliser and a moss killer that work together to condition your lawn. The lawn fertiliser feeds the grass and promotes growth to create rich, deep green grass and a healthier lawn. The moss killer tackles the moss, causing it to blacken and die. It can then be raked out and disposed of. Lawn Sand can be used between early March and mid November. It is not suitable for use during drought, freezing conditions or when rain is falling or expected. Add Calcified Seaweed to the turf in March to provide the trace elements.

Regular housekeeping of turf by scarification, and aeration by spiking using a fork, all help to avoid the compaction and persistent dampness that encourages moss.

Mowing begins when the grass starts growing in March. Don't mow when the grass is wet; it is dryer in the afternoon after the dew has evaporated. Utility lawns can be cut to 14 (35 cms)5 inches and 'Fine lawns' to 0.75 inches high, removing no more than about 0.5 inches per cut.

A grass height above 1.5 inches favours course grasses (ryegrasses) at the expense of the fine grasses (fescues). Cuts below 0.5 inches severely reduces the ability of the grass to regenerate and allows weeds in. During the summer in drought-free conditions the final heights can be reduced to 1 inch for utility and 0.5 inches for 'fine lawns' in the UK.

I do not recommend the use of 'Mulch Mowers'.

These are the roots of one bog-standard ryegrass plant that was growing in Type I Roadstone. I washed out the stone and you can see how much root it has. If you have grass growing within 3 feet radius of a tree, then it will absorb most of the rain that falls on that section of the ground and any nutrients in the soil, leaving very little for that tree or any shrub/tree vegetation you have growing in a lawn or grass area.

RTF (Rhizomatous Tall Fescue see RTF in the Lindum Turf Range below), can root to 1.5 metres deep giving it a chance to tap into water reserves that normal lawn turf cannot reach. That would mean no water or nutrients for any other plant in that section of ground.

Evergreen - Of plants that retain their foliage for more than one growing season; semi-evergreen plants retain only a small proportion of their leaves for more than one season.

Carex hachijoensis 'Evergold'
Festuca eskia
Festuca glauca 'Blue Fox'
 

12 x 14 (30 xxx35)
6 x 10 (15 x 25)
12 x 10 (30 x 25)
 

Grass - Erect or arching stems are usually round and hollow, with regularly spaced nodes. Being monocotyledons means having only one (mono) seed-leaf (cotyledon).Their leaf veins are typically parallel to one another and the leaf margins are often smooth.

Carex pendula
Luzula nivea
Luzula sylvatica
Luzula sylvatica 'Aurea'
Phalaris arundinacea 'Feesey'
...
Phalaris arundinacea var. picta
 

54 x 60 (135 x 150)
24 x 18 (60 x 45)
30 x 18 (75 x 45)
30 x 18 (75 x 45)
60 x indefinite (150 x indefinite)
36 x 12 (90 x 30)
 

Cortaderia selloana
'Sunningdale Silver'
Stipa gigantea (Golden Oats)
 

120 x 96 (300 x 240)
.
96 x 48 (240 x 120)
 

Herbaceous - A non-woody plant in which the upper parts die down to a rootstock at the end of the growing season. It is chiefly applied to perennials, although botanically it also applies to annuals and biennials.

Carex comans
Carex siderosticha 'Variegata'
 

12 x 30 (30 x 75)
12 x 16 (30 x 40)
 

Carex elata 'Aurea'
 

28 x 18 (70 x 45)
 

The Lindum Turf Range.

All turf produced by Lindum is grown on stone-free sandy loam soils to rigorously high, certified standards.

All grades of Lindum's turf can be supplied washed. Washed turf is particularly appropriate if you have an area that needs to become established quickly as it roots much more rapidly than standard turf, providing the ideal solution if you have tight timescales to work to. The turf is processed to remove all the soil from the root mat using a specially patented system. It is available in standard or large rolls and can be used in conjunction with re-inforced rootzone systems.

