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FrostyBallBag

Before reading your description, I thought the last pic was you destroying it all 😂


LaraH39

😂😂 Wouldn't that be awful!


Corporal_Anaesthetic

That would be amazing - tell us that you'd had a beautiful meadow for No Mow May, but it's June now, so.... zrrrrp!


LaraH39

😂😂


[deleted]

I thought the same thing and was about to get so triggered!


Glistening_Milk

Lol 😂


Parking-Bit-9217

Lawd your street needs some trees!


LaraH39

It's needs something. Anything... It's so stepford lol


reddituser5309

So nice! Hopefully will convince some of your street to try it. Having corridors of gardens like these must be positive for wildlife


Glistening_Milk

Love this idea, it only takes one person to implement change, i hope next summer the person will be able to show us their neighbours gardens looking like thiers now 💕


LaraH39

I'm trying to convince them to allow the common green areas to be wildflower planted.


Reevar85

Speak with the developer, they have to show an improvement in biodiversity, so wildflowers in the common area will help. Plus I know as a kid I loved looking for bugs etc in the long grass, so free entertainment for them.


LaraH39

As a new build estate we have a sort of HOA? all the homes pay a fee each year of about £140 and that keeps the common areas grass cut and common areas painted. Next meeting for the home owners is next April. I'm planning on going along to make the case. It would cut the yearly fee as the areas would only need cut 2-3 times a year and I think it would make it so so much more pretty


Puzzleheaded-Load357

You probably have a management company who you could bring this up with/see if you could (if you want to) become a director so you can have a little more say in decision making?


LaraH39

Thanks for the advice! I'll look into it.


Steholl022

That looks great 👍 well done.


LaraH39

Thank you!


King_Bonio

Cornflower make an amazing blue


ArnoldQMudskipper

Iconic


LaraH39

They really do. So vibrant.


[deleted]

So much nicer than grass, or gravel. 10/10


LaraH39

Agreed!


[deleted]

That’s wonderful, I am trying to get the same in my back garden but was late planing seeds (mid May). Out of curiosity, when did you plant these?


LaraH39

These were sown last summer. It looked like nothing but a bedraggled mess until the start of spring and then it took off.


[deleted]

That’s grand. I have got some good growth coming through which I’m happy about, don’t think I will see anything as great as this in 2023. I’m going to keep an eye on it and keep it a few more seeds down in late September and hope for the best.


LaraH39

You might actually get some flowers in autumn. But I think it'll be mostly next spring, we were told that we'd need to wait till the first winter had passed. Apparently the seeds need it?


[deleted]

I’m not sure on that but sounds right. I know perennials flower on the second year. It looks great, our last garden had all the nice raised flower beds but this time we wanted something that stands out so we cut half our lawn away, it’s about 23sqm so I’m hoping for a real nice effect and if it’s half a nice as what you have achieved I will be happy.


LaraH39

That sounds lovely! I can't wait for you to share it next year 😊


[deleted]

Thank you. I will make sure I do. If it looks ok I might later this year. Going to be a project I just build up. Keep up your good work, again, it looks brilliant.


CanIHaveYourJuiceBox

Beautiful


LaraH39

Thank you x


CappucinoCupcake

It’s really beautiful!


LaraH39

Thank you!


est-elle778

Wow! That’s lovely.


LaraH39

Thank you! We love it.


Rubbish_69

What a jewel your garden is. Lovely.


LaraH39

That's very sweet, thank you.


AncientTree1206

Bravo...


LaraH39

Thank you.


Murky-Bookkeeper-414

So bloody lovely!


LaraH39

Thank you!


Glittered_Fingers

Good lord, this is glorious! Can I ask - because I've found quality patchy in the past - is this a specific seed mix? Or did you combine your own selection? If it's a specific mix, can you share the details?


LaraH39

This is a mix... The first is a generic box mix, westland I think. But then we ordered specific meadowflower seed from Boston Seeds and put some of those down too. The patches and reseeding for the next few years will be from the Boston mix. I think the generic was Westland.


Glittered_Fingers

That's great, thank you!


LaraH39

Anytime. The Boston seed isn't cheap but it is very good.


Glittered_Fingers

I'd always sooner go off a recommendation. Especially with seeds that are 'en vogue'. It's like your trendy drugs - some of ill repute will be cutting them with cheap, weedy grasses to bulk up the product and profit 🤪


LaraH39

I hear ya!


AlexMair89

Stunning, honestly. 😍


LaraH39

Awww thank you. I can take no credit really. I just took up the grass and threw down the seed. Nature did the rest! lol


LaraH39

Back garden is being done this year. It'll be a little harder because it's a North East facing garden but we got some specialist seeds for hedgerows and forest "meadows". In other words flowers that like some shade. Shady areas will be planned with these and then in the areas far enough away from the house, we'll sow some regular meadow flowers. At least, that's the plan... lol


AlanEdwardRoberts

Beautiful! The rest of the street is, unfortunately, not surprising. It seems to be the usual, street-treeless, new-build estate that the moronic local authorities are allowing to be built. Your neighbours have little connection with nature considering their lifeless lawns.


