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Award winner author of gardening humor books

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May Dreams Gardens

Wildflower Wednesday – Flowers in the Lawn

October 23, 2014 By Carol Michel 9 Comments

Pretty little mystery flower in the lawn

I’ve spent time the last three evenings on my hands and knees and sometimes on my butt planting bulbs for Glory of the Snow,  Chionodoxa gigantia (also known as Chionodoxa lucillia), in my back lawn.

I bought 1,000 bulbs of Glory of the Snow, which doesn’t take as long as you might think to plant. I timed my first 300 bulbs.  40 minutes.  Not bad.  After three sessions, I’m almost done planting these bulbs, which also don’t go as far as you might think in a great big lawn. It’s a good start, as they say.

Next I’ll plant 500 more corms of tommies, Crocus tommasinianus, in the back lawn to join the 2,000 tommies and other crocuses I’ve planted over the last several years.

Then if all goes according to plan, I’ll have a lovely lawn dotted with purple and white blooms in early spring.  First the crocuses will bloom and then Glory of the Snow will flower, and hopefully one or the other or maybe both will be at their peak on Easter, April 5th.

After that the grass will start to grow and the blooms in the lawn will be dandelions followed by clover. I love the clover. I tolerate the dandelions.

While I was planting the bulbs this evening, I ran across a tiny white, daisy like bloom in the lawn by the edge of the patio.  Pretty little thing, and tiny. Hardly bigger than the three leaves of a tiny clover.

I have no idea where it came from or what it is, other than a little daisy like bloom.  Bellis perennis, the English daisy? I don’t think so. English daisy is not a native flower for me, and it isn’t one I’ve ever planted here. And all the neighbors have traditional lawns, so where would the seed have come from?

Honestly, I don’t really care what the flower is, I’m just happy to have it in my lawn.  I’m leaving it and hoping it sets seed and starts a colony right there.  In my lawn.

It reminded me that earlier this spring, I received an alternative lawn mix of wildflowers from American Meadows to try in my garden.

As sometimes happens, sowing those seeds got caught up in the never-ending battle between must do, need to do, should do, and want to do. Oh, and like to do. It was in the battle, too. As I recall, sowing the wildflower seeds, along with many other wants, hopes, and dreams I had in the spring, lost out to must do, as most of the other “do’s” do.

But all is not lost and the seed will not go to waste. As luck would have it,  the lawn alternative wildflower seeds can also be sown in the fall after the first killing frost.  That’s good news for me. We haven’t had a killing frost yet.  I have time!

Once we have the killing frost,  I’m going to clear out the area just inside the vegetable garden gate, which right now is mulch, and sow these wildflower seeds.  Then later next spring, after the Glory of the Snow and the crocuses are all bloomed out in the big lawn, a little patch of low growing, lawn alternative wildflowers should be growing just inside the garden gate.

Then I’ll really have something to write about for Wildflower Wednesday, hosted by Gail of Clay and Limestone on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

I’m looking forward to it!

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: lawn, wildflower wednesday

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Covegirl says

    October 23, 2014 at 12:51 pm

    I love that. I wish I could do this. My husband does not want any "weeds" in the lawn.

    Reply
  2. dm says

    October 23, 2014 at 3:17 pm

    Honestly, my favourite flowers are the ones that show up from nowhere. I love the mystery and see them as gifts.

    Reply
  3. Dee Nash says

    October 23, 2014 at 7:05 pm

    Great plans. I'm adding more crocus to my little lawn in the front too. I hope some return from last year. I love your plan for the wildflowers later too. What a sweet flower you found. That makes the work better too.~~Dee

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    October 23, 2014 at 10:26 pm

    Oh, it's delightful, the wee blooming things that show up in your lawn, huh? I feel sorry for the fanatics who insist on a pristine lawn — how boring. Do you think the mystery flower may be a tiny aster? It sorta looks like…

    Reply
  5. Nic says

    October 24, 2014 at 12:09 am

    That is some very impressive and efficient bulb planting! I took 40 minutes for a mere 25 narcissus bulbs the other day; my only excuse is that I was planting them in an established perennial border, so I had to carefully dig between the clumps of perennials without damaging anything.

    Reply
  6. Rose says

    October 24, 2014 at 1:50 pm

    I found a similar little white bloom in the back yard just the other day; it almost looked like a tiny aster. If you are able to identify it, I'd love to know what it is! Your lawn is going to look lovely come spring with all those pretty bulbs you've planted.

    Reply
  7. Indie says

    October 25, 2014 at 1:20 pm

    Oh, how pretty that would be! I love lawns with flowers and clover in them! Though every time my dad and my father-in-laws come over, they give us advice on weed-killers… What is it with men and grass?

    Reply
  8. RobinL says

    October 29, 2014 at 2:32 am

    I wonder do the neighbors love your lawn full of flowers, or do they wish you conform? But you just go right on doing what you wish, which is to fill the world with flowers. Hurray!

    Reply
  9. astudentgardener says

    November 4, 2014 at 11:22 pm

    I can't wait to see your Glory of the Snow in your lawn nexy spring!
    It is on my list to try out the same thing one year, I just worry that the lawn will get cut before the foliage has died back and they won't naturalize, but there only way to be sure is to test and learn, eh?

    Reply

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