Code

Name of Grade

Application

Features

Seed Mix

LT1

Tournament Greens

Bowling Greens

Very Fine
Dense Sward
Close Mowing
High Maintenance

Chewings/ Slender
Creeping Red Fescue
Browntop Bent or High % Browntop Bent

LT3

Ryegreen

Cricket and Tennis
Finest Lawns

Hard Wearing
Good Recovery
Mow to 6mm

Fine Leafed Ryegrass
Chewings & Creeping Red Fescue

LT4

Smooth Stalked Tees

High Quality Formal Lawns

Hard Wearing
Fine Turf
Good Appearance
Variable Maintenance

Chewings & Creeping Red Fescue
Smooth Stalked Meadow Grass

LT6

Sporturf

Football

Very Hard Wearing
Good Recovery Average Maintenance

Dwarf Rye Grass
Smooth Stalked Meadow Grass Chewings & Red Fescue

LT7

Festival

Lawns

Hard Wearing Good Recovery Average Maintenance

Dwarf Rye Grass Smooth Stalked Meadow Grass Chewings & Red Fescue

LT9

RTF

Landscaping
Soil Stabilisation

Shade Tolerant Drought Tolerant Average Maintenance

Rhizomatous Tall Fescue
Smooth Stalked Meadow Grass

RTF (Rhizomatous Tall Fescue), bred by Barenbrug Research USA, produces rhizomes (an underground stem) that send a shoot up to the soil surface while extending new roots downwards. In fact, RTF can root to 1.5 metres deep giving it a chance to tap into water reserves that normal lawn turf cannot reach.

By re-turfing a garden with heat and drought tolerant RTF turf, lawns should remain green, lush and consistently thick, even in the height of summer. The lawn has high tensile strength, which quickly fills in damaged or open spots with new shoots of grass effectively knitting the lawn together, resulting in a garden that is extremely wear and tear tolerant, and one that can withstand the stress of adverse conditions such as drought and shade.

Because RTF is suited to almost all soil types and needs little maintenance and minimal irrigation, gardeners will be rewarded with beautiful lawns, rich in colour and disease resistant, not only in the summer but all year round. During the winter months, the lawn will hold its lush green colour and can resist frost and darker corners. With the onset of spring the rapid germination and quick spring green-up means that lawns are greener earlier.

Besides Lindum, RTF Turf can be obtained from Turfgrass Services International Limited, Tillers Turf Company and Q Lawns.

Lindum Grassfelt

Grassfelt is a mature soil-less grass growing in felt especially designed to retain moisture as well as giving great strength and flexibility.

Lindum Grassfelt is extremely pliable and flexible and the resulting “living carpet" is ideal for covering unusual contours, including steep slopes, embankments and sculptures. It is suitable for temporary or permanent use both indoors and outdoors, and is supplied in large rolls resulting in minimal visible joins.

A temporary tennis court was laid in Trafalgar Square, London with Lindum Grassfelt for the finals of the "Ariel Tennis Ace" campaign.

All their different varieties of turf can be produced by Lindum as a Grassfelt grass.

Lindum Lokturf

Lindum Lokturf uses a crimped fibre technology to produce tough, wear-resistant turf with an extensive root system. By producing a superior interlock between fibres, sand and roots, Lindum Lokturf not only gives greater stability but also acts as an effective shock absorber.

It is ideal for areas of heavy impact and Lokturf provides a durable, fast recovering surface which stays firmer and level for longer.

Due to its unique composition, Lindum Lokturf also helps areas to drain rapidly by reducing rootzone compaction, meaning that surfaces quickly recover ready to be re-used.

It can be used for equestrian surfaces, grass access roads and grass car parks.

Lindum Wildflower

Lindum Wildflower contains more than 20 species to provide a colourful display over a prolonged flowering period, but these can be changed according to soil type and location. Suitable for private gardens and green roofs, Grassfelt’s stabilizing qualities mean that the product is also ideal for roadside embankments and steep slopes or mounds.

Lindum Reedfelt

A combination of Lindum's Grassfelt technology using a biodegradable felt made from recycled British Textiles, and British Flora's high quality reeds, Lindum Reedfelt provides a lighter and more sustainable alternative to traditional coir blankets.

Lindum Reedfelt can be used for the stabilisation of waterways and wild margins as well as water filtration treatment.

LT6 - Sporturf would be suitable for children and dogs.
LT7 - Festival would be suitable for most lawns.
LT4 - Smooth Stalked Tees would be suitable for use in formal outside social use.
LT3 - Ryegreen would be suitable in a small area for cricket, tennis or croquet.
LT1 - Tournament Greens would be suitable for your own bowling green.