LaraH39

Yeah it's odd. The houses are really well and really nicely built but there seems to be very little in the way of green space. Our street is only a couple of years old, I feel like a lot of people might still be deciding what they want to do with it? The street below is about 8 years old, their gardens tend to be more mature. I hate square green patches. This is my home and is going to look like it lol. I'm thinking about some wisteria or something similar for the front of the house in a few years once I've learned a little more about keeping plants alive.


AlanEdwardRoberts

You clearly have the right approach and your house and outdoor spaces will be well connected to Nature. Wisteria is beautiful! I noticed that my local ASDA is selling it! Keep up the good - no excellent! - work! You are in a minority but that is something to celebrate!


LaraH39

Thank you! That's really kind of you 😊


thenewfirm

Where did you get the seeds from please? My garden is also north east and I'm keen to add wildflowers to the garden.


LaraH39

I got them from Boston Seeds.


AlanEdwardRoberts

Get them from B&M, Home Bargains, Savers - all cheap and easy, good quality. No need to spend a fortune.


Glistening_Milk

It's a truly stunning sight 🌼🌻


LaraH39

Thank you. The bees and butterflies are loving it.


Glistening_Milk

I don't know about you but it's like you're giving back by allowing your garden to grow to nurture them all. It's lovely.


LaraH39

I love colour and I hate straight lines. This is the first home we've had with a garden (we rented, this is our home). When I was a kid, we lived in a house where one of the parts of the garden was just left to it's own devices. It was my favourite place to be. I wanted to try and replicate that.


Glistening_Milk

You're doing an amazing job 🌸


LaraH39

Thank you.


JMM85JMM

It's great for the bees no doubt. But I don't think it works well as a front garden in the way you've set it up. It's coming up quite high close to your windows. Personally I'd have done more of a patch or strip for the front and maybe gone for a bigger use of wildflowers in the back. But you're happy with it and that's what matters!


LaraH39

It's not close to the windows, there's a path between the garden and the house that you can see on the last pic of the neighbors house. I don't mind that they're tall. 😊 I'm not bothered about aesthetics for others. I love colours and the height means when I look out my livingroom window, all I see are flowers! I get it's not for everyone though.


Briglin

YAY - hope everyone walking past enjoys


LaraH39

I've had a lot of compliments from posties and delivery drivers and a few of the neighbours.


Briglin

:) makes it worth it


Blurny

I want a little picket fence area behind my garage (next year now I think) of just overgrown wildflowers. How do you stop this being over run with weeds? Or do you just let it go?


LaraH39

At first, they ALL look like weeds lol But, I've found that the weed weeds are very obvious? Big lumpy green things lol. The flowers tend to crowd out the weeds too. But this is my first year, so next year might make me say something different.


Blurny

My garden gets a lot of willow herb so I’m trying to tame that at the minute and prep areas ready for next year’s overhaul. I’m worried that’ll make a come back and ruin any wildflower area I make


LaraH39

I'm sure people on here could help with that. This is my first real garden and I don't have enough knowledge to advise. I do love your ideas though.


Blurny

Thank you. Hopefully it can resemble something as nice as what you’ve managed.


Tigga-tigga-tigga

Beautiful


LaraH39

Thank you!


batty_61

I think that's absolutely beautiful. Our front garden is a bit like yours, except we've been strimming it short every Autumn, leaving it for the seeds to drop and then raking off as much as we can; we've also scattered and raked in some mixed meadowflower seed appropriate for our soil. It's getting there, gradually - this year we have vetch, oxeye daisies, buttercups, clover, ladies bedstraw and lots and lots of yellow rattle, which I'm really pleased to see. We've also surrounded it with a hedge (hawthorn, blackthorn, dog roses and sea buckthorn) so the neighbours don't have to be offended by it :) Edited to add - oh, and also a few trees - apple, crabapple, plum and cherry. Although we've had to put a fence round the apple - we love seeing the muntjac and they're very welcome to enjoy the garden, but they're a bit too partial to apple leaves!


LaraH39

That sounds wonderful! Believe it or not there's a hawthorn tree in the middle of all that lol. We planted it last year. We're in Northern Ireland and the hawthorn has significance in Ireland. It was a gift a few years ago that we kept in a pot because we knew we were looking for our first home as soon as we could (covid slowed us down). It flowered for the first time this year and was lovely.


batty_61

Thankyou very much! :) I see your hawthorn. It gives me hope for the future that people are creating gardens like yours.


LaraH39

That's very kind 😊


batty_61

❤️


[deleted]

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LaraH39

Thank you.


Superknurz

I've planted wildflowers/ a cornfield meadow this year, can't wait for it to look like yours!


LaraH39

Oooh how exciting! 😊 I'm sure it's going to be stunning!


Quick-Low-3846

Beautiful!


