This is my front garden, (West facing, Suffolk, UK) 8 weeks ago I stripped it all back and seeded with clover – mostly white but a mix of other clovers, creeping thyme and chamomile. The dream would be a rich looking front garden with native plants that doesn’t need mowing.
The clover is growing, but everything else is growing more! I don’t mind the other plants, dandelions etc but the bind weed, thistles and nettles are getting out of hand. I just can’t keep on top of them! There are still a lot of bare patches and frankly it just looks a mess.
It’s starting to merge with our neighbours lawn too (we’re mid terrace) our street hast PRISTINE lawns and ours looks shabby.
Question: How can I make it look more intentional rather than neglected? Should I leave the other plants or let them grow? Any maintenance tips greatly appreciated.
I’m a total novice at gardening and don’t have much time to dedicate to it as often as I’d like – so I may have wild expectations and done it all wrong – please be kind!
by rhingthnigherething
1 Comment
The soil looks very dry and stony, which is going to be a challenge for anything to put down roots and establish itself in a uniform way.
What sort of prep did you do before the clover seed? I think you need to add something simple like top soil, bed that in and then seed into it. It’ll give you a better canvas to work with.
I think I’d be tempted to call this experiment #1 and take it back to the mud, get some top soil on there and seed again. Keep it moist as it establishes and you should end up with much more even coverage. You could do this in the patches too if you’re really time short, but try to remove the stones first.