Clover in Lawns

Clovers are useful leguminous plants. Rhizobium bacteria in the root nodules fix atmospheric nitrogen into nitrate and improve soil fertility. The leaves are protein rich and make good grazing for your pet rabbit!!. The flowers are important sources of nectar for bees from May to October.

White Clover - Kentish Clover - (Trifolium repens) prefers alkaline soils.
Bird's foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), Lesser trefoil (Trifolium dubium) and Black medick (Medicago lupina) also prefer dry alkaline soils; derived from sand or limestone.

Scarification is one means of organic suppression, whereas chemical control using herbicides like 2,4-D in Weed -Feed & Moss Killer is another, which is inorganic. It is better to leave the clover in the lawns, especially with climate change affecting the increase in growth from the temperature increase, but slowing it down due to less rainfall in the summer and any nitrogen fertiliser applied being used up faster.

Grass Seed for Lawns

Barenbrug produces 90,000 tonnes of seed worldwide; amongst which they produce the following 4 grass seed mixtures for private gardens, which are available from their the-perfect-lawn website:-

• Bar 10 with RTF has the deep rooting capability of RTF (Rhizomatous tall fescue) to make it tolerant of waterlogging and drought, together with its excellent tensile strength and rapid recovery. The Barlennium ryegrass performs well in combined shade and wear and has excellent salt tolerance (suitable for wind driven salt from the sea into coastal gardens). This mixture would be best on acid soils, since 90% of its seed components have their optimal pH range of 5.5-7.0.
• Bar 30 with RTF is similar to Bar 10 with RTF and has extreme drought tolerance (ie for use on steep banks). 35% of the mixture is crested hairgrass with optimal pH range of 5.5-8.0, so making it more suitable for alkaline soils (like ones based on chalk).
• Bar 40 is the ultimate low maintenance mixture with reduced thatch production and excellent disease resistance. It is suitable for gardens near a coast and for formal outside social use. 70% of its seed has optimal pH range of 5.5-7.5, so making it suitable for any lawn. Excellent companion grass for wild flowers.
• Bar 14 is suitable for road verges, embankments and low input situations, giving a dense sward requiring little maintenance. This is the Ministry of Transport approved mixture. The inclusion of Smooth-stalked meadowgrass provides slow regrowth for reduced mowing frequency. The inclusion of Small-leaved white clover removes the need for Nitrogen applications (Clover is a legume that fixes atmospheric nitrogen to improve soil fertility), yet it will not dominate the sward.

Barenbrug also produce the following grass wildflower seed mixtures for low lawn maintenance:-

• Barflora Flower Meadow is general purpose. It is designed to perform well over a wide range of soils with a good range of native British biennial and perennial wild flowers. For extra colour in the year add a small amount of Barcolour - their annual native wildflower mixture. Maintenance - bi-annual mowing spring and autumn, removal of all cut material.
• Barflora 1 is for shady places, hedgerows and woodland glades. Sow in areas of light shade under deciduous trees and shrubs, hedge banks and north facing slopes. It is recommended to sow it in early spring to allow germination before canopy closes. Maintenance - one cut a year before leaf fall. Leaves from the hedgerows/trees should be removed each autumn from the lawn.
• Barflora 2 is for loamy, free draining soils. For loams and lighter alluvial soils (more sandy), this contains 6 interesting grasses and a comprehensive selection of 15 native wild flowers that are found throughout lowland Britain. Maintenance - bi-annual mowing spring and autumn, removal of all cut material.
• Barflora 3 is for heavy clay soils prone to waterlogging. Clay soils can present their own difficulties to work, warming up slowly in spring and drying out in summer. They can support a very diverse and interesting plant population that tends to be predominantly summer flowering. They recommend early autumn soil preparation with a winter fallow period to allow frost to condition the soil, fiolled by spring sowing when the soil temperature has risen. Maintenance - bi-annual mowing spring and autumn, removal of all cut material.