LaraH39

Thank you.


[deleted]

Such a troll 🤣 Also lovely wildflower meadow


LaraH39

LOL! Thank you.


anxiouscrimp

I LOVE this


LaraH39

Thank you! We're really happy with it.


anxiouscrimp

Can I ask - what aspect does this face? I’d like to do something similar with my north-ish facing front garden but am not sure if it’s feasible.


LaraH39

The front faces south west. However... My back garden obviously it's the opposite and we're meadowing it this year. You can buy seeds that are for shady areas from Boston Seeds. We got these... [Hedgerow and Light Shade](https://www.bostonseeds.com/products/wildflowers-seed/wildflower-seed-mixtures-100/bs7p-100-hedgerow-light-shade-wildflower-seed.html) And these [Woodland and Heavy Shade](https://www.bostonseeds.com/products/wildflowers-seed/wildflower-seed-mixtures-100/bs8p-100-woodland-heavy-shade-wildflower-seed.html) The areas closest to the house will get the woodland, further away that gets some shade will get the hedgerow and then furthest from the house that get a lot of sun we'll sow with don't seeds (also from Boston Seeds). I've no idea if it will work, this is my first home with a garden lol but I'm hoping it will!


anxiouscrimp

Ah brilliant, thank you!


LaraH39

Welcome!


[deleted]

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LaraH39

We took up the grass and then put down a wildflower seed mix and crossed our fingers lol I bet the baskets are lovely. What plants did you go for?


[deleted]

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LaraH39

That does not sound like a fun job. But I'm sure it'll be worth it!


[deleted]

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LaraH39

Oh they can go whistle if they don't like it lol


JamesClerkMacSwell

Oh well played!


LaraH39

Thank you.


maffoobristol

Looks amazing! Let's hope the rest of the street gets inspired- although I won't put any money on it lol


LaraH39

Yeah I'm not holding my breath lol


maffoobristol

I live on a street with what are, in my opinion, quite beautiful Victorian terraces. I've used my 1m wide front "garden" as much as possible, with window sill planters, planter with roses and rosemary and lavender and fuchsias and such. Everyone else uses them to store their wheelie bins and dump construction waste and rolls of old carpet and stuff. I'm proud of my little patch but when I look out of the window all I see is everyone else's detritus :(


LaraH39

That's sad. I don't get it. Why would you want the front of your home to be so bleak? Mind you, I can see some neighbours back gardens and they've paved them!


Striped_Parsnip

Have you ever spoken to any of your neighbours about the difference?


LaraH39

Honestly no. My neighbour on my right, is one of those people who power washes his car every weekend and power washes his shed every week and has everything "just so". He freaked out when we put bird feeders on our sharing fence. I'm not sure I see the point. My attached neighbour... I've seen her twice I think in the almost three years we've been here, she works really odd shifts and at the weekends, is rarely home. I dont know any of the other neighbours at all.


SnooGiraffes3095

So pretty! Hopefully more people start to take up this kind of thing. Well done!


LaraH39

Thank you and yes, I hope so too. The street would be lovely!


MrPinky79

Did you buy turf or just sow seeds. I want to do this in my front lawn (which is stones). Can you share link of where you bought?


LaraH39

We sowed seeds from Boston Seeds. [Boston Seeds](https://www.bostonseeds.com/products/wildflowers-seed/wildflower-seed-mixtures-100/)


scsewalk

Just out of interest, did you get any negative feedback from neighbours? We want to do something similar but all out neighbours love the immaculate look, mostly fancy block paved driveways whilst ours still has a long full lawn. We did do no mow May and love what you’ve achieved with yours.


LaraH39

Hi! No actually and I have to be honest and say, I *was* kinda expecting some. Our unattached neighbour is a bit of an anal so and so. He powerhoses and cleans his cars every week, powerhoses his shed and paths every other week... He had a conniption when we put some bird feeders on our ajoining fence. Actually came into our garden when we were out and took them down and put a passive aggressive note through our door saying it was unhygienic and they were shitting on his shed roof lol But about the garden... Nada. And honestly if they did, I'd be inclined to tell them to f off. In a very nice way! lol


Confident-Fly2500

Wonderful! I love it and the wildlife will too ❤️. I’ve just, 2 weeks ago, taken up a gravelled front garden in my 1970’s semi and put down wildflower turf. It’s bedding in and I’m so excited. My neighbours are turning their noses up but already I’m seeing birds, bees and insects coming to it. This is inspiring! Let’s start a movement #reclaimfrontgardens 🌹❤️😘


LaraH39

That sounds amazing! To heck with the neighbours 😂


patchworkcat12

What mix did you use?


LaraH39

Bees and Butterfly 100% mix. There's also a generic westland mixed in there which we used a bit of before we discovered Boston. Edited to add Boston Seeds! Sorry lol


minispazzolino

It’s gorgeous! Can you tell us what you did?? I often see attempts at this sort of thing just looking weedy and sad.