How to renovate an existing lawn

• Remove broad-leaved weeds by applying a proprietary selective weedkiller
• Mow the lawn as closely as possible – down to 15mm (1/2 inch)
• Aerate the lawn using a garden fork, a hollow-tine fork, or a mechanical solid-tine or slitter aerator (from a hire shop)
• Use string or bamboo canes to mark out square metres. Apply the seed from above mixtures by hand or through a drop spreader at a rate of 20g/m2
• Apply a light top dressing of soil and sand mixture (kiln-dried topdressing is available from Gardenscape) and brush in with soft brush or besom broom
• Water in with watering can or hose with fine nozzle.
• Apply fertiliser after germination rather than a pre-seed fertiliser to reduce the competition from the existing sward and this assists establishment of the new grass.
• Allowing the sward to grow too long before the first cut, or in between cuts, puts it under unnecessary stress, so mow regularly as required.

How to sow a newly constructed lawn

• Prepare the site to be sown by digging thoroughly, incorporating cow manure and levelling
• Firm ground by rolling or treading using your heels only
• Rake surface to achieve fine seed bed
• Finally rake to leave 5mm (1/4 inch) furrows. Sowing depth influences speed of establishment, species composition and subsequent performance of the turf (if small seeds are sown too deeply the more aggresive, generally larger-seeded species in the mixture could completely dominate the sward, thus affecting the synergy of the mixture with the loss of desirable characteristics)
• Mark out seed bed with string, or bamboo canes at each end
• Sow seed from above mixtures by hand or with a drop spreader at a rate of 30g/m2
• Lightly rake over at right angles to previously in order to cover the furrows
• Roll lightly, or walk over all the dry surface to get the seed in contact with the soil
• Water in thoroughly using a fine spray, avoiding washing away any soil or causing puddles
• Keep well watered until grass becomes established (about 3 weeks)

Lawn care advice from the company (that breeds the seed, then produces it, followed by Lindum, Turfgrass Services International Limited, Tillers Turf Company and Q Lawns who create the lawn turf from that seed) is available from the perfect lawn.

Please do not use weedkillers on the lawn.

The following is from Page 36 of Issue 208 in Spring 2013 of The Organic Way :-

Aminopyralid (AP) and clopyralid (CP) are used to kill broadleaved weeds, such as daisies and dandelions, in grass. AP is used mainly by farmers, but can also be used on amenity grass. CP is available to amateurs and professionals, for use on lawns, golf courses, etc (I wonder if this is used by Green Thumb when they kill the weeds). Although AP and CP are not used in organic growing, AP can unwittingly be brought into a garden in contaminated manure, and CP, in grass mowings and, potentially, in compost and growing media.

Even as low as 3 parts per 1000,000,000 (a billion), CP and AP cause distorted growth and sometimes crop failure in a wide range of important and popular food and ornamental plants. Both chemicals bind strongly to lignin in organic matter - in this case the treated grass. They are released only when this lignin is broken down. AP can pass through an animal's gut and still be active; hence, the problem with manure contaminination. CP will still be active in lawn mowings 3 cuts after application, and it can take many months to breakdown in a compost heap.

Damage can occur on plants grown in soil or potting compost where contaminiated manure or compost has been used as a mulch. In a polytunnel or greenhouse, where the soil receives much less water than outdoors, the effects tend to be longer lasting - 2 years or more.
Symptoms include:

• thickened, curved and twisted shoots, stems and leaves
• cupped and crinkled leaves
• cracked stems
• proliferated growth.

After many reports of aminopyralid damage to manured crops in 2008, products containing these chemicals were withdrawn from sale in the UK. But after an awareness campaign and stricter labelling, aimed at preventing these chemicals getting into manure, they are now back on the market. CP containing products have been banned in New Zealand and in some states in the USA. In the UK, the response has been simply to require improved labelling of amateur products by 2014, with the aim of keeping contaminated mowings out of municipal composting systems.

Many UK Councils will not empty a general refuse bin that contains plant material. Part of "improved labelling" on a plastic canister of Clopyralid states "Do not dispose of via council composting schemes". So, if it cannot go in the Green Waste Bin, where does it go? Kept in the Garden or illegaly dumped in a ditch?"

Height in inches (cms):-

25.4mm = 1 inch
304.8mm = 12 inches
12 inches = 1 foot
3 feet = 1 yard
914.4mm = 1 yard

I normally round this to
25mm = 1 inch
300mm = 30 cms = 12 inches =1 foot,
900 mm = 3 feet = 1 yard and
1000mm = 100 cms = 1 metre = 40 inches